Access and Accessibility

The passage of the American Disability Act was a major milestone for protecting accessibility for millions of Americans across the country. However, as technology, the classroom, and our understanding of accessibility have evolved, it is important that faculty and institutional methods for ensuring accessibility evolve as well. At the very minimum, accessibility oriented courses need to be able to provide course materials and participation for all students. The Accessibility Resource Center is an excellent source of support for both faculty and students towards this end. 

Accessibility is also thought of in terms of socioeconomic and sociocultural barriers. Approaches towards ensuring accessibility to education despite these barriers have included, in part, the emergence of open source materials and the creation of groups in universities to support students in need. As faculty, we have an opportunity to confront and minimize possible barriers in the classroom and serve as ambassadors of existing resources to our students. 

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• RESEARCH

  Examine selected research on Access and Accessibility. 

  Varonis, E. M. (2015). From barriers to bridges: approaching accessibility in course design. The International Journal of Information and Learning Technology, 32(3), 138–149. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJILT-12-2014-0033(opens in new window)

  (2022, January). Teaching with access & inclusion. University of Minnesota. https://docs.google.com/document/d/10nOIezyLFnKYUVO_jtttM2Oash8Dc3vgltC12MpyKGI/edit#heading=h.26c3sc1f1nsl (Google Doc)

  The universal instructional design implementation guide. University of Guelph. https://ctei.jhu.edu/files/uid-implementation-guide-v6.pdf (PDF)

  Gould, R., Harris, S. P., & Mullin, C. (2019). Higher education and the ADA: An ADA Knowledge Translation Center research brief. https://adata.org/research_brief/higher-education-and-ada(opens in new window)

  (2022, March 4). Why PDF accessibility is important for higher education. ADA Site Compliance. https://adasitecompliance.com/why-pdf-accessibility-important-higher-education/(opens in new window)

• APPLICATION

  Ready to apply access and accessibility to your teaching? Here are some ideas and strategies to get you started:

  1. Ensure that you are fulfilling your role as a faculty memberas outlined by the Accessibility Resource Center.
  2. Review the Tips for Working with Students with Disabilities
  3. Consider additional barriers to access (beyond disability)
  4. Ensure your syllabus and course materials are accessible, or provide alternative options (specifically, Create an Equally Effective Alternate Access Plan(opens in new window)). You can use this accessible syllabus template (Google Doc) as a start.
  5. Review and improve your accessibility score(opens in new window) in Canvas
  6. If you need help with content remediation, file a ticket with ATEC(opens in new window)
  7. Set learning goals at the start of every lecture and conclude by reviewing the learning goals 
  8. Offer learning materials in multiple formats (e.g., auditory, visual, text, or digital formats)
  9. Provide checklists, graphic organizers, or templates to assist students with comprehension. 
  10. Provide students options to demonstrate knowledge and promote the use of technology, resources, and tools to support assessment. 
  11. Provide meaningful feedback and encourage students to reflect on their learning.

  Consider other student populations that may struggle comprehending, or accessing, course materials:

  1. Students who speakEnglish as a Second Language
  2. International Students
  3. Students dealing with homelessness and other basic needs
  4. First Generation Students
  5. Other marginalized students

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