Activity 01
Simulation Game: The Empathy Challenge
Students try to perform a simple digital task (like finding a website) using only one hand, or with their screen brightness turned all the way down. They then discuss what features would have made the task easier.
Analyze the progression of a specific technology over time (e.g., phones, computers).
Facilitation TipDuring the Empathy Challenge, ask students to reflect out loud after each simulation round about how the physical limitations changed their experience of the task.
What to look forProvide students with images of three different versions of a technology (e.g., early mobile phone, flip phone, smartphone). Ask them to arrange the images in chronological order and write one sentence explaining why the newest version is different from the oldest.
ApplyAnalyzeEvaluateCreateSocial AwarenessDecision-Making
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Activity 02
Inquiry Circle: App Audit
In small groups, students look at a popular educational app and identify three features that make it easy to use (e.g., big buttons, clear icons, voice instructions) and one thing that could be improved.
Justify why certain technological advancements were necessary.
Facilitation TipWhen running the App Audit, model how to identify at least one inclusive feature and one barrier in a shared example before letting groups work independently.
What to look forPose the question: 'Imagine you are a scientist in the year 1900. What problem do you think people needed solved that led to the invention of the telephone?' Facilitate a class discussion where students justify their ideas.
AnalyzeEvaluateCreateSelf-ManagementSelf-Awareness
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Activity 03
Think-Pair-Share: Designing a Better Remote
Students think of how to redesign a TV remote for someone who is blind. They share their ideas with a partner, focusing on textures, shapes, and sounds, before presenting to the class.
Predict how a current technology might evolve in the future.
Facilitation TipFor the Designing a Better Remote activity, circulate and listen for students using inclusive language like 'easier to see' or 'works for my friend who uses a wheelchair' in their explanations.
What to look forAsk students to name one technology they use daily. Then, ask them to write one sentence about how this technology might be different in 20 years and why that change might happen.
UnderstandApplyAnalyzeSelf-AwarenessRelationship Skills
Generate Complete Lesson→A few notes on teaching this unit
Start by normalizing difference—frame inclusive design as a natural part of making things better for everyone, not as an extra task. Use familiar examples like subtitles or larger font sizes to build prior knowledge. Keep discussions concrete by grounding them in the students’ own technology use, and avoid abstract lectures about disability rights or legal requirements at this age.
Successful learning looks like students recognizing that technology design affects real people’s lives and can articulate simple, actionable ways to make designs inclusive. They should demonstrate this through explanations, justifications, and creative problem-solving in group work.
Watch Out for These Misconceptions
During the Empathy Challenge, watch for students who say accessibility only matters for a few people. Redirect by asking them to share examples from their own lives where captions or high-contrast screens have helped them in noisy or bright environments.
Use the Empathy Challenge to highlight that temporary situations, like a broken arm or a loud café, can make any technology less usable for anyone. After simulating vision impairment, ask students to name a technology they’ve used recently that would have been harder without sight.
During the App Audit, watch for students who assume accessibility requires expensive or complex changes. Redirect by having them compare two versions of the same app, one with clear fonts and one with fancy scripts, and ask which one is easier to read and why.
After the audit, bring the class back together to list simple design choices they saw in real apps, like large buttons or color contrast, to reinforce that accessibility starts with basic decisions.
Methods used in this brief