In previous posts, we’ve talked about what accessibilty looks like in the classroom, how accessible Art looks in education today, and the overwhelming benefits of accessible art, but what do real world examples look like, and is it realistic to think Art, education, and STEAM can be made accessible to everyone?
Arizona State University (ASU) believes that one barrier of education can easily be removed using today’s technology. ASU has begun implementing meticulously trained AI to help make their classrooms, and classrooms around the US, more accessible to non-English speaking students and their families. In an article reviewing and breaking down research on AI’s potential to improve accessibility in the classroom, ASU found the high schools across the country are struggling to engage with students who are still learning English. ASU’s AI innovation center proposed a solution by creating a new type of chat bot that uses generative AI to study languages and aid both students and teachers in communication. ASU claims this new AI is also helping parents of bilingual students who might not speak English themselves, which helps to offer a more well structured support system to the student.
The Alliance for Excellent Education (ALL4ED) is an advocacy organization that works towards ensuring students in traditionally underserved communities’ graduate high school and are ready to succeed in college, work, and citizenship. ALL4ED makes classrooms more accessible to low-income students in the greater Washington DC area by reforming and paying for better common core standards, improving literacy among students, and connecting students and their families to the internet. Since the 1990s, this group has been improving access to learning through philanthropy and non-profit efforts. By covering the costs that students, families, and their schools cannot, more students are able to access their education.
These are just a few examples of what accessibilty looks like in the real world and how it helping to improve the lives of students. Look forward to more posts exploring other real world examples of how education, Art, and STEAM can be made accessible.
