Accessibility

As you build your course site and share learning resources and activities, it's important to consider accessibility. The major items to review are the following:

Selectable pdfs

You may have students who use a screen reader to access text-based media. It is important that your text-based media (such as pdfs) have text that is selectable. Selectable text means you are able to highlight the text on the page. If you have text-based files that are actually images of the text, this means it is inaccessible to students who use a screen reader. You should avoid scanning pdfs as image files (png, jpeg, etc.) or uploading screenshots or camera photos of text.

Alt Text

For images that are essential to the learning content, such as diagrams and figures, you should include alt text that describes the content of the image.

Captions and Transcripts

All video and audio should include captions or a transcript. Often, video hosting platforms will generate a transcript or captions automatically. If your video or audio resources don't have captions, consider hosting it on a platform such as Microsoft Stream that generates captions automatically.

Colored text

Avoid having light or bright colored text, such as yellow or green. Also, avoid using color as the main indicator of importance within text (such as coloring an important notice red without also changing it to bold).

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

UDL is a design framework for education that provides instructors with guidance for engagement, representation, and action & expression. For in-depth information on these UDL guidelines, visit udlguidelines.cast.org. The following are UDL infographics for quick reference.

Engagement

Representation

Action & Expression

Browser not supported