Making Educational Materials Accessible to All

Accessibility Modifications

While teaching in the online world over the past few years, I have come across discussions of accessibility, but I have never really taken the time to dig into the details and consider how some fairly simple modifications can have great impacts on learning for many with disabilities.  There are three simple modifications that I plan to start using regularly in my online classes, so I'd like to share those today.

Use Built-In Headings and Styles

I am notorious for working on a document and then going back to adjust the text as headings, but there are two reasons that I need to avoid this.   First of all, when I do this, I have to keep track of the size and color of all the headings for consistency throughout the document, and that can be lots of work.  Secondly, in order for my document to be easily read by screen readers (for those with limited sight or reading disabilities), the built in headings and styles need to be implemented.

This is such an easy modification.   I can simply highlight the text that I want to edit and choose the applicable heading style from the tool bar on the "Home" tab in Word.   Not only will the break down of heading make the document appear more visually organized, it will also make it consistent and easily read by screen readers.

Add Alt-Text to Images

Imagine that you are listening to an audio-book and suddenly you hear the word "image".  That would drive me crazy.  What was in the image?   Was it valuable to my understanding of the material?  This is where alt-text becomes valuable.   After adding an image (including pictures, charts, embedded material, etc.) to a document, I now know that I can simply right click on the image and choose "Edit Alt Text" in order to write a short description of the image.  This way, the person reading the document via a screen reader knows what that image was, and they do not feel as though they have missed out on an important concept.

Make sure Hyperlink Text is Meaningful

This one was completely new to me.   In fact, I know that I'm guilty of often using vague text for my hyperlinks, like "CLICK HERE."  (I honestly thought it was better and more direct for the reader.)  However,  I did not realize that screen readers may compile a list of the links from the document and vague text does not help the person listening know what the link is about, especially if there is no supporting information in the text.

Therefore, I am going to be sure that text I use for my hyperlinks now reflect the site/resource to which I am connecting the reader.   Whenever possible, I also want to give supporting descriptions in the surrounding text.   For instance, when creating the Installation Guide for Assignment #4, I was sure to use the text "GeoGebra Homepage" as my hyperlink text, instead of "Click Here" to begin.   When doing this, I also need to always just double check that when I  make my text a hyperlink that the text appears as a different color and is underlined in order to stand out.

Further Resources

Here are some other resources that can give further help in knowing how to make online material accessible to all.

Accessibility Checklist for Online Courses - Texas A&M University

This website provides a pdf checklist detailing 14 ways to make an online course accessible to all.  Some of the items even provide examples to give further detail and explanation.  I would highly recommend the Accessibility Checklist for Online Courses to anyone preparing an online course.

20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course - Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

This article hosted by the University of Washington briefly discusses the meaning of accessibility in the online classroom and it gives very practical tips on how to implement them.   I appreciate that the list includes many hyperlinks to other sources that provide more details related to the tip.  Therefore, the article, 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course, is more than a simple 20 item list, it is a web that can help you explore each of those twenty items.

Creating ADA Compliant Instruction Material for Online Courses - Iowa State University

This is a comprehensive website that is easily navigated due to the design of the topics into drop-down boxes.   The website not only covers the legal issues and background of accessibility, but it also breaks accessibility tips into sections:  Audio/Visual, Document, Image, and Website accessibility.  Each one gives specific tips to consider.   I first thought that it would be too much information and be overwhelming, but the design makes it straightforward and easy to navigate.  Therefore, I would recommend taking the time to read through each section of Iowa State's guide on Creating ADA Compliant Instruction Material.