Empowering access: Integrating multiple means of engagement when teaching accessible design principles

Although digital accessibility topics are increasingly gaining inclusion in university computing classrooms, many instructors still encounter difficulties in engaging students with this subject. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework, a pedagogical approach that emphasizes multiple means of engagement, offers a promising strategy to appeal to diverse learning preferences of students. In our study, we applied the UDL framework to design a set of five interactive accessibility games. These games were intended to supplement traditional classroom approaches to teach accessible design. We implemented these games in courses at two public universities, testing them on 236 students. The students not only found the games both educational and engaging, but they also demonstrated a heightened understanding of the software challenges faced by people with disabilities and a greater inclination to include users with disabilities as potential software users. Our findings strongly suggest that the integration of accessibility-focused games into the classroom setting can significantly enhance student learning outcomes.