Making Your Course Accessible: A Digital Accessibility Resource Guide
What Is Accessibility, and Why Does It Matter?
Accessibility (commonly abbreviated a11y) is an approach to design that works to lower barriers, so that everyone can use a facility, product, or service. In the digital world, this means making sure that individuals with disabilities do not face hindrances in viewing or interacting with digital content, including content delivered through a learning management system (LMS), such as Canvas.
To promote accessibility, it is important to follow the principles of Universal Design (UD). UD takes into account the fullest possible range of user personas, including (but not limited to) users with various disabilities, to create an accessible end product. The special application of UD to instructional design is Universal Design for Learning (UDL), which acknowledges that different people learn in different ways and that the educational experience works best when the needs of a wide spectrum of learners are acknowledged.
How Does Academic Technology Solutions Support Accessibility?
Academic Technology Solutions (ATS) supports accessibility through multiple means. The Center for Digital Accessibility (CDA), which is part of ATS, provides advice and support for content creators, designers, and developers on topics ranging from video captioning, to document remediation, to website design. The Learning Design Team (LDT) offers regular workshops on remediating common digital accessibility issues in course materials, as well as blog posts on topics in accessibility for teaching and learning.
ATS also supports a range of teaching tools that have been vetted for accessibility. We recommend that you use these tools rather than “free” tools that have not been similarly vetted, in order to maximize the accessibility of your course.
What Should I Do if a Student Needs an Accommodation?
Student Disability Services (SDS) is responsible for assessing whether students’ requests meet the legal standard for a disability accommodation, as well as providing official notices explaining the nature of an accommodation. They are happy to work with you in determining appropriate reasonable accommodations and making sure these do not interfere with essential course or program requirements.
How Can I Make My Canvas Site and Related Digital Materials Accessible?
The University of Chicago provides a range of tools to help you remediate accessibility issues.
Canvas Tools
- Pope Tech is integrated with Canvas and allows you to detect and fix accessibility errors (which need immediate attention) or alerts (which may or may not require remediation). You can run the Pope Tech checker anywhere the Rich Content Editor (RCE) appears in your Canvas course – Pages, Assignments, Discussions, Announcements, etc.
- SensusAccess is also integrated with Canvas and can convert content (files, pages, etc.) to a variety of alternative formats with one click. Simply click the stylized S icon to be presented with a variety of options for a destination format, including Microsoft Word documents, HTML, tagged PDFs, and even MP3s.
Google Suite Tools
- Grackle Workspace, a product of GrackleDocs, is an add-on to the UChicago Google Workspace that can be used to create more accessible Docs, Slides, and Sheets. It can run automated accessibility checks of your documents and break down issues it identifies into manageable tasks, as well as flagging issues that should be tested manually. You can also use Grackle to export documents as accessible PDFs.
Website Remediation Tools
- Siteimprove provides a suite of web-based tools that regularly scans websites. It detects and reports on issues that affect accessibility. With Siteimprove’s web accessibility tools, you can easily find and fix accessibility issues.
PDF Remediation Tools
- Equidox is a cloud-based PDF remediation software solution that helps users convert inaccessible PDFs into accessible PDF, HTML, and EPUB 2 formats. Your content team can use Equidox via the browser, from any major platform, without needing a license for Acrobat Pro. Equidox allows you to remediate PDFs more quickly and simply than Acrobat Pro, even if you do not have access to the source document.
How Can I Get Further Help with My Course Materials?
Academic Technology Solutions offers regular office hours at which you can ask any questions you may have about digital accessibility or other topics in teaching with technology. You’re also welcome to book a consultation with an instructional designer.
(Featured Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay)