Five practical tips to make online and in-person courses more accessible

Accessibility is a team sport. This truth has been constant over my 20-plus years of experience in strategic accessibility consulting. As a core element of responsible design, accessibility plays a key role in universal design for learning (UDL). Implementing UDL practices helps make instruction more flexible, offering multiple means of engagement, representation and expression for all learners. 

Yet, addressing accessibility can also be confusing and complicated, especially if you are an educator or administrator new to the concept. In the educational context, accessibility means making sure that all course materials, in whatever format they might come in, can be understood and used by all students, including students with disabilities.

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Because ADA Title II digital accessibility compliance requirements apply to US public schools and universities, all course materials need to meet accessibility standards so that students with and without disabilities will have equal access to education.

Five steps to improve access to online and in-person learning materials

If you’re not sure where to begin, here are five practical steps for educators and administrators to help improve access to your online and in-person courses and instructional materials for students with and without disabilities. 

1. Ensure the university’s LMS is accessible

Many learning management systems (LMS) have accessibility features such as the ability to use accessible course templates and evaluate course content accessibility. The team that procures LMS software should check with vendors to make sure systems meet accessibility standards. Consider that LMS systems are not only delivery platforms for instructional content but often integrate authoring tools and features like course templates. Administrators should work with their teaching and learning specialists to make accessible course templates (and guidance for how to use them) available to educators in shared files. The W3C Web Accessibility Initiative provides accessibility guidelines for LMS authoring tools. 

2. Add or check captions on video or graphic teaching content

Caption any video content and review auto-generated captions (and transcripts) for accuracy. Captions not only help students who are deaf or hard of hearing, but they can also help students with learning differences, those accessing videos in a loud or quiet environment, and those for whom English is a second language. Captions generated using artificial intelligence are becoming better every day, but they are not perfect, especially with complicated, technical vocabulary. Human reviews are always recommended. For example, auto-generated captions might not capture the difference between “choline” and “acetylcholine”, but that’s an important distinction your students need to know. Additionally, make sure that the captions have adequate colour contrast, which can be checked with an easy online tool from WebAIM. 

For accessible videos, we must both show and tell so that students with no or low vision can gain the same information as sighted students. For example, a video showing how to do a crochet stitch with no voiceover or other information being shared conveys no information to blind students at all. Make sure that any videos that only convey visual information have audio descriptions, or at the very least a written description of the action. Graphs, diagrams, demonstrations or other visual elements also need to be supplemented with alt text so blind or low-vision students can access the information.

3. Extend accessibility considerations to all teaching materials

Make sure all the documents you use in your course are accessible. This includes syllabi, course policies and grading rubrics as well as papers, articles or resource guides that you make available to students. For content you do not author, consider whether the publisher makes an accessible version available.

If you’re not sure whether a document is accessible, consider questions such as: are text alternatives to visual information provided for students who are blind or who have low vision? Are there captions in videos or a transcript for audio content provided for students who may be deaf or hard of hearing? Review guidance on document accessibility and use embedded accessibility checkers to make sure that Word, PowerPoint, EPUB, PDF and other types of documents are accessible. 

Consider the accessibility of any websites or resources linked to your course. For example, before you assign an article on an external news site for students to read, check all will be able to do so. You can find free website and content accessibility evaluation tools online (or use tools your institution has procured). 

4. Know your students’ requirements

When teaching live, anticipate what different learners may need. Make sure your course syllabi and policies clearly communicate how students can request accommodation (usually through your institution’s disability services unit). Consider providing accessible materials in advance and make small adjustments that can make a big difference – such as describing what is being displayed on the screen or using a microphone so everyone (especially students who are hard of hearing) can follow. 

5. Use AI as a support

Ensure you are responsibly using AI with human oversight to help make instructional content accessible. For example, researchers from Georgia Tech published findings on using AI tools to help with context-aware, automatic generation of alt text for images in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint files. Generative AI often can help you present information in different ways, such as creating specific graphics for educators who are artistically challenged. Of course, you should always follow your institution’s policies for proper use of AI tools.

At Georgia Tech, we have implemented a coordinated approach that is supported through its new institute-wide digital accessibility website. This site provides practical guidance, expectations, tools and training for faculty and staff. It’s an example of how a university can give its campus a common starting point and shared set of practices.

A final message

Start from baseline accessibility. While ensuring all elements of instruction are fully accessible, make your best efforts, invite students with access needs to communicate if they experience an issue, and respond promptly if they do. And remember that this is a team sport. Accessibility is not squarely on your shoulders; it is a shared collaboration between educators, administrators and universities. 

Bill Curtis-Davidson is the executive director of the Center for Inclusive Design and Innovation at Georgia Tech.

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