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Two Questions Every Instructional Designer Should Ask About Accessibility

The progression from “Can the learner perceive the information?” to “What if that sensory pathway isn’t accessible to them?” It turns Quinn Seeds 1 and 2 into a simple design lens...

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Two questions I think every instructional designer should ask:
Quinn Seed 1 🌱

👉 Can my learner detect and perceive the information I intend them to perceive?

And then…

Quinn Seed 2 🌱
👉 What if they can't access it through that sensory pathway?

That second question opened up a whole new line of thinking for me thanks to Clark Quinn

Because accessibility isn't simply about making something “available.”

It's about making sure the learner has a pathway to the information.

And sometimes that means:
Sight ↔ Sound
Colour + Text
Image + Alt Text
Audio + Captions
Chart + Accessible Data

The goal isn't to remove the original sensory pathway.

It's to make sure that pathway isn't the only way the learner can get the meaning.

I've tried to turn this into a simple mental model for designing with and without sensory limitations.

And I ended up with:

Without limitations → CDC
Clarity → Duration → Control

With limitations → NRAC
Non-Reliance on one sensory channel

I explain it in Quinn Seed 2.

Summary slide of two acronyms. For learners with limitation, NRAC: Non-Reliance (don't rely on one input channel; bring in the opposite sensory channel) and Additional Cue (add text, icons, shapes, sounds or patterns to colours). For learners without limitation, CDC: Clarity, Duration and Control, applied to sight (readable, distinguishable, enough time, user control) and sound (clear, distinguishable, enough time, user control).



Day 40 Of Instructional Design.

#InstructionalDesign#InstructionalDesigner#LearningAndDevelopment#LearningDesign#LearningExperienceDesign#LXD#Elearning#ELearningDesign#CurriculumDesign#CurriculumDeveloper#LearningJourney#Day1#Day2#LearningInPublic#BuildInPublic#SenseMakingNotes#MentalModels#TAWIQM#QuinnSeeds

In case you missed the Quinn Seed articles 👇

Quinn Seed #1- CLICK ME

Quinn Seed #2- CLICK ME

Where this comes from

  1. Check out "Learning Science" by Clark Quinn — If you design learning, teach, or train people, you need to understand what is actually happening when someone learns. Learning happens at the neural level, but we design for it at the cognitive level. There’s a lot more in Clark Quinn’s book that I can’t share because of **intellectual property**. Get the book and experience the learning yourself. 📚You Would Love It!
  2. Check out "40 L&D Stakeholder Challenges: Of L&D Leaders, Practitioners, Clients, and Learners" by Guy W. Wallace — This book shares the answers I got from my EPPI-PACT Guidance Bot. The free EPPI-PACT Guidance Bot is a digital, interactive knowledge-transfer resource designed to help Learning and Development (L&D) practitioners, performance consultants, and business leaders master and apply Guy W. Wallace’s Performance Improvement and Performance Based L&D methodologies.
  3. To Learn More Join the "Learning Development Accelerator" — Click the link to join the Amazing Learning Development Accelerator Group Where practice meets evidence