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Balancing Educational "Necessity" with ADHD Focus
In the world of education, we often confuse a "busy" classroom with a "productive" one. We’ve been taught that an art room should be a kaleidoscope of color and that "white space" is a missed opportunity for inspiration. Consider a simple scenario which happens too often. A high school student with ADHD has difficulty focusing during class due to the classroom design, which includes bright, distracting posters on the walls and an excess of visual clutter. The student's teache
Anastasia Semash
May 42 min read


Some UDL tips for online art classes
In my online art studio, I often see two different versions of the same struggle. I see the 70-year-old retired engineer worried that a shaky hand will "ruin" a drawing. I also see the 10-year-old student with ADHD, overwhelmed by a cluttered screen. While their lives are worlds apart, their need is the same: an environment designed for success. To meet this need, the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will be a great answer. UDL isn't just for traditional face
Anastasia Semash
Apr 132 min read


Why ID Professionals Must Confront Bias
In the world of instructional design, we often talk about "Learner-Centered Design." We conduct needs assessments, build personas, and map out learning paths. But there is a silent partner in the room during every design session: our own bias. Today, I took the Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) regarding physical disability. The IAT measures how quickly our brains associate concepts. For instance, "Physically Abled" or "Physically Disabled" would be paired with evaluati
Anastasia Semash
Mar 312 min read


UI Features and Accessibility in Training the Peer Educators
I just finished the training module using Adobe Captivate - oh what an experience, but I will tell you about it later… A significant part of the process involved managing accessibility features and reflecting on their application within my e-learning product. UI design process. Photo by picjumbo.com: https://www.pexels.com/photo/notebook-beside-the-iphone-on-table-196644/ Ultimately, this comes back to design – and design by its nature has to be usable, i.e. accessible for us
Anastasia Semash
Mar 112 min read
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