Accessibility of Online Materials

As we move into an unprecedented time, the partnership of Distance Education and the Disabilities Resource Department is committed to supporting faculty to move course content to a modified format. As a District we need to consider all students and their access to modified coursework and instruction.

There are two main concerns at this time:  

  • Assuring access for students who are enrolled in classes during the spring 2020 semester
  • Making the creation of equal access as easy as possible for faculty who are moving to modified coursework

Message About Accessibility for Your Students

  • We are here to support instructors and students. With this in mind, please let your students know that there is help if they need it for materials that need accessibility work. Consider placing a statement in a prominent place in your online course materials, such as: 
    • “All the materials in this course may not be accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. Please contact the instructor as soon as possible for accommodations.” 
    • Students are also recommended to contact Disability Resources (527-4278), as soon as possible to better ensure such accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.

Getting Help for Accessibility and Accommodation

  • Contact Corrine Haverinen, Distance Education Instructional Accessibility Specialist for consultation and help with making materials accessible
  • Contact Kathy Burton, Disability Resources Faculty, or Ellen Silver, Disability Resources Alternative Media Specialistsupport with modifying documents for accessibility
  • Contact Debbie Ezersky to obtain guidance regarding student accommodations

Using Canvas

Canvas is a good choice because it is vetted for accessibility and takes care of many accessibility issues, while other products may not be accessible.

(See the Canvas General Accessibility Guidelines).

Simple Measures Faculty Can Take When Creating Canvas Materials

As you are creating materials, these small steps will help with the accessibility of your course. See the Canvas Accessibility page for details. 

  • Use headings and clear document structure
  • Include image alternative text
  • Use descriptive hyperlinks
  • Create real bulleted and numbered lists
  • Choose colors with contrast, particularly for text
  • Ensure that videos have captions (see more about captions below)

Captions for Multimedia

  • If using Confer Zoom, turn on the auto transcript feature in the Settings (see instructions in this Confer Zoom PDF Handout). This is a half-measure, but is helpful until better quality captions are in place. [Will likely put in screen shot here, so faculty do not need to access the handout.]
  • If you have a deaf or hard of hearing student in your course, contact the Instructional Accessibility Specialist to discuss the captioning needs for your course, and consult with a DRD Specialist to determine whether accommodation is needed. Time is of the essence; make contact at your earliest convenience.

Accessibility Testing Tools

Tools that faculty can use to check for accessibility issues. Remember keeping your materials simple, makes accessibility simpler.

  • UDOIT
  • Canvas Accessibility Tool
    • Canvas built-in tool, click on the DaVinci man in the Rich Content Editor tools
    • Interface opens on the right will guide you through issues and help you fix
  • ALLY
    • The Chancellor’s Office has just cleared this tool to be used by all CCC’s
    • More information coming as we get access and set up
    • Will test documents but may be limited on testing web pages

Documents

If providing PDFs or Word documents to students, please fill out this short form, to get assistance with making those documents accessible. Please provide as much lead-time for documents as possible. Access this helpful document on how to make an accessible Word document. Basically, use the same practices used for web pages:

  • Use headings and clear document structure
  • Include image alternative text
  • Use descriptive hyperlinks
  • Create real bulleted and numbered lists
  • Choose colors with contrast, particularly for text
  • Ensure that videos have captions (see more about captions below) 

Remember We’re Here to Support

We have comprised a team to help you from DE, DRD, and IT:

More about Accessibility of Online Materials
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