OER Accessibility
Why Accessibility?
Raise your hand if you've ever been told that your course materials must be accessible because you might get a student with a disability in your class.
Well, they're not wrong. You absolutely might get a student with a disability in your class--in fact, you probably have, and you may or may not have known about it. Not all disabilities are visible, and many of them go unreported in higher education. What does that mean? It means that your Student Disabilities Services office may not know that there is a student in your class who needs to use captions or a screen reader. The thing is, students do not have to report their disability unless they need an accommodation. So let's look at some definitions here.
Accommodation
An accommodation is when you have been told by your institutional disability services office that a student in your class needs extra time on exams, course notes, an interpreter, etc. It is when you are providing something to a student that you wouldn't normally provide.
Accessibility
Accessibility is when your course materials are developed so that they can be read with a screen reader and watched without sound. They are designed so that anyone, regardless of ability, can access the content.
See the difference, here? Accessibility is about basic access. Accommodation is about additional needs.
But, the thing is, a student doesn't have to have a disability to benefit from accessible resources. That narrative is actually where higher education has been getting it wrong. Accessibility is about allowing all students access the course materials in the way that best serves them. Have a student who is stationed overseas with limited Internet access? A transcript or notes from your videos would be pretty helpful to them. Have a student who commutes 2 hours to and from work every day? The ability to listen to your notes would be pretty helpful to them. Do your students have a hard time focusing on the videos? Captions would be pretty helpful to them. The list really does go on.
3ReasonsAccessibility.pdfThis sounds great! what do I need for my grant?
As you all remember, you checked a box in your grant application stating that you understand your materials must be developed with accessibility in mind according to our resources. Good news! I'm linking you to those resources right here in this training. You can also find them on our website. These resources are developed with you, the OER developer, in mind. As long as you are following the resources linked below, your resources will be squared away to meet the grant standards.
Can I watch a demonstration?
Absolutely! Jeff and our previous Program Manager gave a workshop on accessibility at the Open Education 2020 Conference. You can watch and follow along with the video below.
Word Follow-Along Document | PowerPoint Follow-Along Document
How do I evaluate my materials?
We've recently developed an OER Accessibility Evaluation Rubric specifically for you: teams of faculty and staff looking to adopt, adapt, and create accessible OER. The rubric gives you three general areas to consider in OER accessibility: open access, digital access, and pedagogical access. Consider using it as a resource as you work on your projects.