DO-IT - AccessCyberlearning

Being a Successful Online Student: Six Must-Have Skills

eol — Thu, 30 Dec 2021 04:21:11 +0000

Being a Successful Online Student: Six Must-Have Skills

An infographic that showcases skills for online students, the steps to develop those skills, and useful tools.

Disability-Related Videos

eol — Thu, 12 Nov 2020 23:29:25 +0000

Listed below are video collections that share personal stories of individuals with disabilities and universal and other inclusive design strategies that make the world more inclusive of people with disabilities.

DO-IT Videos

DO-IT Videos promote the success of people with disabilities, particularly in school and work settings. DO-IT Videos play in a custom accessible media player with audio description and transcripts provided. Enter a search term to locate content of interest to you.

DO-IT Webinars

Our DO-IT Webinars page features presentations and panels on a variety of topics, including universal design, accessibility, accessible programming, and more.

Rooted in Rights DO-IT Videos

Rooted in Rights partners with ��ԭ��’s DO-IT Program to train disabled youth how to write, shoot and edit videos to tell their own stories.

The ADA National Network Videos

The ADA National Network provides information, guidance and training on how to implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in order to support the mission of the ADA to “assure equality of opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities.”

Microsoft Story Labs - Simple Things Count

Microsoft Story Labs offers seven ways to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.

Section508.gov: An Introduction to Universal Design

A four-part video series that provides an introduction to Universal Design for content creators, developers, managers and procurement professionals.

Lime Connect

Lime Connect videos showcase students and professionals with disabilities from across the U.S. and Canada to step "In the Limelight" and share their stories of living and achieving as a person with a disability.

Ted Talks

Over one thousand videos are linked from the Ted Talks Topics page. Select “Disability” and other topics to locate content of interest you.

STEM for All Multiplex

The Multiplex is an online, free, interactive platform featuring over 1000 short videos that showcase federally funded projects aimed at transforming science, technology, engineering, math, and computer science learning. These videos, first presented at annual STEM for All Video Showcase events, are collected in the STEM for All Multiplex website. Select “disability” and other search terms to locate content of interest to you.

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit

eol — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 11:32:29 +0000

By:

Burgstahler, S.

UD Citation:

Book

2020

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit

eol — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 07:09:34 +0000

Creating_Inclusive_Learning_Opportunities.pdf

Published by Harvard Education Press, we announce Sheryl Burgstahler's new book, Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education. Details about the book can be found in this in-depth book review by professor Alan Hurst. Frédéric Fovet published another review of the book in Teachers College Record at Harvard.

Sheryl Burgstahler delivers a step-by-step guide for putting the principles of universal design (UD) into action for all aspects of a postsecondary campus. She offers top-down, bottom-up, and middle-out strategies for transforming a higher education environment into one where physical spaces, learning materials and activities, technology and digital resources, and campus services are welcoming and accessible to all students, while minimizing the need for accommodations for individuals with disabilities.

Complementing her edited book Universal Design in Higher Education: From Principles to Practice, this volume lays out how faculty, service providers, high-level administrators, and other stakeholders can contribute to a barrier-free environment for all students, including those with disabilities. Along with principles, guidelines, practices, and processes that underpin a framework in which to conceptualize and apply UD, Dr. Burgstahler shares the implementation model to tailor to any campus exploring ways to meet broad goals with respect to diversity and inclusivity.

Details about the book can be found in Harvard’s sales flyer and an expanded table of contents. It can be ordered online from these retailers:

20 Tips for Offering Accessible Online Campus Services

eol — Mon, 18 May 2020 09:49:57 +0000

20_Tips_Accessible_Online_Services.pdf

By:

Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

Increasing numbers of postsecondary institutions are offering campus services partially or totally online, including student services such as academic advising, tutoring centers, and career services; services for faculty such as human resources and teaching and learning centers; and services for the entire campus community such as libraries and museums. Today’s technology offers seemingly unlimited options to choose from for hosting online services. It is important for campus leaders to take into account that potential users have a wide variety of characteristics, including those related to gender; race, ethnicity, and culture; socioeconomic status; age; religious beliefs; technical skills; and physical, sensory, learning, and communication abilities.

Although well intentioned, few student service personnel have an adequate level of knowledge and skill regarding how to design online services that are accessible to all potential users, including those with disabilities. This publication provides a place to start as well as pointers to more comprehensive resources regarding the design of accessible online services.

Accessibility Issues

To ensure that services offered online are available to all potential users, it is important to be aware of these facts:

Online resources such as web pages and digital documents will be read using a variety of technologies, including screen readers (used by individuals who are blind), text-to-speech software (used by individuals with dyslexia and other reading-related disabilities), and other assistive technologies that emulate the standard keyboard but not a mouse (used by people with mobility impairments).
Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing will need to access online audio and video content.
Online meetings and webinars will be attended by individuals who are blind, have low vision, are deaf or hard of hearing, are unable to speak verbally, and have a wide variety of other disabilities; as well as individuals who are English language learners, have low internet bandwidth, and are attending remotely from a noiseless or noisy environment.

The U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) and Department of Justice have stated that “accessible” with respect to IT means that “a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally, and independently as a person without a disability” (Source).

Accessibility Guidelines

There are many comprehensive sources with information about the accessible design for IT. Presented below are 20 basic guidelines. Although they do not cover every potential accessibility issue, they offer a good start.

General Teaching Practices

Provide clear instructions for users who have a wide range of technology skills.
Present content and services in multiple ways (e.g., through text, video, audio, images, and live online meetings).
Address a wide range of language skills as you write content (e.g., spell out acronyms, define terms, avoid or define jargon).
On the website and in documents, provide instructions for how to request disability-related accommodations.
Make sure staff know about issues related to communicating with and offering services to individuals with disabilities.
Include images of people with disabilities on your website and within publications that present images of other potential service users.

For Web Pages, Documents, Images, and Videos

Use clear, consistent layouts and organization schemes for presenting content.
Use headings and sub-headings when creating digital documents, whether on web pages or in Microsoft Word and PowerPoints, Google Docs, PDFs, or other document formats.
Avoid using PDF documents; wherever possible, use web pages instead. If a PDF is necessary, use it only as a secondary source for the content and take steps to ensure it is designed to be accessible to people with disabilities.
Provide concise text descriptions of content presented within images for people who are unable to see the images using tools for adding “alt text” within document authoring platforms.
Use color combinations that are high contrast. Do not rely on color alone to communicate information (developer.paciellogroup.com/resources/contrastanalyser).
Make sure all content and navigation is accessible using the keyboard alone (uw.edu/accessibility/web/keyboard/).
Caption videos and transcribe audio content.
Consider accessibility when procuring IT tools and online resources; insist that vendors provide products and services that meet accessibility standards.
Become familiar with your institution’s IT accessibility policies and guidelines and learn how to apply them. Most higher education institutions in the US adhere to the World Wide Web Consortium’s Accessibility Guidelines (w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag).

For Online One-On-One or Group Meetings

Provide flexible options for communicating and collaborating. For example, in an online meeting environment allow individuals to ask questions verbally or by typing in chat. Provide alternatives to meeting in an online meeting platform, including meeting by phone or communicating through email.
Distribute slides and all other materials, in accessible formats, to meeting attendees, ideally in advance.
Clearly state the meeting agenda up-front, including which features of the meeting tool will be used.
In meetings with multiple participants, ask attendees to state their name each time they speak.
Create pauses during and between activities, so individuals who are taking notes, using slow internet bandwidth, or using captions or sign language interpreters can catch up.

For explanations of why these guidelines are important, how to implement them, and how to locate accessibility checkers, consult the following resources:

Checklist Updates

To increase the usefulness of this working document, send suggestions to doit@uw.edu. Each item, in keeping with the UD approach, should reflect a proactive practice that makes an online service more welcoming, accessible, and usable by individuals with a wide range of abilities.

Acknowledgments

This publication complements the earlier product 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course. DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in postsecondary education and careers. Funding for development of this content comes from the National Science Foundation (grant #HRD-1834924). Any questions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

��ԭ�� DO-IT

DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs and careers. Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of ��ԭ��, and the U.S. Department of Education.

For further information, to be placed on the DO-IT mailing list, or to request materials in an alternate format, contact:

DO-IT
��ԭ��
Box 354842
Seattle, WA 98195-4842
doit@uw.edu
www.uw.edu/doit/
206-685-DOIT (3648) (voice/TTY)
888-972-DOIT (3648) (toll free voice/TTY)
509-328-9331 (voice/TTY) Spokane

206-221-4171 (FAX)
Founder and Director: Sheryl Burgstahler, Ph.D.

2021

Are some fonts more accessible than others?

Terrill — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 23:58:01 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

With thousands of fonts to choose from, selecting a font with accessibility in mind is no easy task. Several fonts have been developed specifically to address the needs of individuals with reading-related disabilities such as dyslexia. Examples include OpenDyslexic, Dyslexie, Read Regular, and Lexie Readable.

Research studies on whether particular fonts have an effect on reading speed and comprehension report mixed results. Adrian Roselli's article Typefaces for Dyslexia, originally published in 2015 and subsequently updated multiple times with new information, reviewed many of these studies and offers the following general tips that are "generally agreed upon by the community":

Avoid justified text.
Use generous line spacing (leading).
Use generous letter spacing (tracking).
Avoid italics.
Generally use sans serif faces.
Use larger text.
Use good contrast.
Use clear, concise writing.

The organization Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM) offers similar guidance on choosing an accessible font in their article Fonts, which was published in 2013:

Use real text rather than text within graphics.
Select basic, simple, easily-readable fonts.
Use a limited number of fonts.
Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and the background.
Avoid small font sizes.
Use relative units for font size.
Limit the use of font variations such as bold, italics, and ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
Don't rely only on the appearance of the font (color, shape, font variation, placement, etc.) to convey meaning.
Avoid blinking or moving text.

Online Learning Strategies for Students with Disabilities

eol — Wed, 25 Mar 2020 20:07:49 +0000

Online_Strategies_5_5_20.pdf

Over the last few years, postsecondary institutions continue to move many of their courses online. In this publication, some participants in projects supported by the DO-IT center at the ��ԭ�� share their experiences and recommendations for other students with disabilities who are taking online courses.

Executive Functioning

Develop a schedule for yourself that incorporates classes, meals, sleep, and other aspects of self-care.
As your space allows, set up a comfortable workstation with any materials you need to access throughout your day.
Determine how to handle distractions. Find a quieter space, use earplugs or noise canceling headphones, and/or silence your phone. Communicate with your family or roommates in order to minimize distractions when you are online.
Add class sessions, assignments, exams, and other tasks to your calendar. Use reminders if it helps you to complete these tasks.
Print the syllabus or other documents that you might want to access frequently.
Determine what tutoring, coaching, or writing center resources are available online at your institution.
Begin your work early to ensure you meet deadlines. Work ahead, if it helps you manage your workload.
Take breaks as needed. Set a timer and get back to work after the timer goes off.

Self-Advocate

Connect with faculty via email or utilize online office hours.
Advocate for your accommodations. Give faculty feedback about what helps you learn and what does not.
Be mindful that your accommodations may change as classes move online. You may want to request access to recordings of class lectures or the option to use external software like voice recognition specific word processing programs during online exams. Involve your disability resources office as appropriate.
Make sure you understand expectations about participation and communication. Ask questions of your instructor or classmates as necessary.

Technological Resources

Direct faculty toward resources related to accessible online learning. A good resource is DO-IT’s 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course.
Learn how to connect to online meetings. Get comfortable with the settings and learn how to connect via phone if you experience difficulties connecting online.
Familiarize yourself with course management tools and document sharing tools used at your university.
Format responses for online discussions using familiar software (like spelling and grammar check in your word processor or a speech recognition tool) and then cut and paste the text into the online discussion tool.

Online Etiquette

In synchronous online classes and meetings consider ways that you can facilitate access for yourself and others:

Ask your instructor to set clear expectations for how to engage. This may include utilizing chat functions, asking questions verbally, or using hand-raising functions in conferencing software and/or using the course discussion board.
Use the chat window for sharing URLs or other resources.
Look at your name in the participant list and be sure it shows your preferred name.
Be mindful of whether your camera is turned on or off. Try to keep your laptop relatively still and ensure you appear professional when your camera is on.
Mute yourself when you are not speaking to avoid background noise.

Consider how to appear professional over email:

Use your school-issued email address.
Consider whether to use an email signature that includes your full name, your college, your anticipated graduation year, and your major(s) and minor(s).
Check spelling and grammar of emails.

Other Resources

2020

Course Accessibility Checklist: A Promising Practice in Helping Instructors Create Accessible Online Learning Courses

lylac — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 21:31:21 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Skagit Valley Colleges (SVC) offers online (eLearning) courses that are academically rigorous and equivalent to traditional face-to-face courses. Courses offered online are the same in terms of credits, learning objectives, competencies, content, and transferability. They are also the same when it comes to policies concerning admission requirements and accessibility assurances.

In order to assist instructors in making their online courses more universally designed and, more specifically, accessible to individuals with disabilities, staff in the eLearning department at SVC developed a course accessibility checklist. The checklist is designed for instructors to use by applying each guideline as they prepare their course. It can be used with any course that employs digital content, including those that are primarily face-to-face, hybrid, or fully online.

Items on the checklist include those listed below.

1. Textbook, syllabus, and handouts

Textbook requisition was submitted on time and is available in the bookstore.
There is a plan to provide alternative access if a textbook can’t be accessed by a student by the first day of class.
I have permission from the copyright holder to use the print and/or electronic content in my course.
Required course reserve materials are in a clear and readable format, and are available in the library on all campuses. There is an electronic version online students can access from home.
The syllabus has a disability support statement, academic integrity policy, and a list of support resources.
All handouts (e.g., Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents) are accessible and are offered in both original format as well as PDF (Portable Document File) format for easy viewing and device compatibility.

2. Audio and video

All audio presentations (MP3s, CDs, or other audio formats) are available with a transcript.
All video presentations (DVDs, Panopto recordings, YouTube videos, or other video formats) are captioned.
If the top two are not possible, there is at least a work in progress to transcribe or add captions on course videos.

3. Web pages, Canvas, LMSs

There is clear layout and predictable navigation. Try to navigate through your Canvas course without using the browser “Back Button.” Keep it simple; if a student can’t find the information they want within three clicks, they can often become frustrated.
Meaningful links are used throughout the text. A good example of a link name: “Read more about Disability Access Services.” A bad example of link name: “Click Here.”
Text format uses headings and sub-headings style, and bulleted lists are used throughout the text.
No blinking and/or flashing content.
Avoid drag and drop activities that require the use of mouse.

4. Good use of colors and images

There is a strong contrast between background and text. For example, if you have a white background, use black text.
Don’t use the name of color for direction; and don’t assume that everyone can distinguish colors. For example, don’t use “See information in red” or “Click yellow button.” In contrast, use a meaningful description such as “Contact Information is found at end of the page.”
For images, graphics, and tables: Make sure you have a caption explaining what it is by including alternative (Alt) tags and/or long descriptions. For graphics that are purely decorative, include a blank Alt tag so the screen reader doesn’t read the image name.

5. Check your Canvas course for accessibility issues

Use Ally, a tool used to check common accessibility issues in files you upload in Canvas (e.g., Word documents, PDFs, and images). It scans those files, generates a report, and provides suggestions on how to fix accessibility issues. It also creates alternative formats (e.g., Audio, PDFs, HTML, and electronic braille).

6. Testing

Accommodate students requiring extended time for testing and/or provide alternative testing format as recommended by Disability Access Services.

7. Help, technology, and mobile devices

Have a training plan and/or self-help resources for students
Allow mobile devices in the classroom if they are for learning activities (e.g., taking notes, reading the textbook, and/or recording presentations.)

The course accessibility checklist is a promising practice in helping instructors create accessible digital learning opportunities. The clear and concise set of items can be reviewed before the start of each quarter, providing instructors with an easy to understand overview of some of the essential universal design elements and accessibility features to include in their courses.

For information on creating accessible distance learning courses consult the many resources linked from the AccessDL (the Center for Accessible Distance Learning) and AccessCyberlearning websites.

How can students with disabilities arrange for accommodations at a postsecondary institution?

lylac — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:29:42 +0000

Date Updated:

04/07/21

In order for students with disabilities enrolled in postsecondary institutions to receive disability-related accommodations, typically they must first register with the institution’s office of disability services for students. Procedures and documentation requirements vary from institution to institution so it is important that students contact disability services early to ensure their accommodations will be in place prior to the start of each academic term.

Common accommodations students with disabilities request include the remediation inaccessible PDFs and other documents into accessible formats, captioned videos, a note taker, and extra time on assignments and tests.

For a description of their rights and responsibilities with respect to access, postsecondary students can consult Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

How can students with disabilities arrange for accommodations in an online course?

lylac — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:26:40 +0000

Date Updated:

05/23/22

Common accommodations students with disabilities request in online courses include the remediation of inaccessible PDFs and other documents into accessible formats, captioned videos, and extra time on assignments and tests. Accommodations should be requested in the same way they are requested for onsite courses. To receive accommodations from a postsecondary institution, students should contact the campus disability services office for information about documentation requirements and procedures. For a description of their rights and responsibilities with respect to access to online courses, students can consult Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities.

To receive accommodations for online presentations and courses offered by entities other than a postsecondary institution, students should contact administrators of the host organization.

DO-IT - AccessCyberlearning

Being a Successful Online Student: Six Must-Have Skills

Disability-Related Videos

DO-IT Videos

DO-IT Webinars

Rooted in Rights DO-IT Videos

The ADA National Network Videos

Microsoft Story Labs - Simple Things Count

Section508.gov: An Introduction to Universal Design

Lime Connect

Ted Talks

STEM for All Multiplex

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit

Creating Inclusive Learning Opportunities in Higher Education: A Universal Design Toolkit

20 Tips for Offering Accessible Online Campus Services

Accessibility Issues

Accessibility Guidelines

General Teaching Practices

For Web Pages, Documents, Images, and Videos

For Online One-On-One or Group Meetings

Checklist Updates

Acknowledgments

����ԭ�� DO-IT

Are some fonts more accessible than others?

Online Learning Strategies for Students with Disabilities

Executive Functioning

Self-Advocate

Technological Resources

Online Etiquette

Other Resources

Course Accessibility Checklist: A Promising Practice in Helping Instructors Create Accessible Online Learning Courses

How can students with disabilities arrange for accommodations at a postsecondary institution?

How can students with disabilities arrange for accommodations in an online course?

��ԭ�� DO-IT