Intro
Indicators
Canvas Tools
Examples
Try It!
Resources

Introduction

The purpose of this standard is to encourage you to reflect on the accessibility and usability of your course materials. Designing your course content in a way that maximizes usability for the widest possible audience is known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). Applying UDL principles and accessible design practices to the design of your learning materials benefits all of your students, not just those who may have a disability. For example, a captioned video is helpful for a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, but captions can also benefit a student trying to watch the video in a noisy public space, or a student for whom English is not their native language. Applying UDL and accessible design principles to the design of your course materials can also benefit you. Proactively designing for usability and access upfront and supporting the varied abilities and diverse learning needs of your students, can save you time should you receive a last minute accommodation request. But, just because you haven't received official accommodation paperwork, that doesn’t mean you don't have students with disabilities in your course. Often disabilities remain unaccommodated due to the stigmas associated with requesting help, lack of proper documentation, or students being unaware of the resources available to them. Disabilities come in many forms including mobility/physical impairment, brain injury, loss of sight/blindness, loss of hearing/deafness, and mental illness. Some disabilities may be hidden or invisible, such as learning disabilities, anxiety, or chronic pain. Students with disabilities have rights and while it is a general good practice to ensure your course materials are accessible, it’s also the law. Below is a list of federal and state laws that impact higher education.

Federal

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 & 2018 Refresh
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990
Amendments Act (ADAA) of 2008

State

Washington State Core Services RCW 28B.10.910-916
SBCTC Accessible Technology Policy 3.20.30B
Washington State OCIO Policy 188 - Accessibility

As a teacher, you are responsible for providing accessible content for your students. Over time, you've probably learned to make your content look the way you want but did you know that there are built-in styling tools in programs like MS Word, Pages, Google Docs, and Canvas that can help you achieve a similar look, speed up your editing, and also result in accessible content? When you use these tools and design for usability and accessibility upfront, you allow students to retrieve, use, and benefit from the resources in your course and to participate fully without needing to ask for a modification or an alternative format. While you cannot plan ahead for every possible type of accommodation a student might request, you can proactively design your course with a variety of needs in mind. Selecting accessible tools and technologies for your course and helping to connect students to the access support resources they may need is also important and will help students be successful and maintain their learning independence.

Why it Matters to Students ...

C has a broken arm from a sports injury several weeks ago and is in a cast. Having to wear a cast and try to use a non-dominant hand has made typing, controlling the computer, and using a mouse extremely difficult. C isn’t sure what to do or how to ask for help. C thinks it' great that the instructor included information in the syllabus about downloading more accessible formats of some of the course files from Ally, but also really needed the instructor to include information about the college’s Access Services office and maybe some links or information about how to contact them when students need help. (4.6.d, 4.6.c) There also isn't a statement in the syllabus explaining the instructor's approach to designing for accessibility, so C feels unsure about asking for help. (4.6.a)

Due to having a broken arm, C has started using a speech-to-text program called Dragon Naturally Speaking to author content and control their computer without having to use a mouse. C found that certain features of the course’s required interactive online textbook, like selecting answers to a quiz question from a drop-down menu, were not operable by voice or keyboard commands. If something required excessive use of a mouse to complete a task, this caused fatigue and pain. C thinks that the instructor should find a more accessible interactive textbook for next term, or provide an equivalent resource that is easier to use. (4.6.b)

Consider This ...

How equitable is the experience for students of different abilities in your course? What strategies can you use to improve access for your students?
What types of barriers can you proactively anticipate and plan ahead for in your course to create a more seamless and inclusive experience for students with varying abilities and learning needs?
What processes and tools do you use to ensure that the materials and technologies you use in your course are usable by as wide an audience as possible? What challenges you the most when thinking about how to create accessible and inclusive course content?

Indicators Explained

The Indicators for Standard 4.6 are organized by Essentials and Next Steps. Click the menu bars below to expand and read about the Indicators in each section.

Essentials

Meeting all Essential Indicators demonstrates that your course design includes the basic foundational elements that must be present for students to succeed in an online course.

4.6.a - Course includes a personalized statement by the instructor describing their value of and commitment to creating an accessible learning space.

You can explicitly demonstrate your commitment to creating an accessible learning space by including a statement about the value of providing accessible content in your course. This information is typically included in the syllabus but could also be highlighted in your “Start” module. Your institution or department might even require that the institution's disability statement to be linked to or included in your syllabus or elsewhere in your course. An institution’s accessibility statement typically informs students about available access support resources and student rights relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). However, these statements are often unwelcoming and read as complicated “legal-ese” to most students. Adding a personalized statement to your course affirming the value of individual access, meeting students’ learning needs, and inviting your students to help you meet their needs is one additional step you can take toward setting a positive and inclusive tone for your classroom and demonstrating to students that you welcome, value, and respect diversity of thought, experience, background, and ability. You can further demonstrate your commitment to inclusion by modeling accessible and inclusive practices in your classroom.

4.6.b - Course uses accessible technologies and includes equivalent alternatives as needed.

Proactively and mindfully selecting required and optional course materials and technologies that are accessible will benefit all of your students, not just students with disabilities. Ideally all students should be able to open, navigate, and interact with the materials and technologies you’ve chosen, but if what you’ve selected isn't fully accessible - and many aren’t, consider reevaluating the use of the material or technology and potentially selecting something that works for a wider number of students. If you choose to use materials or technologies that are not fully accessible, you will need to provide your students with an appropriate alternative. When selecting alternative materials and technologies, it is important to remember that the alternative you choose must provide students with an equitable experience. This means, students should be able to achieve the same learning outcomes and objectives using them. You might also consider how you can offer students choice and flexibility in the materials and tools they are being asked to use so they can choose the option(s) that best suits their needs.

4.6.c - Course includes resources to connect students to access support services and guidance on accessing and using those resources.

Students who need help may be reluctant to seek it out and/or may not know where to go to find or access the assistance they need. You can do your part by providing clear pathways to access support services and guiding students in how to use them. Linking students directly to these services from your course navigation menu, your syllabus, or your “Start” module makes them easy for students to find. Providing contact information for the access services offered by your campus will not only ease your load in supporting students, but also gives students access to direct, and likely quicker support, when they need it most.

In addition to including contact information for available access support services, it’s also important to clearly explain each option so students have context for how and when to best use these services. It is also useful to share information with students about the basic steps for requesting help. These steps may vary depending on the type of help that is needed. For example, who should the student contact first if they can’t access the course materials or need an alternative format - in this case, it’s most likely you. But that answer changes if the problem is different, like when a student has a documented disability - in this case it may be the campus access support office that should be contacted first. Clearly defining the process of when, where, and how to ask for support will help students feel more confident finding and accessing the services they need.

4.6.d - Course includes a clear explanation describing how to obtain accessible formats of required course materials and/or access alternative resources.

Alternative formats offer students choice and flexibility and should be available for immediate access so students can choose the option(s) that best suits their needs. Providing content in alternative and accessible formats benefits everyone but most students won’t know it's available or how to find and use these resources without your guidance. Information about how to access available alternative formats could be included in your syllabus but could also be highlighted in your “Start” module while the resources themselves will most likely be located within your content wherever students will need to use them. For example, alongside the corresponding materials, media, or tools. When providing alternative content, it is important to remember that the alternative content must provide students with an equitable experience. This means, students should be able to achieve the same learning outcomes/objectives using them.

If your campus is using the Ally accessibility tool, alternative formats of your course materials may already be available and you might include a statement like this in your syllabus, followed by a quick demo video showing students how to download the alternative formats:

Ally is a tool that integrates into Canvas and works to support content creators to ensure that the materials they are creating and using are accessible. All materials in this course have been reviewed and evaluated for accessibility to help ensure that all students, including students with disabilities, have access to the instructional materials. When possible, course materials are available in a digital format in Canvas, and students may download accessible versions of files via Ally. In general, students using assistive technologies should be able to access all course materials but if you happen to encounter a barrier, please contact me as soon as possible so that we can work together to find a solution that works for you.

For materials converted to alternative formats using Ally or other tools, it is important to remember that the alternative resource will only be as good as the source material it’s been adapted from.

Next Steps

Applying all Essential Indicators for this Standard combined with one or more of the following Next Steps Indicators demonstrates that your course design includes the basic foundational elements necessary for students to succeed in an online course plus additional elements that are intentionally designed to increase student success in your online course.

4.6.e - Course includes links to accessibility policies for course technologies.

Unfortunately, vendors and publishers providing educational services, tools, technologies, and content are not required to make their products accessible. Yep, you read that right - they are not required to create accessible products so the responsibility lies with you to choose wisely and to ask questions before making decisions. Providers of online educational tools and technologies, such as learning management systems like Canvas or Blackboard, publisher’s learning platforms like McGraw Hill ALEKS or Pearson Education, study aids like Quizlet or Kahoot, proctoring tools like Honorock or Proctorio, web-conferencing platforms like Zoom or Big Blue Button, and recording tools like Panopto or Camtasia will most likely have an accessibility statement posted on their website. Some may also have an accessibility roadmap posted. If the company wishes to do business with the federal government, they also have to provide a Vendor Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) outlining which accessibility standards their product does and doesn’t meet. However, VPATs are voluntary and are not verified meaning that vendors can claim or omit whatever they wish, so while it’s good to read a vendor’s VPAT, maintain some skepticism and don't believe everything you read. The best way for you to verify that the tools and technologies in your course are accessible is to ask questions, request documentation, ask for a demo of the product’s accessibility features, and read through the results of a web-search for the product by name in combination with the phrase “accessibility”. Some campuses may even maintain a list of products that have been vetted for accessibility.

For transparency, you should provide students with accessibility information related to the educational tools and technologies used in your course. You might include a link to a vendor’s accessibility statement and/or VPAT in your syllabus, but it could also be highlighted in your “Start” module and/or elsewhere in your course materials as you introduce new tools. Students have a right to know about the accessibility of the course tools and technology they will be expected to use in your course, and as a teacher, you have the responsibility of doing your best to keep them informed and to select tools and technologies that are accessible. You can further demonstrate your commitment to accessibility by including a personal statement about the accessibility of your course and by discussing accessible course design practices with your students.

4.6.f - Course technologies meet guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher.

From 4.4.w (V3)Third party platforms, software, tools, or content has been evaluated for accessibility and documentation is available detailing if and how the materials meet WCAG 2.0 AA. - maybe move to 4.6.b, given recent changes to regulations, this WCAG compliance will need to be moved up to essentials.

One way you can ensure the educational tools and technologies used in your course are accessible is to select products that have passed a verified accessibility test. Some campuses may maintain a list of vetted applications for you to choose from. This is a great place to start when selecting learning tools for your course. If your campus does not maintain its own list of approved tools, you can sometimes find information about accessibility vetted applications yourself simply by doing a quick internet search. Another place to look is in the vendor's Vendor Product Accessibility Template (VPAT), which outlines the accessibility standards their product does and doesn’t meet and is required for vendor’s wishing to do business with the federal government. However, VPATs are voluntary and are not verified meaning that vendors can claim or omit whatever they wish, so while it’s good to read a vendor’s VPAT, maintain some skepticism and don't believe everything you read. Some providers may even have additional information posted on their website relating to accessibility evaluation ratings they’ve earned or verified accessibility testing their product passed. If you cannot find any information indicating that a specific tool has been tested for accessibility by your college or another qualified organization, try researching the answers to the questions below. While it’s not an official way to test a product for accessibility, it can at least get you pointed in the right direction.

*Questions to ask when vetting Ed Tech tools for Accessibility*
Questions to Ask	Desired Answers	Explanations
Can you navigate/use the vendor’s product without a mouse?	YES	Students with motor impairments may not be able to use a mouse. To be accessible, a product must be able to be navigated using just a keyboard.
Does the company have a VPAT? What does it say?	YES	A VPAT can provide good information but having one is voluntary so be sure to keep asking questions.
Will the vendor provide a demonstration of accessibility compliance?	YES	A vendor should be able to demonstrate how their product can be used by those with disabilities and explicitly answer questions about the accessibility of their product.
Does the vendor comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA or higher?	YES	WaTech Policy 188 and the Section 508 Refresh have set WCAG 2.0 AA as the standard to meet.
Does the company test and verify its level of accessibility for users with disabilities?	YES	Vendor’s whose products pass a verified accessibility test will often brag about it on their website.
Does the vendor provide customer support and technical support to clients/users/students when an accessibility barrier is encountered?	YES	Users experiencing accessibility issues may need support. It’s good to know the vendor has a process in place for providing quality support in a timely manner.
Does the company have an Accessibility Roadmap to address known issues/improve accessibility?	YES	This is a good sign and typically means the vendor is thinking about accessibility and has committed to improving their product by identifying and fixing accessibility issues. Be sure their roadmap includes a reasonable timeline.
Do reviews or articles about the product or vendor raise any red flags that cause you concern?	NO	Searching for a product by name in combination with the phrase “accessibility” should not yield scary results.

4.6.g - Course includes documentation describing how course technologies meet guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher.

XXX

4.6.h - Course includes an invitation for students to offer feedback on the quality, accessibility, and usability of course technologies.

XXX

Canvas Tools

These Canvas tools can help you meet this standard and make your work easier:

Syllabus: Use the Syllabus page to prominently display important course information. For example, by including a section about Accessibility and Access Resources.
Modules: Use the Modules page to display and organize accessibility help resources. For example, to create a "Start Here" module containing the information students need about course accessibility and available access support resources.
Pages: Use a Page added to a Module to display and organize technology help information. For example, a page about how, when, and why to use accessibility support services.
Rich Content Editor: Use the Rich Content Editor to embed images, links, and videos. For example, to link students to relevant accessibility support services..

Examples of Standard 4.6

Want to see how other instructors have applied this Standard in their course? Check out these examples!

Example 1

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Example 2

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Example 3

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Example 4

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Example 5

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Ways to Apply Standard 4.6

Need some ideas for how to apply this standard to your course? Try one of these!

4.6.a - Including a personalized accessibility statement

(4.6.a) Add your campus' institutional statement about accessibility to your syllabus, “Start” module, or elsewhere in your course.
(4.6.a) Add a personal statement about the value of accessible course materials to your syllabus, “Start” module, or elsewhere in your course.
(4.6.a) Collaborate with your colleagues to draft a departmental statement about the value of accessible course materials to add to your syllabus, “Start” module, or elsewhere in your course.

4.6.b - Required course technologies are usable by as wide an audience as possible with appropriate alternatives provided.

(4.6.b) Review the required and alternative technologies included in your course. Replace any that are inaccessible and/or that do not provide students with an equitable learning experience.
(4.6.b) Review the required and alternative course materials included in your course. Replace any that are inaccessible and/or that do not provide students with an equitable learning experience.
(4.6.b) Review the required and alternative technologies included in your course. Provide alternative resources for any optional items that are not accessible or that do not provide an equitable learning experience for the students who may want/need to use them.
(4.6.b) Review the required and alternative course materials in your course. Provide alternative resources for any optional items that are not accessible or that do not provide an equitable learning experience for the students who may want/need to use them.

4.6.c - Including resources connecting students to accessibility support services

(4.6.c) Review the access support resources available in your course. Add links directly to these services from your course navigation menu, your syllabus, or your “Start” module as needed.
(4.6.c) Add a brief explanation describing each access support link included in your Syllabus or "Start" module and how or when students should use it.

4.6.d - Explanation describing how to obtain accessible formats

(4.6.d) Add an explanation to your Syllabus, “Start” module, or elsewhere in your course describing how students can locate and access accessible formats of required course content and/or alternative resources.

4.6.e - Course includes links to accessibility policies for course technologies and tools.

(4.6.e) Add links to the accessibility policies for all of the external tools and publisher content used in your course to your Syllabus or the Start Module in your course.
(4.6.e) Include a section in your Syllabus or a page in the Start Module in your course with information about the importance of accessibility and links to the accessibility policies for all of the external tools and publisher content used in your course.
(4.6.e) Include a brief explanation and link to the accessibility policy for external tools or publisher content when introducing it to students.

4.6.f - Course technologies meet guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher.

(4.6.f) Contact the vendor for all third party platforms, software, tools, or content used in your course and ask for a demo showing how their product can be used by those with disabilities. Be sure to use this opportunity to ask about support for users experiencing accessibility issues.
(4.6.f) Check the vendor’s website to see if their product has passed a verified accessibility test.
(4.6.f) Ask your campus eLearning or IT office if they maintain a list of accessibility vetted third party platforms, software, tools, or content. If they do, compare the tools you’re using in your course to their list and make adjustments as needed.
(4.6.f) Work with your campus eLearning or IT office to investigate and vett the third party platforms, software, tools, or content used in your course.
(4.6.f) Do an internet search of all third party platforms, software, tools, or content used in your course combined with the words accessibility. Evaluate the information you find and adjust the tools in your course as needed.
(4.6.f) Practice vetting several third party platforms, software, tools, or content for accessibility using the questions included in Indicator
(4.6.f) Try vetting a tool used in your course.

4.6.g - Documentation describing how course technologies meet guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher.

(4.6.g) XXX

4.6.h - inviting students to offer feedback on the quality, accessibility, and usability of course technologies

(4.6.h) XXX

Resources

Recommended Reading

Canvas Shell: Library of Accessibility Resources by SBCTC includes easy to understand information and additional resources organized in topic-based modules to help you improve the accessibility of your course materials
Video: 5 Principles for Creating Accessible Canvas Pages by How to Canvas explains how to format your Canvas content using the Rich Content Editor so it’s accessible
Website: Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines by CAST includes suggestions for optimizing course design for the benefit of all students
Website: A Tutorial for Making Online Learning Accessible to Students with Disabilities by Sheryl Burgstahler provides instruction on how to make your course more accessible and inclusive
Website: WebAIM by WebAIM includes a variety of instructional resources for creating accessible content
Website: WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker by WebAIM is a tool for checking the contrast ratio of foreground and background colors for WCAG AA and WCAG AAA compliance

References

4.6.a - Accesssability statement

Mobus, F. (2020, October 30). The Irony of Inclusion and Accessibility Statements. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2020/10/30/how-inclusive-and-accessible-your-statement-inclusion-and-accessibility
Wool, Z. (2018, August 13). Check Your Syllabus 101: Disability Access Statements. anthro{dendum}. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://anthrodendum.org/2018/08/13/check-your-syllabus-101-disability-access-statements/

4.6.b - Using accessible required and optional course materials and technologies

Gierdowski, D. C., & Galanek, J. (2020, June 1). ECAR Study of the Technology Needs of Students with Disabilities, 2020. Educause. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/ecar-study-of-the-technology-needs-of-students-with-disabilities/2020/online-access-to-materials-and-resources

4.6.c - Including resources connecting students to accessibility support services

X
X

4.6.d - Directions for locating accessible formats of required course content and/or access alternative resources

Gierdowski, D. C., & Galanek, J. (2020, June 1). ECAR Study of the Technology Needs of Students with Disabilities, 2020. Educause. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.educause.edu/ecar/research-publications/ecar-study-of-the-technology-needs-of-students-with-disabilities/2020/online-access-to-materials-and-resources

4.6.n - Flashing images or seizure-inducing animations

Epilepsy Foundation. (n.d.). Photosensitivity and Seizures. Epilepsy Foundation. Retrieved August 24, 2021, from https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/triggers-seizures/photosensitivity-and-seizures
University of Washington. (n.d.). Avoiding Flashing or Flickering Content. Retrieved August 25, 2021, from https://www.washington.edu/accessibility/checklist/flashing-content/
WebAIM. (n.d.). Seizure and Vestibular Disorders. WebAIM. Retrieved August 24, 2021, from https://webaim.org/articles/seizure/#overview

4.6.e - Linking to accessibility policies for course technologies

Educause. (n.d.). How to talk to and discuss accessibility with vendors? [HTML Document]. EDUCAUSE Constituent Group Discussion List. Retrieved August 11, 2021, from http://listserv.educause.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A3=ind1008&L=ITACCESS&E=quoted-printable&P=504405&B=------%3D_NextPart_000_0043_01CB43CB.F7C0A250&T=text%2Fhtml;%20name=%22how_to_talk_to_vendors_about_accessibility.html%22&N=how_to_talk_to_vendors_about_accessibility.html&attachment=q&XSS=3
SBCTC. (n.d.). Miscellaneous Resources [Canvas Module]. Library of Accessibility Resources. Retrieved August 6, 2021, from https://sbctc.instructure.com/courses/1578604/modules/4045157

4.6.f - Meeting guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher.

X

4.6.g - Describing how course technologies meet guidelines for WCAG 2.1 AA or higher

Educause. (n.d.). How to talk to and discuss accessibility with vendors? [HTML Document]. EDUCAUSE Constituent Group Discussion List. Retrieved August 11, 2021, from http://listserv.educause.edu/scripts/wa.exe?A3=ind1008&L=ITACCESS&E=quoted-printable&P=504405&B=------%3D_NextPart_000_0043_01CB43CB.F7C0A250&T=text%2Fhtml;%20name=%22how_to_talk_to_vendors_about_accessibility.html%22&N=how_to_talk_to_vendors_about_accessibility.html&attachment=q&XSS=3
SBCTC. (n.d.). Miscellaneous Resources [Canvas Module]. Library of Accessibility Resources. Retrieved August 6, 2021, from https://sbctc.instructure.com/courses/1578604/modules/4045157
SBCTC. (n.d.). Web Accessibility [Canvas Module]. Library of Accessibility Resources. Retrieved August 11, 2021, from https://sbctc.instructure.com/courses/1578604/modules/3287502

4.6.f - Inviting students to offer feedback on the quality, accessibility, and usability of course technologies

X

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