Accessibility

Accessibility can be viewed as the “ability to access” something.^[1] For our purposes, we typically think of accessibility in terms of Web accessibility.

“More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.”^[2]

Making something accessible also means making it readily available and easily understood. When you begin creating content, it is important to keep in mind accessible design so that anyone could access your work as intended. 

There are many sites that walk you through not only accessibility principles but also provide checks on your work to ensure it is accessible. Check out the following sites for more information:

Experte Accessibility Checker and Experte Accessibility Checker Mobile – these two accessibility checkers allow you to paste a URL of a site to make sure that each subpage can be correctly displayed by screen readers.

WebAIM – Contrast Checker Tool – this tool checks to make sure that any background colors and foreground colors have enough contrast so that all users can perceive the content on a page.

WCAG – more guidelines on web accessibility – this page introduces the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) international standard and explains how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.

Inclusive Learning Design Handbook: Understanding Accessibility and Inclusivity – this handbook provides techniques and approaches for content creators to create content that accommodates a diversity of learning preferences and individual needs.

As you are working on creating, designing, or laying out your content consider working with your peers for feedback and testing. You may also want to reach out to your instructor so they can point you to campus and institutional resources on accessibility services.

Watch the video Creating Accessible OER for Student Authors by Abbey Elder (both closed captioned and with a transcript on YouTube) which provides practical tips for how to make your work accessible. Pay close attention to the P-O-U-R section of the video which highlights important accessibility features.

“Accessibility for Student Authors” is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license by Abbey Elder.

Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning is another concept that helps to ensure that your work is accessed easily, readily, and as intended.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL), is “a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn”.^[3]

UDL moves beyond accessibility standards to create learning resources that meet the needs of all users regardless of ability. For example, while providing a transcript for a video is important because it can help users who may be deaf or hard of hearing, it can also help people who are language learners or those who prefer to read text rather than watch a video. For some folks, being able to read a transcript might help them understand the material more quickly and effectively then listening to a video.

As you create learning resources while engaged in open pedagogy, thoughtfully consider the principles of UDL so that users can interact with the material in ways that work best for them.