1. Teaching Accessibility and Universal Design in Higher Education Curriculum: Benefits, Approaches and Resources
Howard Kramer
University of Colorado-Boulder
AHEAD 2017

2. Presentation posted at slideshare
UD-in-Curriculum-AHEAD pptx

3. Introduction Howard Kramer University of Colorado-Boulder Conference:
Conference:
Accessing Higher Ground: Accessible Media, Web & Technology
Class:
Universal Design for Digital Media - 14 week class
Grant Project:
Promoting the Integration of Universal Design in University Curriculum (UDUC)
Member of EOWG of WAI

4. Today’s Outline What do we mean by Universal Design?
Importance is teaching about UD and accessibility
Examples & models for including UD content in curriculum
Resources for teaching about UD/accessibility
Resources & future plans of UDUC project
Round Table - your input & feedback

5. Today’s Objective(s)
Acquire a sampling of examples of UD in curriculum that you may replicate or build upon
Provide you with ideas for promoting UD curriculum at your own institutions
Inspire you to become involved with this project by using our resources, recommending resources or collaboration

6. Universal Design – What do we mean?
Universal Design (Defined/Origins)

7. Universal Design – What do we mean?
Universal Design (Defined/Origins)
Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design – Ron Mace, Architect

8. UD Defined – variations on a theme
…[T]he practice of designing products or environments that can be effectively and efficiently used by people with a wide range of abilities operating in a wide range of situations (Vanderheiden, 1997, p. 2014).
…[B]uilding products that are robust and accommodating. Universal designs take account of differences in sight, hearing, mobility, speech, and cognition. Universal design helps not only people with disabilities, but also any of us when we’re tired, busy, or juggling many tasks (Francik, 1996).

9. “Universal design implies a process that goes beyond minimum access codes and standards, to design environments that are comfortably usable by people from childhood into their oldest years.”
- Nasar & Evans-Cowley, eds Universal Design & Visitability.

10. Definition of Accessibility

11. Definition of Accessibility
Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for people who experience disabilities. [1] 
Includes both "direct access" (i.e. unassisted) and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.

12. What about accessibility? How is it different from usability?
Vs. Usability
What about accessibility? How is it different from usability?

13. Vs. Usability
What about accessibility? Isn’t that a part of usability?
And they’re right of course. Unless you’re going to make a blanket statement that people with disability are not apart of your audience, you really can’t say your site is usable unless it’s accessible.
- Steve Krug, Don’t Make Me Think

14. Universal Design vs. Accessibility

15. Assistive Technology or Special Adaptation Universal Design
After the fact
Before the fact
Individual adjusts to unaltered environment
Alters environment and information
Burden on the user
Burden on the designer
Consumable, with limited use
Used by many in various circumstances
High cost
Lower cost
Juli Albiero-Walton, Incorporating UDL into Online Curriculum [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved July 28, 2014 from

16. Skating Ring - Ottawa, Ontario
BART – San Francisco
Graham Park
Shanghai, China

17. Skating Ring - Ottawa, Ontario
Accessibility vs. UD
Skating Ring - Ottawa, Ontario
Shanghai, China

18. Accessibility vs. UD
Graham Park
BART – San Francisco

20. Importance of Teaching UD Social Case
The power of the web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.
Tim Berners-Lee
It’s the right thing to do.
Aging population.
World is increasingly globalized.

21. Importance of Teaching UD Business Case
Teach Access Survey
Tech company language on hiring folks with disabilities
Accessibility consultant shortage
ATLAS class survey

22. Importance of diversity in business case studies
NPR Story
“Harvard Business School Moves To Study More Diverse Cases”
Importance of diversity in business case studies
How does it relate to UD and Accessibility?

23. Campus & Faculty Conceptions of Universal Design
“[F]ew postsecondary administrators, faculty, and staff are even marginally acquainted with Universal Design or Universal Instructional Design” (Higbee & Goff, eds. 2008)
Faculty at CU – may not have the definitive definition or understanding of UD
Confusion on the distinction of “UD content”.

24. Example Courses

25. Universal Design for Digital Media
Course Outline
(text version on next slide)

26. Course Outline
Week 1 (Introduction to Universal Design: for whom are we designing and why?)
Week 2 (Learning the language of design...)
Week 3 (General design principles, introduction to web design)
Week 4 (Interaction Design & Information architecture)
Week 5 (The Case for Web Standards)
Week 6 (Structure & Semantics: Document Object Model )-
Week 7 (Structure, xhtml...)
Week 8 (Presentation w\ a dash of Behavior, CSS)
Week 9 (Presentation continued…, behavior)
Week 10 (Accessibility)
Week 11 - Break
Week 12 (The Mobile Web & Accessibility)
Week 13 (Rich Internet Applications)
Week 14 (HTML 5)

27. Universal Design vs. Web Standards vs. Accessibility

28. Web Standards our strategy for UD for the Web

29. Web Standards Using Web Standards as a Universal Design foundation
semantic HTML markup
CSS layout, the separating of content from layout & formatting
Standard coding

31. Universal Design – pyramid comprised of Web Standards Foundation, followed above with Usability / Design Best Practices with Accessibility at the top of the pyramid
Universal Design
Accessibility
Keyboard Access
Alternate Text
Usability / Design Best Practices
Consistent & Clear
Navigation
Visibility
Feedback
Visual Alignment
Typography
User control
Web  
Standards
Semantic Markup
Separation of style from content
Standard coding

32. Books & Curriculum Material
A Web for Everyone: Designing Accessible User Experiences
Norman, David A. The Design of Everyday Things (2002).
Cooper, Alan; Reimann Robert M. About Face 2.0: The Essentials of Interaction Design (2003)
InterACT with Web Standards: A holistic approach to web design, Anderson, et. al.

33. A Web For Everyone Personas
Excerpts

34. No Book Version WAI – How people with disabilities use the web
Universal Design for Digital Media (eBook)

35. Aspects of Course that particularly effective at promoting UD
Emphasis on multi-faceted benefits – mobile, SEO, etc.
AT User Interview
Use of screen reader and other evaluation tools
Opportunity for them to redesign a site of their choice

36. Other Courses
Intro to HCI: Teaching Accessibility & Universal Design Concepts Through the Use of Public Policy Projects
Jonathan Lazar, Universal Usability Laboratory, Towson University

37. Intro to Human Computer Interaction
Teaching a11y & UD concepts through the use of Public Policy Projects.
Intro to Human Computer Interaction
Students Learn:
Range of user abilities / disabilities
International guidelines related to web a11y – WCAG 2.0
Assistive Technology
Specific details of federal & state laws related to accessibility
Accessibility Testing

38. Accessibility Testing
Teaching a11y & UD concepts through the use of Public Policy Projects.
Accessibility Testing
Screenreader
Written set of instructions for absolute minimal accessibility inspection (amai)
Manual testing – avoids automated tools
After training on testing, students then perform series of tests on websites required under law to be accessible.
Reports sent to government agencies

39. Teaching a11y & UD concepts through the use of Public Policy Projects.
Sites to Test
Starts with university home page, then department pages, then local pages students are familiar with.
Course content & student administrative sites – school application, registration, parking, etc.
Local government and commercial sites that are legally required to be accessible.

40. Student & Pedagogical Benefits
Teaching a11y & UD concepts through the use of Public Policy Projects.
Student & Pedagogical Benefits
Students learn technological skills to determine a11y
Develop empathy
Promote advocacy
The intersection (and limitations) of public policy and accessibility

41. Teach Access Other Resources / Projects Originated at Yahoo! Goal
Collaboration between tech companies, faculty and accessibility specialists
Goal
Increase accessibility knowledge and skills among tech and design professionals

42. Teach Access - Initiatives
Other Resources / Projects
Teach Access - Initiatives
Include accessibility in tech job requirements
Conduct faculty training
Provide guest speakers from tech companies for the classroom
Develop training tutorials on accessibility

43. Other Resources / Projects
Promoting the Integration of UD Content into University Curriculum (UDUC)
Increasing the amount of classes that address UD (content) in post-secondary
Determining resource needs for teaching UD
Developing resources for teaching UD – syllabi, curriculum, teaching resources, etc.
Sampling familiarity of students taking design/tech classes
Surveying benefit of UD and accessibility skills in obtaining employment

44. Other Resources / Projects
Promoting the Integration of UD Content into University Curriculum (UDUC)

45. Other Resources / Projects
Promoting the Integration of UD Content into University Curriculum (UDUC)
Increasing the amount of classes that address UD (content) in post-secondary
Determining resource needs for teaching UD
Developing resources for teaching UD – syllabi, curriculum, teaching resources, etc.
Sampling familiarity of students taking design/tech classes
Surveying benefit of UD and accessibility skills in obtaining employment

46. Other Resources / Projects
W3C WAI Resources
Before and After Demonstration (BAD)
Web Accessibility Tutorials
Developing Presentations and Training
Future Resources

47. Opportunities for Collaboration
Sharing of Resources
E-text book
Joining UDUC network/mailing list
Distributing surveys – initial knowledge of UD/a11y and follow-up

48. Other Curriculum Resources
A List Apart - Link-Rodrigue, The Inclusion Principle,
W3C Web Standards Curriculum
Usability.gov
Sitepoint.com

49. Other Curriculum Resources
First Principles of Interaction Design” (
“Personas”

50. Accessing Higher Ground Conference
Accessible Media, Web & Technology
November 13 – 19, 2017
Westin Hotel - between Boulder & Denver
Faculty boot camp – collaboration with Teach Access
Still accepting proposals until end of May