VIDBE-Q Volume 69 Issue 4
document at one time. It can also be pointed out that AT may reduce the need to
enlarge print and that, when using magnification, enlarging print can actually result
in the student seeing less of the text at one time.
A connection should also be made between AT and universal design for
learning (UDL). UDL provides a framework for designing the learning
environment to be inclusive and accessible by adapting the means by which
information is represented, how the learner is engaged, and how knowledge is
expressed (CAST, 2024). While UDL takes an environmental view of adaptations
compared to the individual use of AT, the implementation of UDL can sometimes
reduce the need for AT. On the other hand, AT can also make UDL more effective
(Rose et al., 2005). Teachers of students with visual impairments can help teachers
understand that
AT and UDL, while different, are completely complementary—much like
two sides of the same coin [and] that advances in one approach prompt
advances in the other…Through a better understanding and melding of AT
and UDL, we believe that the lives of individuals with disabilities will
ultimately be improved (Rose et al., 2005, p. 507).
Teachers of students with visual impairments could illustrate this point by sharing
how the use of platforms with read aloud capabilities built in (e.g., Eduphoria or
