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When to Use?
Sheri Byrne-Haber, an accessibility professional, once said, “Good accessibility is about compliance. Great accessibility is about empathy.”
Aside from the fact that Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requires that all digital content be accessible, it’s also just a good idea. When we make our content accessible, everything from the syllabus, weekly module content, assessments, and even our grading feedback, we show our students that we support their learning experiences, irrespective of their abilities.
Procedure
According to the 2016 United States Census, 13% of Americans are considered to have a disability such as having difficulty: hearing, seeing, concentrating, walking, dressing, or experience challenges with activities because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition. Further, 19% of college students report a disability, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In addition, according to the CDC, one in four people in the United States is currently living with a disability, with increasing number of age-related challenges such as cognitive, vision or hearing loss. In fact, over 1,600 GVSU students, faculty and staff have registered with the DSR office for disability related needs.
Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning is important to EVERYONE - as it enhances the overall user experience across a wide array of areas: mobile access, cognition, hearing, vision, fine motor skills, etc.
WHAT ARE DISABILITIES?
Disabilities can be a variety of things including complete blindness, deafness, or mobility issues. However, they can also be colorblindness, dyslexia, low vision, being prone to epileptic seizures, or having arthritis. These are often overlooked but are still inhibiting to online learning when not taken into consideration.
COMPLIANCE
It is required by law that course content be accessible to all students taking the course and with such a diverse array of things to consider, we must be vigilant and mindful when creating content for courses. In fact, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and an amendment to this act in 1998 (Section 508) provides basic rights for people with disabilities along with specific requirements for electronic communication and information technologies. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. This act prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities. As of January 2018, the technical requirements of Section 508 have changed to incorporate WCAG 2.0 A and AA success criteria. This criteria is has become the standard for which to measure digital accessibility.
BLACKBOARD ACCESSIBILITY
The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) awarded Blackboard Learn with a Nonvisual Accessibility Gold Certification, making it the first learning management system to achieve this certification. Please visit the Blackboard Accessibility web page for additional information.
While Blackboard itself was awarded accessible, content uploaded into the system by faculty may not be in compliance. GVSU has implemented Anthology Ally to support faculty in creating accessible content.
DISABILITY SUPPORT & CAMPUS RESOURCES
If you have additional questions about accessibility, or have a student with a documented disability, please visit Accessibilty Support Resources (SAR) for support and further information. SAR has a variety of tips for making documents accessible. In addition, GVSU has established a Web Accessibility Policy which was adopted in March 2017, and the University Academic Senate has shared Captioned Media Guidelines in November 2017.