{"id":5082,"date":"2020-03-17T15:25:35","date_gmt":"2020-03-17T20:25:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/?page_id=5082"},"modified":"2025-03-23T13:26:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-23T18:26:56","slug":"accessibility-resources-for-online-learning","status":"publish","type":"ht_kb","link":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/knowledge-base\/accessibility-resources-for-online-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility resources for online learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"introduction-wrapper\">\n<h2>Intro<\/h2>\n<p>This document contains a variety of resources to help faculty ensure courses and materials are accessible in an online environment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Accessible documents<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-gb\/article\/create-accessible-office-documents-868ecfcd-4f00-4224-b881-a65537a7c155\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating Accessible Microsoft Office Documents<\/a> (Microsoft)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/accessibility\/documents\/word\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft Word (University of Washington)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/accessibility\/documents\/creating-accessible-presentations-in-microsoft-powerpoint\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Microsoft PowerPoint (University of Washington<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/accessibility\/documents\/pdf-word\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Accessible PDFs (University of Washington)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/accessibility\/documents\/scans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating High Quality Scans (University of Washington)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/accessibility\/videos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating Accessible Videos<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Online meetings<\/h2>\n<h3>Zoom<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li>Zoom as several accessibility features already built in.<\/li>\n<li>Zoom is accessible to screen readers such as Jaws and NVD<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.zoom.us\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/207279736-Getting-started-with-closed-captioning#h_5ae2ddf1-fca4-40ac-9776-3d8a483d9df9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Getting Started with Closed Captioning<\/a> in Zoom<\/li>\n<li>Zoom recordings can be uploaded to YouTube and automatically captioned. Captions will not be 100% accurate but it is a good starting point. To upload to YouTube, you will need to create a YouTube channel.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Google hangouts<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/a\/users\/answer\/7313544?hl=en&amp;ref_topic=9545017\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Hangouts Meet accessibility<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/hangouts\/answer\/6320673?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Use Hangouts with a screen reader<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Canvas<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/docs\/DOC-2060-general-accessibility-design-guidelines\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Accessibility Guidelines for Canvas<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/unomaha.instructure.com\/courses\/33506\/pages\/accessibility-considerations\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Canvas Accessibility Considerations<\/a> (University of Nebraska-Omaha)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Accessibility of synchronous (real-time) classes<\/h2>\n<p>Disabled students may not be able to participate at a fast pace online; e.g., their assistive technology or CART (text transcription provider) may require some time to communicate the information. Fast paced classes may also be problematic for students who speak English as an additional language, students in areas with slow Wi-Fi, etc. Consider pacing your instruction accordingly and check in with students about how your pacing is working.<\/p>\n<p>Encourage all students to self-identify (\u201cHi, this is __ speaking\u201d) as they begin comments to make clear who has the floor.\u201d [Editor\u2019s note: This is particularly helpful to blind students and to captioning efforts.]<\/p>\n<p>When looking for and selecting multimedia for a course, choose videos that are already accurately captioned whenever possible. Note that \u201cmachine\u201d (or automatic) captioning, which is now available in YouTube, Zoom, and Kaltura, is generally only about 80% accurate. We want to aim for 99% accuracy of captions. When recording audio or video for your course, develop a script. It can be posted alongside the media as a transcript and can also help you to create a better recording.<\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t assume that all students can see or make the same sense of your visual display as you intend. For accessibility, get in the habit of describing whatever is happening visually on the screen. If you are showing a picture of bunnies while talking about animal testing, say, \u2018Here is a picture of bunnies, which are often used as the subject of animal testing particularly in the cosmetics industry.<\/p>\n<p>Try being verbally explicit, especially while walking students through a screen demonstration. Because students use different devices, we recommend against using directional language in this context. It&#8217;s better to say, &#8220;the arrow-shaped icon that says Share; it&#8217;s between Polling and Chat&#8221;. And remember that students access the Zoom<\/p>\n<h3>Resources<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/doit\/20-tips-teaching-accessible-online-course\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course<\/a> (University of Washington)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.learningandteachinghub.com\/blog\/toolbox\/creating-inclusive-learning-video\/?portfolioCats=200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating Inclusive Learning Video<\/a> (RMIT University)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Accessibility of websites and documents<\/h2>\n<p>HTML tends to be the most accessible format, followed by word processing formats such as Microsoft Word. Relying on PDFs could pose barriers, as they often require workarounds to make documents accessible. Two easy workarounds for improving the accessibility of PDF creation are:<\/p>\n<p>If you are scanning a hard copy article into a PDF format, make sure that you are using an optical character recognition (OCR) program such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abbyy.com\/en-us\/finereader\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ABBYY\u00a0 FineReader<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kofax.com\/Products\/omnipage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Omnipage<\/a> instead of scanning documents as images.<\/p>\n<p>If you use Word or a similar word processor to create a PDF, post both versions online.<\/p>\n<p>When saving your file, give it a meaningful name. \u201cLecture Notes\u201d or \u201cChapter 1\u201d does not give students enough information. A better example would be \u201cLecture Notes, Chapter 1.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Accessibility quick tips on web access as you create online course materials<\/h2>\n<h3>Text contrast<\/h3>\n<p>Use black text on a white background to ensure that the text stands out on the page. [Editor\u2019s note: Pure white backgrounds may cause problems with glare or distraction for some students. Consider using off-white or light grey backgrounds instead.]<\/p>\n<p>Text styles<\/p>\n<p>Do not use color alone to denote differences in emphasis and content meaning. [Editor\u2019s note: This also applies to some graphic elements, such as charts. See <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/articles\/contrast\/#sc141\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Use of Color<\/a> (WebAIM) and <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/images\/#color\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Color Contrast<\/a> (WebAIM)]<\/p>\n<h3>Heading styles<\/h3>\n<p>Use built-in heading styles to designate content organization. [Editor\u2019s note: Ensure that headings are used to create a hierarchy, not just for formatting. See <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/semanticstructure\/#contentstructure\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Using Headings for Content Structure <\/a>(WebAIM)]<\/p>\n<h3>List styles<\/h3>\n<p>Use the built-in bullet or number styles for lists.<\/p>\n<h3>Alt text<\/h3>\n<p>Provide a brief text alternative for images, graphs, and charts that answers the question:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/alttext\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Alternative Text<\/a> (WebAIM) and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.learningandteachinghub.com\/blog\/toolbox\/creating-good-alt-text\/?portfolioCats=200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating Good ALT-Text <\/a>(RMIT University)]<\/p>\n<h3>Closed captioning<\/h3>\n<p>Captioning your media provides greater student comprehension of the material covered and provides accessible media for individuals with hearing impairments in compliance with federal regulations.<\/p>\n<h3>Link text<\/h3>\n<p>Use descriptive titles for link text, titles, and headers. [See <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/hypertext\/link_text#text\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Link Text <\/a>(WebAIM)]<\/p>\n<h3>Tables<\/h3>\n<p>Use simple tables when possible, with column and row headers [See <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/techniques\/tables\/data\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Data Tables<\/a> (WebAIM)]\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Additional Resources<\/h2>\n<ul class=\"default\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/accessibility101.course.uiowa.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Accessibility 101: Accessibility and Online Instruction<\/a> (University of Iowa) &#8211;excellent resource that covers Word, PowerPoint, etc.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/itaccessibility.umd.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/AccessibilityHandout2-6-19.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">DIY IT Accessibility, Six Essential Steps<\/a> (University of Maryland)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/umd.service-now.com\/itsupport?id=kb_article&amp;sys_id=61dac32b3724fec0ef4cde7543990e9c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Web-Based Course Content Access Checklist<\/a> (University of Maryland)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brandeis.edu\/web-accessibility\/faculty-toolkit\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Faculty Toolkit for Web Accessibility<\/a> (Brandeis University)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/dlinq.middcreate.net\/news\/creating-accessible-digital-materials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Creating Accessible Digital Materials<\/a> (Middlebury College).<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.learningandteachinghub.com\/blog\/toolbox\/accessibility\/?portfolioCats=189\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Accessibility<\/a> (RMIT University)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.learningandteachinghub.com\/blog\/toolbox\/powerpoint-accessibility\/?portfolioCats=200\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">PowerPoint Accessibility<\/a> (RMIT University)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/wiki.spu.edu\/display\/ETMH\/Accessibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Accessibility<\/a> (Seattle Pacific University)<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/digitallearning.ucf.edu\/newsroom\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Final_Webcourses@UCF-Accessibility-UDL-Guide.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Webcourses Accessibility\/UDL Guide<\/a> (University of Central Florida)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>This document is a complication of resources has been pulled together in response to help faculty ensure classes and course materials are accessible as we navigate Covid-19. Sources include University of <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washington.edu\/doit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Washington Do-It Center,<\/em><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/webaim.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>WebAim<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Microsoft<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Google<\/em><\/a><em>, <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/groups\/accessibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Canvas<\/em><\/a><em>, University of Maryland, University of Arizona, Northwestern University, and Arcadia University.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Intro This document contains a variety of resources to help faculty ensure courses and materials are accessible in an online environment. Accessible documents Creating Accessible Microsoft Office Documents (Microsoft) Microsoft Word (University of Washington) Microsoft PowerPoint (University of Washington Accessible PDFs (University of Washington) Creating High Quality Scans (University of Washington) Creating Accessible Videos Online &hellip; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/knowledge-base\/accessibility-resources-for-online-learning\/\" class=\"more-link\">Accessibility resources for online learning<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10904,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"ht-kb-category":[25],"ht-kb-tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-5082","1":"ht_kb","2":"type-ht_kb","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"ht_kb_category-accessibility","7":"entry"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/5082","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/ht_kb"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10904"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5082"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb\/5082\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5082"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-category?post=5082"},{"taxonomy":"ht_kb_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mitchellhamline.edu\/technology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/ht-kb-tag?post=5082"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}