From 2010 to 2020, Jóhanna Birna Bjartmarsdóttir lived with chronic pain every single day. Jóhanna also has autism, ADHD, and severe dyslexia, three compounding challenges that made her school years painful and frustrating.
Fast forward to today, and Jóhanna is not only studying Education Science and Health Promotion at the University of Florida, but also leading her own accessibility consultancy - HARTS. Read how Jóhanna beat the odds, and is helping others to do the same.
The Obstacles To Equitable Education
Jóhanna describes herself as an “untraditional student.” When Jóhanna’s chronic illness set in, Jóhanna found herself feeling ostracised by her school.
“Teachers didn’t even want to help me because of my learning disabilities. They just thought, ‘Why bother? It’s not like you're going into higher education.’”
Even once Jóhanna returned to health, she couldn’t simply resume her education. In Iceland, students are required to complete a specific upper-secondary school program in order to qualify for university, something Jóhanna had missed. She was told, repeatedly, that a university education was out of reach.
“Every single person told me it was impossible,” she recalls.
Overcoming these hurdles with online learning
In 2019, at a Thanksgiving dinner, Jóhanna met a family friend from the University of Florida, Dr. Angela Linder. As they talked about her passion for health education, the friend mentioned something Jóhanna had never heard of: UF Online, a University Programme that allows students to complete their studies fully remotely via Canvas VLE. This conversation sparked the beginning of a new chapter for Jóhanna.
Today, Jóhanna is in her fourth year at the University of Florida. Not only is she succeeding, but she’s thriving. And Canvas VLE, Instructure’s learning ecosystem, was the catalyst for change.
Autonomy And Accessibility Through Canvas VLE
“The first thing I always do is log in to the Canvas calendar and see what assignments I have,” Jóhanna says.
For Jóhanna, Canvas isn’t just a learning platform. It’s the foundation of her learning environment, one that she can shape to meet her unique needs. Whether it’s managing sensory overload or working at her own pace, the flexibility of online learning through Canvas is transformative.
With Canvas VLE, I can control everything within the surrounding environment - the lighting, brightness, smell, temperature. As someone who’s autistic, this is really important. It allows me to make judgment calls every day to succeed in a demanding academic program. Canvas makes me enjoy learning. And that changes everything.
Jóhanna Birna Bjartmarsdóttir
Canvas also plays a vital role in making her coursework accessible:
Design tools and accessible formatting that integrate with her text-to-speech software
Lecture transcripts that ensure equitable learning opportunities
Visual structure like proper colour contrast and chunked information, that helps her focus on the learning itself
Building a more equitable future for others
At just 21 years old, Jóhanna founded an EdTech company called Harts, dedicated to helping institutions and educators create more accessible learning environments. Her mission is simple: to be the role model she never had.
“I just want to show that students with learning disabilities do belong and can excel in higher academia. There’s immense promise in EdTech platforms like Canvas VLE, platforms which put every student at the heart of their product, and not just the ‘traditional’ student.”
Jóhanna is also a huge advocate for AI as a force for good in education. “It’s like the calculator,” she says. “It’s part of our reality now, and we need to integrate it into our day to day.”
Jóhanna believes strongly in the curb cut effect— the idea that changes made for accessibility benefit everyone. Canvas VLE, she says, is a perfect example.
By not using online learning platforms like Canvas VLE, institutions are creating a systematic barrier for students
like me. But when you create environments that support us, you improve education for all students.
Jóhanna Birna Bjartmarsdóttir
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