Accessibility, The Right Thing To Do


Since a recent change in my employment status, I have had a chance to reflect more about the need for accessibility. The realization hit me about how much there is to understand. The sheer number of regulations, guidelines and technologies is mind-boggling. It is a considerable challenge.

My reflections have given me a new interest in Digital Accessibility. Being instructional designers, we strive to do everything we can to create accessibility in courses and professional development. Creating screen-reader accessible course materials, video captions, courses, and web design reduce barriers for students with ADD, Dyslexia, Autism, Anxiety, Color Blindness, Low Vision, and more.

There are many good resources online that can help with understanding the need for accessible content.  Usability.gov has an article on Accessibility Basics. The article offers what and why for usability. When educators implement accessibility best practices, they improve usability for all users.  There are best practices, information that present the need for accessibility in different ways.  For example, WebAIM has articles on accessibility, from the user’s perspective, HTML, ARIA, and CSS, testing, documentation, laws, policies and more.  

Checklists are lists of the to-dos to improve the accessibility of websites, mobile apps, and course content. Using a checklist can help to keep you on track for compliance. A sample of several checklists include,

Checklists are lists of the to-dos to improve the accessibility of websites, mobile apps, and course content. Using a checklist can help to keep you on track for compliance. A sample of several checklists include,

The best recourse I have found is D2L’s Accessibility Lab. This course introduces disabilities, assistive technologies, and Brightspace accessibility features. You need to have a free Brightspace Community account to access the system. There are many exceptional resources in the course. Join the Brightspace Community. Granted, this is for the D2L community members; however, the course has excellent resources. There are great groups you can participate in. I am a part of the Instructional Design Best Practices group. Like many other LMSs, D2L has an Accessibility Checker.

Here are many other accessibility resources you can review.

I do hope that you may find these resources helpful. If you are not a D2L user, make sure you check your LMSs accessibility resources.

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