Introducing Blackboard Ally, Blackboard’s newest innovation that focuses on making digital course content more accessible. It helps institutions gain detailed insight into the accessibility of their course content, provides guidance to teachers on how to improve the accessibility of their content, and automatically provides students with a range of more accessible alternative formats.

1. Truly Inclusive Learning:
Bringing Accessibility to
Everyone
Foong Yee Leong
Operations
Teaching & Learning Platforms
(Moodlerooms, Collaborate, Ally)

2. Disabilities
Different Learning Styles
Who Are We Talking About?
Bringing Accessibility to Everyone
(Who faces barriers to learning
in the classroom?)

3. Bringing Accessibility to Everyone
3
…raise barriers to
learning when content
is presented in one
format only…
(Universal Design
for Learning)
Different
Learning Styles

4. A. … 5%
B. … 10%
C. … 20%
Bringing Accessibility to Everyone
Disabilities
impacting learning
Low vision/blind
Colour blind ADHD

5. Bringing Accessibility to Everyone
Effective models of inclusive education
not only benefit students with
disabilities,
but also create an environment in
which every student, including those
who do not have disabilities, has the
opportunity to flourish.
Inclusive Schools Network, Texas US
http://inclusiveschools.org/together-we-learn-better-inclusive-
schools-benefit-all-children/

6. 6
Blackboard’s Commitment to Accessibility
ContentPlatforms

7. 7
Challenges around Providing
Accessible Content
Unaware of own learning disabilities
Not disclosing to institution
Long delays on receiving
requested format
Manual remediation process
No insight into / difficult to track
how institution is doing
Lack of understanding on how it
affects students
Lack of awareness on what to do

8. 8
Ally Workflow
Machine Learning
Algorithms
Accessibility Checklist
Alternative Accessible
FormatsInstructor
Feedback
Institutional
Report
…influencing
behavioural
change…
(Enterprise)
(Enterprise)

9. 9
DEMO

10. 10
Oct 2017
Blackboard’s Commitment to Accessible Education
April 2017
July 2017
Q4 2017Enterprise 3.3

11. 11
Ally User Group
2nd Accessibility MOOC starts Oct 16:
http://go.blackboard.com/AXMOOC
Choose to:
ü Be Informed
ü Participate
Blackboard Ally User Group
http://tinyurl.com/blackboard-ally-user-group

12. Accessibility – Bringing Education to Everyone
“Educational equity comprises many
different aspects, including
appropriate access to education and
inclusion. It can be a challenge for
teachers to be inclusive in a class of 40
where some students may have
greater needs than their peers.
But it is not impossible.”
A/P Kenneth Poon, NIE
SingTeach Issue 56
http://singteach.nie.edu.sg/issue56-research01/