LOGAN — Utah State University plans to create a new program to help more people with disabilities get the tools they need to learn.
The new program, called the National Center for Accessible Digital Learning Materials and Instruction (N-Academy), will be housed at USU’s Institute for Disability Research, Policy and Practice.
USU school officials said N Academy will do similar activities as it does now, but the new center will allow it to reach a wider range of people across the country.
“Organizations including higher education institutions, nonprofits and businesses come to us and ask us to help them find problems with their websites so they can improve them,” said John Northup, a web accessibility specialist at the institute.
John Northup explains how to use the tool on the KSL.com website. (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
Northup said these are foundational pieces of research being done in labs, but bringing all that information into teaching settings requires work and can be difficult for researchers.
That’s why USU was awarded a $7.2 million grant to help disseminate its findings to all age groups and types of institutions across the country.
“So we need to make sure that all textbooks are digitally accessible and that all instruction and materials are in a format that students can use, whatever their needs may be,” said Brenda Smith, the institute’s associate director.
Accessibility tools used by KSL.com (Mike Anderson, KSL TV)
Smith said that while her usual focus is on special education, it’s important to ensure that people with disabilities can learn alongside their peers — not just for ethical reasons, but because it’s the law.
“So when that doesn’t happen, it’s discrimination and it’s a violation of an individual’s civil rights,” said Cynthia Curry, incoming director of the N Academy.
Curry said society is positively impacted when everyone has the opportunity to learn together.
“We need diverse perspectives in all sectors of society,” she said.
USU says N Academy is set to open in early October and will serve everyone from kids in school at all levels to adults in higher education, essentially pre-programming access to educational materials.