Accessible Courseware

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Accessible Courseware

• By Tonia Malone Kathy Kimball

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Student Video

• Tiago, a high school drop-out who grew up around
  street gangs and violence, discovers he has a
  learning disability in his 20s and tells his
  story of survival and working with his
  instructors to find success.
• http//www.calstate.edu/accessibility/resources/ti
  ago.shtml

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Tiagos Suggestions

• Provide alternative ways to demonstrate mastery
  of the subject.
• Use other teaching modalities to reach those who
  don't learn from lectures.
• Provide course materials electronically so they
  can be converted into multiple formats. For
  example, audio or large print.
• Take advantage of the student's background and
  capabilities.
• Create the sense that students are receiving some
  one-on-one instruction.
• Don't allow students to stereotype each other.

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Student Video

• Lana finds herself in college at age 40 after
  Retinitus Pigmentosa takes away her sight, her
  career, and her future. She demonstrates her
  accessibility tools and describes how she manages
  her course work and her relationships with
  professors.
• http//www.calstate.edu/accessibility/resources/la
  na.shtml

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Lanas Suggestions

• Make allowances for special seating.
• Be open to communication with students.
• Post PowerPoint presentations online in advance.
• Provide advance copies of handouts in class or
  online.
• Use more descriptive speech and avoid words like,
  "this, there, and that".
• Request an electronic version of your textbook
  when you order it.

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Lanas Suggestions

• If an electronic copy of your textbook is not
  available from the publisher, ask for an
  additional desk copy.
• If you are notified of a student needing
  accessible format, make your textbook available
  to the office responsible for the conversion two
  (2) months prior to the first day of class.

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Who benefits from Universal Design?

• Students with and without disabilities
• Students with varying access to technology
• Students with English as a second, third, or
  fourth language
• Students with crazy schedules
• Students with different learning preferences
• Faculty who want a large number of their students
  to gain enduring understanding
• Faculty whose teaching style is inconsistent with
  the student's preferred learning style

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Principles of Universal Design

• Identify the essential course content
• Clearly express the essential content and any
  feedback given to the student
• Integrate natural supports for learning (i.e.
  using resources already found in the environment
  such as study buddy)
• Use a variety of instructional methods when
  presenting material
• Allow for multiple methods of demonstrating
  understanding of essential course content
• Use technology to increase accessibility
• Create accessible electronic files that support
  all types of learners
• Invite students to meet/contact the faculty
  member with any questions/concerns

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More Student Suggestions

• Make textbook decisions as early as possible and
  before any established campus deadlines for
  textbook adoptions.
• Caption all video used for instruction and
  provide transcripts for audio-only materials.
• Provide "clean" copies of class handouts or use
  materials already in electronic format so they
  can be more easily converted into alternate
  formats, such as audio or large print.
• Use the campus course or learning management
  system (LMS) to post the syllabus and other
  important class information and course materials
  electronically.

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Cal Poly Policies

• New Courses Beginning Fall 2008
• As of Fall Quarter 2008, new courses and new
  course content, including instructional materials
  and websites, must meet CSU accessibility
  requirements unless an exception is granted.
• Early Adoption Of Textbooks
• Academic Senate Resolution AS-654-07 - Beginning
  July 2007, departments are required to inform El
  Corral Bookstore of textbook and coursepack
  selections for all courses requiring textbooks or
  coursepacks at least six weeks prior to the start
  of the academic quarter.

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Basic Tips for Creating Accessible Instructional
Materials
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Best Practices for PowerPoint

• Use Slide Titles on each slide
• Use PowerPoint Slide Layouts
• Create Charts within PowerPoint
• Provide alternative text for each image
• http//www.webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/

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Best Practices for Word

• Text in a Word document will be accessible but
  you can improve the document by
• Using Heading Styles to add structure to the
  document and
• Provide Alternative Text to Images which describe
  the image
• Include descriptive text within the document that
  explains the purpose of graphics, images, charts,
  etc.
• http//ctl.calpoly.edu/tech/tutorials/WordStyles/W
  ordStyles.html

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Best Practices for PDF Files

• Start with an accessible Word document
• Convert to PDF using the Convert to PDF menu in
  Word (PC)
• Use Acrobat Professional to check accessibility
• Add Tags
• Alternative text on images
• Add default language
• http//ctl.calpoly.edu/tech/tutorials/PDFWordpc/PD
  FWordpc.html

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PDF Files from a Scan

• Optical Character Recognition software must be
  used on scanned documents to make the text on the
  page accessible
• Add hidden elements called Tags
• Add descriptive text to graphic elements
• Verify the reading order
• http//ctl.calpoly.edu/tech/tutorials/PDFScanned/P
  DFScanned.html

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Video Audio

• Videos posted on the Web or used in the classroom
  must be captioned.
• Also provide transcriptsfor audio clips.
• Refer to the MDS Website for Video Captioning
  resources and solutions.

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Blackboard

• Use Blackboard for posting course materials
• Blackboard is inherently accessible and
  eliminates the need to remediate course websites
• Extensive support is available at the Blackboard
  Support Site
• http//blackboardsupport.calpoly.edu/content/about
  /accessible.html

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More Information

• CSU Accessible Technology Initiativehttp//www.ca
  lstate.edu/accessibility
• Cal Poly Accessibility Websitehttp//accessibilit
  y.calpoly.edu
• Center for Teaching Learninghttp//ctl.calpoly.
  edu/tech/index.html
• ITS Traininghttp//training.calpoly.edu/guides/in
  dex.html