Universal design is an approach to the designing or creation of materials with consideration of the varied abilities of current and future users and applies to the needs of everyone, regardless of age, size, ability or disability.
Follow these best practices to create accessible media and promote equal access to information:
Instruction Considerations
Inclusive presentations - Creating and delivering a presentation that takes into consideration the varied abilities of the audience will maximize participation for everyone. Best Practices for An Inclusive Presentation is a quick reference tool to help insure maximal participation from your audience.
Recorded lectures - Whether you teach synchronously or asynchronously, record your lectures and make them available on Canvas. WebEx, Zoom, and TechSmith Relay can all record live lecture sessions. An accompanying text transcript can help students with hearing loss, learning disabilities, and limited internet access. Consider making a transcript by using Otter.ai (contact ODS Accessible Media if you need assistance) and post it on Canvas or post your lecture script.
Captioned videos - Try to use only videos that are already captioned. See below.
Tests & Exams using Canvas - Here is how to provide extended time in Canvas for students requiring this accommodation.
Converting Image Documents – Use JMU Libraries' document conversion tool SensusAccess. Upload materials to the portal and SensusAccess will automatically convert it to formats including audio, eBook, or a text PDF. This can be very helpful to you and your students if you use a lot of scanned PDFs that are image-only.
Accessibility Checkers - Remember to run Canvas's built in Accessibility Checker as you add content in the Rich Content Editor. Microsoft Office has accessibility checkers in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote that will identify problems and show you how to solve them.
NCDAE one page cheat sheets are helpful for creating accessible content with Microsoft Office products (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Adobe products, captioning YouTube videos, and other accessibility topics.
Further Considerations for Online Courses
Accommodations - Accommodations for students with disabilities still apply for online instruction.
Internet - Limited availability of high-speed internet will be an issue for some of your students with online instruction.
Ten Simple Steps Toward Universal Design of Online Courses - Implementing the principles of universal design in online learning means anticipating the diversity of students that may enroll in your course and planning accordingly. These ten key elements will greatly enhance the accessibility and usability of your course for students with and without disabilities.
Compliance - This useful one page Checklist for ADA Compliance in Online Courses was created by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.