For me, when it comes to available technologies and their tools, creating user experiences with integrated accessibility features should not be optional; it should be an inherent part of the whole (like building codes requiring ramps and ventilation provisions). Yet, a significant challenge when working with less common languages is that these services and tools are not as readily available as they are for major languages. There are workarounds, but even then, the workflows have kinks.

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For example, after I created the video, I first wrote a script in Dhivehi. I read it out exactly as written, knowing it would be less time-consuming to translate using https://dhivehigpt.com/ if I stuck to a script. This, however, somewhat removed a lot of character, because when I usually act, I let the flow carry me. Considering the limitations on translation resources, it restricted my natural performance (though I do have a workaround figured out for the next video). Another workflow bottleneck I faced was that YouTube does not allow adding multiple subtitle tracks unless you select from their preset languages. Unfortunately, Dhivehi (or Thaana/Maldives) is not on that list (at least, I still haven't been able to figure it out).

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This video was specifically designed to address Course Learning Objective 1 and 2 : (CLO 1 Phonological Awareness and CLO 2 Phonics and Letter Knowledge - (this used to be CLO1: Speak and write Dhivehi) ) clearly to share emotions and stories, and can be used with any Module Learning Objective (MLO) that aligns with this CLO.

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I shot the video on a green screen, using a hand puppet, and then used After Effects and Photoshop to put the composition together. As I already have a workflow set up for this, it wasn't too much of a hassle. Where I miscalculated was on the accessibility building tools (when it comes to Dhivehi). I purposefully avoided any background music, as I need to research more in-depth to figure out how to write those music/image descriptions for videos, and keep the transcriptions simple. I added the transcription under the description in the YouTube upload https://youtu.be/vyAMkTqHTr0.

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In short, while accessibility and principles of UDL are crucial for fostering a generation of young Maldivian critical thinkers, the language-specific tools and workflows pose implementation hindrances, given the arduous hoops one must navigate.