You are likely used to thinking about accessibility as it relates to physical spaces, such as wheelchair ramps, curb cuts in sidewalks and Braille lettering on signs. You might not be aware that accessibility barriers can also occur in digital spaces.
“Digital accessibility” is the practice of designing and developing electronic materials that are usable to everyone, including those with disabilities. Within the University of Missouri System, these electronic materials include digital course content (such as Canvas, tools used within Canvas and files uploaded to Canvas), websites, mobile applications, vended applications (i.e., anything purchased or acquired from a third party) and other electronic documents.
Updating your teaching materials to comply with these accessibility regulations can be a hefty task. However, making course content accessible to all will provide a more enriching experience for our students. We have resources and strategies to help.
ResourcesTo Plan
- Making a plan for digital accessibility provides guidance to help you get started with bringing your digital course content into compliance with updated Title II rules. It includes steps you can take, an editable workbook and time-based and module-based organizers to track your efforts.
- Skills-based digital accessibility checklist is organized by skills and is a good starting point if you are new to digital accessibility.
- Tools-based digital accessibility checklist is organized by tools and content types. It is a good resource if you have some familiarity with digital accessibility.
ResourcesTo Learn
- Knowledge base articles explain digital accessibility guidelines and offer step-by-step instructions for implementation.
- Two self-paced training courses, Designing digitally accessible documents and Digital accessibility for Canvas, guide instructors through learning more about digital accessibility and addressing issues.
- UM Academic Technology events calendar highlights upcoming training sessions, including those about digital accessibility.