It is important to provide materials with which all learners can interact. Properly designed curricular materials provide a seamless interface with common assistive technologies through which individuals with movement impairments can navigate and express what they know—to allow navigation or interaction with a single switch, through voice activated switches, expanded keyboards and others.
Learners differ widely in their capacity to navigate their physical environment. To reduce barriers to learning that would be introduced by the motor demands of a task, provide alternative means for response, selection, and composition. In addition, learners differ widely in their optimal means for navigating through information and activities. To provide equal opportunity for interaction with learning experiences, an instructor must ensure that there are multiple means for navigation and control is accessible.
| Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Providing alternatives in the requirements for rate, timing, speed, and range of motor action required to interact with instructional materials, physical manipulatives, and technologies. |
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| Providing alternatives for physically responding or indicating selections (e.g., alternatives to marking with pen and pencil, alternatives to mouse control). |
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| Provide alternatives for physically interacting with materials by hand, voice, single switch, joystick, keyboard, or adapted keyboard. | Give options of interacting by hand, voice, single switch, keyboard, or adapted keyboard |
Providing a learner with a tool is often not enough. We need to provide the support to use the tool effectively. Many learners need help navigating through their environment (both in terms of physical space and the curriculum), and all learners should be given the opportunity to use tools that might help them meet the goal of full participation in the classroom.
| Strategy | |
|---|---|
| Explicitly teaching and providing the following tools: |
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