The semantic elements through which information is presented—the words, symbols, numbers, icons, and language structures—are differentially accessible to learners with varying backgrounds, languages, and lexical knowledge. To ensure accessibility for all, key vocabulary, labels, icons, and symbols should be linked to, or associated with, alternate representations of their meaning (e.g., an embedded glossary or definition, a graphic equivalent, a chart or map). Idioms, archaic expressions, culturally exclusive phrases, and slang should be translated. When the syntax of a sentence or the structure of an equation or graphical representation is not obvious or familiar to learners, comprehension suffers. To ensure all learners have equal access to information, provide alternative representations that clarify, or make more explicit, the syntactic or structural relationships between elements of meaning.

• Pre-teach vocabulary and symbols, especially in ways that promote connection to the learners’ experience and prior knowledge.

• Offer graphic symbols with alternative text descriptions.

• Highlight how complex terms, expressions, or equations are composed of simpler words or symbols.

• Embed support for vocabulary and symbols within the text (e.g., hyperlinks or footnotes to definitions, explanations, illustrations, previous coverage, or translations).

• Embed support for unfamiliar references within the text (e.g., domain-specific notation, lesser known properties and theorems, idioms, academic language, figurative language, mathematical language, jargon, archaic language, colloquialism, and dialect).

• Clarify unfamiliar syntax (in language or in math formulas) or underlying structure (in diagrams, graphs, illustrations, extended expositions, or narratives) through alternatives that:

  • Highlight structural relations or make them more explicit.
  • Make connections to previously learned structures.
  • Make relationships between elements explicit (e.g., highlighting the transition words in an essay, linking between ideas in a concept map, etc.).