Universal Design

Excerpt from Universal Design of Instruction: Definition, Principles, and Examples by Sheryl Burgstahler:

Be proactive in making distance learning courses accessible. Don't wait until students with a disabilities enroll to address accessibility issues; consider them from the start. Applying universal design principles benefits people both with and without disabilities. Begin by thinking about the wide range of abilities and disabilities potential students might have with respect to sight, hearing, mobility, and learning styles and abilities.

Thousands of specialized hardware and software products available today allow individuals with a wide range of abilities and disabilities to productively use computing and networking technologies (Closing The Gap, 2002). However, assistive technology alone does not remove all access barriers. Described below are examples of access challenges faced by students and instructors in typical distance learning courses.

The content of library materials should be accessible to all patrons, including those with disabilities. It is best if printed research resources are available in a variety of formats (e.g., Braille, audio, tactile graphics, large print, electronic text). A system for enlarging print, such as a closed-circuit TV or other camera system or a large magnifying glass, can be of use to someone with low vision.

Develop policies and procedures that ensure access to lab facilities, computers, and electronic resources for people with disabilities, and demand that accessibility be considered in the procurement process.

Although a lab cannot be expected to have specialized equipment on hand for every type of disability, provide equipment that you anticipate will be used and/or is available at relatively low cost:

Designing a lab that is universally accessible begins with the physical environment of the facility. Considerations for making a computer lab facility more accessible include the following:

Principles of universal design should be employed in making library databases more accessible to patrons with disabilities. "Universal design" means that rather than designing your services and facility for the average user, you design them for people with a broad range of abilities and disabilities. The following questions can help guide database developers to design library databases that are universally accessible to and usable by people with disabilities.

Access to computers for people with disabilities involves two major issues: access to the computers themselves and access to electronic resources such as word processors, spreadsheets, and web pages. Adaptive hardware and software can facilitate computer access for people with disabilities. Adaptive (or assistive) technology solutions may involve simple, readily available adjustments such as using built-in access devices on standard computers, or they may require unique combinations of software and hardware such as those needed for voice or Braille output.

Yes, captions can be added to a video presentation that has already been published to make it accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

The first step in adding captions to a video is to transcribe it, or obtain a transcript if one already exists. The second step is to synchronize the transcript with the video. There are various tools and techniques for doing this, depending on the media type.

Visually impaired students often find the study of astronomy difficult because so much of the content is presented visually. One method of providing access to astronomy information is to create raised line drawings or other tactile graphics of images such as star charts and planetary maps. Another is to create three-dimensional models to represent objects such as planet spheres.

Online resources, including those described below, are available to help instructors and support staff make the study of astronomy more accessible to students with visual impairments.