Accessible Course Content

Accessibility can refer either to the design of products and experiences for those who experience disability (such as issues related to vision, hearing, neurodiversity, mobility, learning, etc.) or the actual ability to access and benefit from a product or experience (Wikipedia contributors, 2018).

Some common concerns related to accessibility that we observe in instructional materials include:

Videos that aren't adequately captioned, meaning auto-captioning is not accurate, or visuals are not also captioned.
Missing alternative text (alt image text) for images in Blackboard, on slides, or in documents so screen readers cannot interpret them.
Failure to use built-in style options for titles, headings, lists (both bulleted and numbered), and tables in Blackboard, on slides, or in documents so screen readers cannot interpret them.
Failure to use templates in slides or documents impacts screen readers' reading order.
Poor contrast between text and background colors or images is problematic for visual concerns like color blindness.
Use of non-standard, inaccessible file formats without conversion or additional software purchase.

Accessibility concerns are problematic both philosophically, if you value inclusive education, and legally under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (LaGrow, 2017). Accessibility is not the same thing as a request for accommodation (handled by Student Disability Services). Accessibility is also not synonymous with Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an instructional design model promoting the creation of diverse and engaging learning experiences for all learners.

For quick tips on creating accessible materials, check our Digital Content Accessibility Checklist.
For quick tips on how to use YouTube's auto-captioning and make corrections as necessary, review this article.
Preview the accessibility checker built into Microsoft software like Word and PowerPoint.
Contact Student Disability Services to learn more about disability accommodation policies.
To learn more about accessibility in higher education and related rights and requirements, check out the Higher Education Accessibility Online Resource Center from the National Federation of the Blind.

References

LaGrow, M. (2017). The section 508 refresh and what it means for higher education. Educause Review. Retrieved from
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/12/the-section-508-refresh-and-what-it-means-for-higher-education

Wikipedia contributors. (2018, July 30). Accessibility. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved from
https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Accessibility&oldid=852626028