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

2. “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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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)

7. 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

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

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

10. 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.”

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. UD
process

16. 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)

17. 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)

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

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

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

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

24. 9 tips for web pages, documents, images, videos
11 tips for instructional methods
…with URLs for resources

25. 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

26. 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

27. 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

28. 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

29. “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

30. 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?

31. 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

32. Q&A Sheryl Burgstahler, sherylb@uw.edu