We proactively design our courses for accessibility for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
You can design using the following methods:
- Instructor Widget: Ensure that your instructor widget is updated with relevant information and a note encouraging students to contact you. You are likely the first person that will be notified when students request accommodations.
- Redundancy: Build your content similarly, as it will be easier to navigate. Students can focus on learning the content rather than learning the system.
- Screen Readers: Design for screen readers by using enumerations for headings. Please test that your content can be accessed by the built in ReadSpeaker.
- Alternative Learning Materials: If your content is only available as a narrative, type up a transcript. You could even offer transcribing as an extra credit option for one of your students.
- Visual Aids: Balance the use of visual aids, such as images, tables, graphics, or videos, with text. Please make your content easy to print for students that need to do so.
- Closed Captioning: All videos used must have transcripts or closed captioning.
- Alternate Text: Images need to have alternate text or screen readers will skip over the image. Please limit the amount of decorative text used.
- Assessment of Learning: Allow students to demonstrate their learning through a wide variety of assignments.
- PowerPoints: PowerPoints and slideshows should be narrated and uploaded as an MP4, or should have the speaker notes attached to each slide. Learning can be difficult if the students are having to look at the speaker notes on one page and the PowerPoint on another.
- Be Specific: Be careful in telling people to click here, or look there. Be very specific and descriptive with directions. Not only will it help the visually impaired, it is good design.