Academic Content Accessibility

Slide Decks

Creating accessible slide decks is essential for effective teaching and learning. Accessible slide decks ensure that all students, including those with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments, can access and understand the content.

Guidelines

Use Accessible Templates

Start with an accessible template to ensure a good foundation. Ensure slide layouts are consistent and logical.

Text and Font

Use sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri) for readability. Ensure font size is 18pt for body text and 24pt for headings. Avoid using all caps and excessive italics or underlining.

Color and Contrast

Ensure high contrast between text and background (minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text). Do not rely on color alone to convey information.

Images and Graphics

Provide alternative text (alt text) for all images and graphics. Ensure charts and graphs are accessible by using patterns, textures, and color.

Multimedia

Provide captions and transcripts for all video and audio content. Ensure videos are accessible to screen readers by providing descriptive audio.

Handouts

Handouts are an important resource for students, providing key information and supporting materials for lectures. Ensuring that handouts are accessible allows all students to benefit from these resources.

Guidelines

Accessible Formats

Provide handouts in accessible formats such as PDFs with selectable text, Word documents, or HTML. Avoid scanned images of text, as these are not accessible to screen readers.

Clear Headings

Use clear and descriptive headings to organize content. Ensure that headings are used in a logical order.

Readable Fonts and Formatting

Use sans-serif fonts and ensure the font size is at least 12pt. Avoid using all caps, italics, and underlining excessively.

Color and Contrast

Ensure high contrast between text and background. Avoid using color alone to convey information.

Alternative Text for Images

Provide alt text for all images and graphics. Ensure that the alt text is descriptive and relevant to the content.

Notes

Lecture notes are a valuable tool for students, helping them to review and understand the material covered in class. Making notes accessible ensures that all students can benefit from this resource.

Guidelines

Structured Layout

Use a structured layout with clear headings and subheadings to organize notes. This helps students navigate the content easily.

Readable Fonts and Formatting

Use sans-serif fonts and ensure the font size is at least 12pt. Avoid using all caps, italics, and underlining excessively.

Color and Contrast

Ensure high contrast between text and background. Avoid using color alone to convey information.

Alternative Text for Images

Provide alt text for all images and graphics included in the notes. Ensure that the alt text is descriptive and relevant to the content.

Accessible Formats

Provide notes in accessible formats such as PDFs with selectable text, Word documents, or HTML.

Course Content

Creating accessible course content is essential for effective online learning. Accessible content ensures that all students, including those with visual, auditory, or cognitive impairments, can access and understand the material.

Guidelines

Consistent and Logical Structure

Use a consistent and logical structure for course materials. Organize content into modules or units with clear headings and subheadings. This helps students navigate the course easily and understand the flow of information.

Accessible Formats

Ensure all course materials (documents, videos, presentations) are accessible. Provide materials in PDFs with selectable text, Word documents, or HTML. Avoid scanned images of text, as these are not accessible to screen readers.

Alternative Text for Images

Provide alternative text (alt text) for all images and graphics. Ensure that the alt text is descriptive and relevant to the content. This allows screen readers to convey the information to students with visual impairments.

Captions and Transcripts

Provide captions and transcripts for all video and audio content. This ensures that students who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the information. Use tools like Panopto to generate and edit captions and transcripts.

Readable Fonts and Formatting

Use sans-serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Calibri) for readability. Ensure font size is at least 12pt for body text. Avoid using all caps, italics, and underlining excessively. Maintain high contrast between text and background to improve readability.

Interactive Elements

Interactive elements are a key component of online courses, providing opportunities for engagement and active learning. Ensuring these elements are accessible allows all students to participate fully in the learning experience.

Guidelines

Accessible Quizzes and Assessments

Use accessible online quiz platforms that support screen readers and other assistive technologies. Provide alternative formats for questions, such as text-based descriptions for visual questions. Ensure that all multimedia content used in assessments is accessible, with captions and transcripts provided.

Discussion Boards and Forums

Ensure that the discussion board platform is accessible and supports screen readers and other assistive technologies. Use clear and concise language in discussion prompts and responses. Provide alternative text for any images shared in the discussion board. Ensure that all multimedia content shared in the discussion board is accessible.

Interactive Activities

Design interactive activities such as simulations, games, and group projects to be accessible. Ensure that all interactive elements are keyboard accessible and compatible with screen readers. Provide clear instructions on how to interact with the activities.

Communication Tools

Use accessible communication tools for announcements, discussions, and feedback. Ensure that all multimedia content is captioned and transcripts are provided. Encourage the use of chat features for questions and comments, and ensure chat messages are read aloud for all participants.

Document Formatting

Proper document formatting is essential for creating accessible academic papers. Well-formatted documents are easier to read, navigate, and understand, benefiting all students, including those with disabilities.

Guidelines

Use Headings for Structure

Use the built-in heading styles in your word processor to create a clear and logical structure. Headings help organize content and allow screen readers to navigate the document efficiently. Ensure that headings are used in a hierarchical order without skipping levels (e.g., Heading 1 for main sections, Heading 2 for subsections).

Readable Fonts and Formatting

Use sans-serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Helvetica for better readability. Ensure the font size is at least 12pt for body text. Avoid using all caps, italics, and underlining excessively, as these can reduce readability. Use bold for emphasis instead.

Color and Contrast

Ensure high contrast between text and background. Follow the WCAG guidelines for a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Avoid using color alone to convey information; use text labels or patterns as well.

Alternative Text for Images

Provide descriptive alt text for all images, charts, and graphics. Alt text should describe the content and function of the image, providing context on how it relates to the surrounding content.

Accessible Links

Write clear and descriptive link text that indicates the destination. For example, "Read our accessibility guidelines" instead of "Click here." Make links visually distinct from other text using color and underlining.

Tables and Lists

Use tables to present data, not for layout purposes. Ensure tables have clear headers and are properly formatted. Use bulleted and numbered lists to organize information clearly and concisely.

Accessible Formats

Providing academic papers in accessible formats ensures that all students, including those with disabilities, can access and understand the content. Accessible formats include PDFs with selectable text, Word documents, and HTML.

Guidelines

PDFs with Selectable Text

Ensure that PDFs are created with selectable text, not scanned images of text. This allows screen readers to read the content. Use Adobe Acrobat's accessibility tools to create and verify accessible PDFs.

Word Documents

Use Microsoft Word's accessibility features to create accessible documents. Utilize the built-in accessibility checker to identify and fix issues. Ensure the document is structured with headings, readable fonts, and high contrast.

HTML

Providing academic papers in HTML format can enhance accessibility. Screen readers and other assistive technologies can easily navigate HTML documents. Use semantic HTML elements (e.g., headings, lists, tables) to structure the content properly.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework that aims to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone. It offers flexibility in how students access material, engage with it, and show what they know.

Key Principles of UDL

Multiple Means of Representation

• Provide information in multiple formats to ensure all students can access and understand the content. This includes using text, audio, video, and interactive elements.

• Use captions and transcripts for videos, provide alternative text for images, and offer materials in accessible formats such as PDFs with selectable text, Word documents, and HTML.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression

• Allow students to demonstrate their knowledge in various ways. This can include written assignments, presentations, projects, and interactive activities.

• Provide options for students to submit assignments in different formats, use accessible online quiz platforms, and ensure that all interactive elements are keyboard accessible and compatible with screen readers.

Multiple Means of Engagement

• Engage students by offering choices and fostering motivation. This includes providing opportunities for collaboration, offering varied levels of challenge, and connecting learning to real-world contexts.

• Use discussion boards and forums to encourage interaction, provide clear and concise instructions, and offer feedback in multiple formats.

Integrating UDL with Academic Content Accessibility

By integrating UDL principles with your existing guidelines for academic content accessibility, you can create a more inclusive and supportive learning environment. Here are some ways to incorporate UDL:

• Use a variety of media (text, images, videos) to present information. Ensure all media are accessible with captions, transcripts, and alt text.

• Design courses with flexible pathways for learning. Provide materials in multiple formats and offer various ways for students to engage with the content and demonstrate their understanding.

• Encourage students to use different formats for their research and presentations. Provide accessible templates and resources to support diverse ways of expressing knowledge.

• Offer lecture notes, handouts, and other materials in multiple formats. Use clear headings and structured layouts to make content easy to navigate.