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Year 9 • Lesson 11

Accessible & Inclusive Design

Design for everyone

1 in 5 people in the UK have a disability. Design that excludes them isn't just unfair — it's bad design.

🎯 Learning Objectives

  • ✓Explain four principles of accessible design and why they matter
  • ✓Test digital content for accessibility using a checklist and automated tools
  • ✓Redesign a piece of content to meet accessibility standards

📚 Key Vocabulary

WCAG
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — the international standard for digital accessibility
Alt text
A written description of an image for screen reader users
Contrast ratio
The difference in brightness between text and background — must meet minimum standards
Screen reader
Software that reads digital content aloud for visually impaired users
Cognitive load
How much mental effort something requires — good design minimises this

⏱️ Lesson Timing (50 mins)

🪝
Hook
5 mins

Demo a screen reader reading a badly designed webpage (lots of "click here" links, no alt text, poor structure). Then the same page with good accessibility. The difference is dramatic.

👨‍🏫
Teach
12 mins
  • •The 4 POUR principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust
  • •Colour contrast: minimum 4.5:1 ratio for normal text
  • •Alt text: describe the meaning, not just the appearance — "A bar chart showing..." not "image"
  • •Headings: they're not just visual — screen readers navigate by them
  • •Captions and transcripts for audio/video
  • •Plain English: shorter sentences, common words, active voice
  • •Testing tools: WebAIM Contrast Checker, axe DevTools, WAVE
🛠️
Create
38 mins

Accessibility audit: students receive a deliberately inaccessible document (a school newsletter with poor contrast, no headings, no alt text, small text, jargon). (1) Audit it against a 10-point checklist, scoring each item. (2) Use WebAIM Contrast Checker to test all colour combinations. (3) Rewrite/redesign it to meet accessibility standards. (4) Write a brief "Accessibility Report" explaining each change and why it matters.

Tools:
Word OnlineWebAIM Contrast CheckerCanva
📢
Share
5 mins

Before/after reveal. What was the most impactful single change they made?

🔧 Tools & Resources

WebAIM Contrast Checker
✅ Free
https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
WAVE Accessibility Tool
✅ Free
https://wave.webaim.org

🤖 AI Angle

AI tools are getting better at generating alt text automatically — but they still make mistakes. Always review AI-generated alt text for accuracy.

📝 Evidence of Learning

Accessibility audit + redesigned document + accessibility report

📚 Homework

Check one website you use regularly for accessibility issues. Use WAVE (webaim.org). Note 3 issues and 2 things it does well.

⏱️ 20 mins

♿ Differentiation

Support (for students who need help)

Checklist broken into "quick wins" vs "more complex" — support students focus on quick wins first

Extension (for advanced learners)

Create an "Accessibility First Design Guide" — a one-page reference for students creating digital work.

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