When it comes to engaging with course content, basic design choices you make during early in your course build process can help ensure an accessible course for learners. Prioritizing accessibility in development by applying Universal Design for Learning (UDL) can save instructors the hassle of making last-minute edits and interventions for students requiring course accommodations, for instance. In addition, Brightspace provides instructors with a variety of accessibility tools and features, including ReadSpeaker and Ally, which help instructors develop accessible courses.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework used to develop courses in a way that works for all types of learners. When we build courses using UDL guidelines, we ensure that they work for students with disabilities and for a variety of learning preferences. UDL courses are also more equitable and inclusive.
Did you know that it is likely that about 40% of college students have one or more disabilities? Only about half of those students disclose their disabilities to their colleges, so it is very likely that you have students in every one of your courses that rely on accessible materials. Disabilities may be physical such as vision or hearing impairments or mobility issues, or cognitive impairments like dyslexia, ADHD, or clinical depression.
All learners benefit from UDL, not just students with disabilities. For example:
A student who works full time might benefit from having an option to listen to their reading assignments during the morning commute.
A student who works in a loud factory might not have an official disability, but might benefit from reading captions on videos.
A student who stares at computer screens all day might benefit from high contrast in your text.
A student whose native language is not English might benefit from written and verbal instructions.
These are just a few of the examples of learners who will benefit from the UDL framework. Below, we'll show you how you can develop your courses and utilize tools in Brightspace to benefit all learners.
Textbooks: When choosing your textbook(s), check the affordability of the book, and contact the publisher to ensure an accessible format is available. Better yet, consider using an Open Educational Resource instead (best practice for UDL, but there are some accessibility considerations).
Videos: When making or choosing external videos, be sure there are captions or transcripts available (Hint: You can use Panopto to create captioned videos).
Uploaded Documents: Be sure that PDF documents are not scanned (these become images that a screen reader cannot read). Documents need headings, appropriate color contrast, and whenever possible, avoid tables. You can read more on documents in the Accessibility Criteria Checklist below.
Exams & Assignments: Whenever possible, exams and assignments should be posted and taken/submitted through Brightspace. This allows students to utilize ReadSpeaker to listen to the questions and instructions. Learn more about ReadSpeaker below.
Organization: When designing your course structure, consistency is key. Instructions should be in the same place each week. Assignment instructions, discussion posts, etc. should look similar and have the same information included in each.
Activities: Be sure that your group activities, projects, and other less traditional activities are accessible, or can be easily adapted. For example, if you assign a group to give an oral presentation, be prepared to offer an alternative for a student with a hearing impairment or anxiety disorder.
Images: All images in your course, slides, etc. must have alternate descriptions or be marked as decorative. Check your PowerPoints for images - right click on them to add a description.
Instructions: Be sure your instructions, whether text or video, are clear and direct. Avoid phrases like, "this could show up on your exam." Students on the Autism Spectrum and non-native English speakers may not understand nuanced language.
External Content: When choosing external videos, articles, or even guest speakers, choose a diverse array of authors and voices. Students learn better when they can identify with the creators of what they read, listen to, and watch.
Hyperlinks: Provide short, descriptive text for hyperlinks. Avoid using "click here" or pasting entire links into your content.
Brightspace includes a built-in accessibility tool that you can use to check content anywhere you see a text editor in the LMS (module descriptions, HTML pages, etc.). To learn more about the tool, view the Brightspace Knowledgebase accessibility page.
Ally provides instructors detailed insight and guidance on how to improve the accessibility of instructor content as it is loaded or created in your Brightspace course. DIID recommends instructors achieve a 90% or higher Ally score before offering their course. Select More Tools > Ally Report in the navigation bar of any course to access your Ally score.
Ally Alternative formats allows all students to download instructor-uploaded content in more accessible formats like ePub for e-readers, HTML for screen-reading software, MP3 (audio file), and electronic braille for people who are blind or have low vision. For low-scoring content included in the course, DIID recommends reviewing the Alternative Formats to ensure accessible versions are available to learners.
Instructors should encourage the use of Ally Alternative Format tools included in their Brightspace courses through a course Announcement.
Students can access four text-to-speech tools: the webReader Listen button, the TextAid for Chrome web extension, docReader, and TextAid, which are learning support aids that can audibly read text aloud. ReadSpeaker can read Brightspace course files, HTML webpages, and even quiz questions aloud. DIID recommends instructors encourage learners to utilize the ReadSpeaker tool whenever they want to listen to content.
Use headings to organize sections of text.
Use bulleted and numbered lists to organize content.
Use the Brightspace color picker tool to ensure your colors are accessible:
This one is accessible.
This one is not accessible. (Visit the Colors page to learn more.)
Avoid using tables - keep content linear whenever possible.
Include alternate text for images (specific text that describes the image for a person who cannot see it).
When creating links, use descriptive words in the linked phrase:
Inaccessible: https://www.nicc.edu/
Inaccessible: Click here to learn more.
Accessible: To learn more, visit the NICC website.
When linked to an Open Educational Resource, DIID recommends linking to specific readings via a URL, and separately offering leaders a PDF file they can download, print, or open with DocReader.
When creating HTML pages, use the available templates for accessible style and design.
Use divider lines, occasional emojis, bold/italic, accessible colors, and white space to create an eye-catching and accessible design.
If you are embedding videos, be sure there are captions available. Provide instructions on how to turn captions on/off.
Test it out!
Use ReadSpeaker to listen to your content.
View and engage with your content from your phone.
Watch your videos without sound - reading the captions to check for accuracy.
Confirm that your links describe the content to which they direct.
Do not upload PDFs or images of handwritten math problems or solutions.
You can type equations using your keyboard (works better for simple equations).
Example: 3/5 x 7/8 =
Or, use the equation editor tool in Brightspace to type out math and chemistry problems.
Structure documents and pages to ensure proper reading order for the content of the page by using built-in styles to create headings, lists, and columns. Properly distinguishing reading order allows text-to-speech or screen-reading software to read the information in a logical order.
Headings: Create a logical hierarchy for your content by using the built-in heading styles. Avoid using font size, bolding, underlining, etc. to format your headings.
Lists: Use built-in list styles to properly format your lists and ensure they are appropriately nested (hierarchy of bullets and sub-bullets, etc). Avoid using spaces, tabs, and returns to format your lists.
Columns: Use built-in column styles in documents to properly format your columns. Avoid using spaces, tabs, and returns to format your columns.
Ensure tables have column and/or row headers and only use tables for data, not for layout. Avoid split and merged cells when possible. Break large tables into two or more simpler tables when possible. For more complex tables DIID recommends providing a link to a text alternative.
Instructors should add alternative text to describe the content and purpose of included images, and also include any text that is a part of any image.
Captioning should be provided for all included videos and transcripts should be provided for audio files. DIID recommends checking all included captions and transcripts for accuracy. Audio and video content should always include captions and/or a full transcript. Panopto and VideoNote include auto-captioning options that can be reviewed and edited by instructors.
Be sure audio is clear and free of background noise.
When narrating a slideshow, provide the slides as a separate file for student access.
All images appearing on slides must include alternate text describing the image clearly.
Ensure slide and font colors have adequate contrast. Generally, dark backgrounds with light text are more accessible.
Be clear and direct with instructions and other audio content. Avoid phrases like, "you never know when this might show up on a test."
Avoid untagged PDF files whenever possible, especially if you are not the owner of the original file. They are often inaccessible.
Google Suite and MS Office files can be made accessibility fairly easily. You will need to follow the guidelines for accessible text (above) to ensure your files can be read by screen readers.
Allow the option for download and print whenever possible.
Consider opening your course early: By default, most courses are set to open three days before the course's official start date. However, you can change the start date of your courses in the "course admin" section of any Brightspace course. Giving students a sneak peek at your course allows students more time to acclimate to the structure, read through important information, and take note of any accessible materials or accommodations they will need to request.
When planning assessments, consider giving students choices whenever possible. Some students have a hard time processing written work, while others have a harder time with presentations or audio/video projects. Allowing students to choose how they demonstrate their understanding of course material lets them choose what works best for them.
Keep materials, instructions, and important course updates in consistent locations. If you post an announcement in Brightspace with an update, and then a few weeks later, email the class with a different update, some students will have a hard time keeping track of your changes. Be consistent and clear as to how you will notify students of important course information, and then stick to your plan.