Dancing around a question and plan

Research 

To what extent do learners aged 10 - 18 have the basic skills capabilities and understanding to be able to create digital content with simple adjustments for accessibility applied.

Sub-Questions to explore:

1, What is their initial understanding of ‘what is accessibility’ Types of disability, equipment and key terms (permanent, temporary and situational disabilities/ impairments)?
2, What existing digital capability skills do learners already have to be able to complete the content creation tasks?

2b, When/how do they learn their digital skills e.g. Word/PowerPoint/Videos/Social media etc
3, Can learners make the connection between digital skills and digital accessibility to understand the importance of some basic skills and adjustments to make content accessible?
4, Based on a set of scenarios can learners identify what helpful adjustments they can do that can make a difference for improving accessibility for people with additional needs?

Why this age bracket?

This age group range because by the age of 10 most young people can use technology to create content for assignments at school, they may use technology at home or may already post on social media. 

Tasks:

1, basic knowledge task regarding understanding concepts of what accessibility is: eg what is disability, what is accessibility, accessible technology, basic adjustments baseline survey/ quiz?
*Mainly - Assess basic Understanding of key concepts of disability/ impairments eg: Permanent, temporary, situational. Baseline introductory study of baseline knowledge.

2, Workshops, task submissions and task ratings (easy/not needed help/no help):

Based on current knowledge, to what extent do they already know how to use tools and complete digital tasks:

This will ascertain their skills and knowledge of how to use software and tools, this is NOT measuring their knowledge of accessibility or what makes something accessible. 

Divorcing the two just keeps them focused on their digital capabilities in raw state.

Both areas can initially be reviewed separately.

Essentially this is their digital capability (digital capabilities will later then be compared to knowledge about accessibility and then assess marrying the two)

Each task - (tick off if they had to use the instructions, or knew how to do it without instructions) 
I found this task - likert scale?? (very easy, easy, fair, a bit hard, difficult)

Look at the results of their work submissions, did they achieve what was asked accurately?

Individual skills tests for digital capabilities 

*Add headings and sub-headings in a word document 
*Add titles in a PowerPoint 
*Use the in-built accessibility checker and explain what needs fixing (Word and PowerPoint)
*Change the colour of text in a document for strong colour contrast 
*Rename a hyperlink in a Word or PowerPoint document
*Add or enable captions on a YouTube video 
*Add alt text on an image as a good alternative for an image not showing (Word/Instagram)
*Create a transcript for a sound file or podcast
*Use clear language to describe something complex
*Create a table of information without adding merged or split cells 
*Adjust the reading order of content in a PowerPoint slide
*Create camel case social media hashtags 

3, Skills Adjustments (the 12 activities they have done) explain how each help with accessibility and then quiz to ascertain level of connecting understanding - (basic video explainer????) (quiz/ survey of how each adjustment can help permanent, temporary, situational)

4, Based on results conduct further activity (interviews) to see ‘how could each of the 12 adjustments help people’
How are they related to helping disabled people - eg can they make the link if they understand (permanent, temporary, situational) - when/how/where do they learn their digital skills?

Info to inform improving the basic explainer video and resources to support key concepts????? 

Interview could ask them questions to explain a scenario and what they could do to help. (Situational first to get them to relate to a personal situation) An Empathy based start for further questions?????

???
*What are their Digital capabilities as per tasks

*When/how do they learn their digital skills e.g. Word/PowerPoint/Videos/Social media (ascertain during interviews???)
*What is their Understanding of disability/accessibility
*Does this knowledge of both areas improve by age? - out of interest when are they most receptive
*Can they easily relate and marry the two concepts accessibility and digital ? 
*suggest some Basic Recommendations to build resources, information and guidance for schools looking at where the strengths and gaps are to embed accessibility education into the curriculum.

To do it:
HOW MANY learners/groups/different schools?

QUESTION??? Do I change target groups to study for wider understanding range?

OR…Do I do primary and high schools or just 10-16 stated?

OR…Do I do cross section of Primary/ High/ Further Education/Six form??