Teaching Faculty Something, … but Not TOO Much Sheryl Burgstahler, Director, Accessible Technology Services, UW-IT

“Handouts” @uw.edu/doit Publication: 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course uw.edu/doit/20-tips-teaching-accessible-online-course Video: 20 Tips for Instructors about Making Online Learning Courses Accessible uw.edu/doit/videos/index.php?vid=79

View video at uw.edu/doit/videos/index.php?vid=79

Other videos from DO-IT uw.edu/doit/videos Using a Screen Reader Making Videos Accessible Creating Accessible Documents Real Connections: Making Distance Learning Accessible to Everyone Working Together: People with Disabilities & Computer Technology WT: Computers & People with Mobility Impairments WT: Computers & People with Learning Disabilities WT: Computers & People with Sensory Impairments IT Accessibility: What Web Developers Have to Say IT Accessibility: what Campus Leaders Have to Say

What do they have in common? www.uw.edu/accessibility U of Cincinnati CSU Fullerton Youngstown State U. Maricopa Community College District U of Colorado-Boulder U of Montana-Missoula California Community Colleges UC Berkeley South Carolina Technical College System Ohio State U Harvard … Louisiana Tech U MIT Florida State U

What is the legal basis? Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 & its 2008 Amendments State & local laws & policies (e.g., WA Policy #188)

Differences in US education legislation K-12: Every child is offered a free, appropriate education in as integrated setting as possible Postsecondary: Students must meet the entrance/ course/graduation require- ments with or without reasonable accommodations that they must request

Consider ability on a continuum Understand English see hear walk read print write communicate verbally tune out distraction learn manage physical/mental health

Note: Most disabilities are “invisible” Fewer than 1/3 of students with disabilities may be reporting them to the disability services office.

Definition of “accessible” IT used by federal agencies in US “Accessible” means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, & enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective & equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally & independently as a person without a disability.”

Approaches to access Accommodations Universal/inclusive design Both are important!

Common accommodations for online course content at UW Creating accessible documents 70% of files distributed are PDFs 13,160 pages are PDFs/quarter 131.6 hours to convert (100 pgs/hr) 3.29 weeks of full-time work to remediate PDFs Captioning videos Typically more than 120 hours costing more than $20,000 per term

Universal design “the design of products & environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” The Center for Universal Design www.design.ncsu.edu/cud

UD of online learning= “the design of online learning products & environments to be usable by all students & faculty, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.” The Center for Universal Design www.design.ncsu.edu/cut

UD process

Apply UD to: the overall design of instruction (plan for multiple ways to gain knowledge, demonstrate knowledge, & engage) the way you deliver content (specific teaching techniques) the way you engage students in the learning the way you assess student knowledge your choice of course content (e.g., include UD content)

In applying UD to online learning: provide multiple means for: representation engagement action & expression (CAST) provide multiple ways to: gain knowledge interact demonstrate knowledge (DO-IT)

Technology: Approaches to the provision of assistive features as assistive technology designed for people with disabilities as a UD feature for the purpose of ensuring access to everyone

Assistive Technology: Therefore: Emulates the keyboard, but may not emulate the mouse Design web, software to operate with keyboard alone Cannot read content presented in images Provide alternative text Can tab from link to link Make links descriptive Can skip from heading to heading Structure with hierarchical headings Cannot accurately transcribe audio Caption video, transcribe audio

UD is an attitude, goal, & process UD values diversity, equity, & inclusion UD promotes best practices & does not lower standards UD is proactive & can be implemented incrementally UD benefits everyone & minimizes the need for accommodations

Anthony AT Specialist Prentke Romich Co. grammar/spell checkers synthesized voice on communication device touch screen computer-based environmental control, phone access

Nicole BA, Computer Science Stanford Google speech output Braille translation software Braille display & printer

Business Analyst Amazon.com Jessie BA, Informatics, UW Business Analyst Amazon.com speech output speech input grammar/spell checkers

9 tips for web pages, documents, images, videos 11 tips for instructional methods …with URLs for resources

Web pages, documents, images, videos: Clear, consistent layouts & organization schemes Structured headings Descriptive wording for hyperlinks No scanned image PDFs Text descriptions of content in images

Large, bold fonts, uncluttered pages, plain backgrounds High contrast color combinations, avoiding problems for those who are colorblind Content & navigation accessible using keyboard alone Caption or transcribe video & audio

Instructional methods: Assume a wide range of tech skills Content in multiple ways Spell acronyms, avoid or define jargon Instructions & expectations clear Examples, assignments relevant to diverse audience

Outlines, other scaffolding tools Adequate opportunities to practice Adequate time for activities, projects, tests Feedback on parts & corrective opportunities Options for communicating & collaborating Options for demonstrating learning

“When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun...” -Thích Nhất Hạnh, Vietnamese Buddhist Monk

Ways for faculty to gain knowledge Short presentations with good how-to handouts and URLs for more information Workshops, perhaps with hands-on Online courses Online learning communities Videos Online tutorials, checklists, & other resources for overview & detail Other?

Lessons learned Tailor the content to the audience. Share technical content that is understandable by that audience. Share ways to think about accessibility (accommodations vs UD). Make legal obligations clear, but not the focus. Highlight low hanging fruit. Offer multiple ways to gain content

Q&A Sheryl Burgstahler, sherylb@uw.edu