Technology is increasingly used in delivering academic courses and resources. Some courses are offered completely online; others combine on-site and online components into a hybrid format.
It is important to ensure that all qualified students can fully participate in an online course. There are accessibility considerations to keep in mind related both to pedagogy and technology (including websites, documents, videos, and software).
Technological considerations
Digital resources often need to be remediated for accessibility as an accommodation to one or more students with disabilities. This presents tremendous challenges for faculty and staff and creates a burden for students as they fall behind while waiting for accessible resources. Therefore, it is always best to proactively ensure all digital resources are accessible from the onset. This enables all students with and without disabilities to participate fully in the course, and the accessibility solutions often benefit all students. For details about ensuring accessibility of specific technologies, consult the following sections of this website:
- Accessibility of websites
- Accessibility of documents
- Accessibility of videos
- Accessibility of online meetings
- Accessibility in Canvas
Pedagogical considerations
Making courses accessible involves more than technical issues; there are pedagogical considerations as well. For details, consult the following resources:
- 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course
- 20 Tips for Making Online Learning Courses Accessible (Video)
- AccessDL – The Center on Accessible Distance Learning (AccessDL) at the UW shares guidance and engages stakeholders around making distance learning courses and programs accessible to students and instructors with disabilities.