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So, what is digital accessibility?

Imagine, if you will, that you sign up for a workshop at a nearby event center. However, when you arrive, you discover that the all of the materials have been printed very small. As you try to read the handout, you find that you can, with some difficulty, if you squint and hold it very close to your face. As far as you can tell, you are the only one struggling. 

Now, if this was a digital workshop, the solution would, conceptually, be very simple. You would just zoom in, or alter the size of the font. The innate accessibility of digital content is one of the prime benefits of digital education for many people. 

But it's not always a guarantee.

After all, would you still be able to read the content if the document was a low quality photocopy of the original printed handout, tiny font and all? 

Digital Accessibility refers to the practice of designing digital content, tools, and technologies in ways that ensure all users can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with them effectively.

Whether by relying on the built in features of the LMS or by the use of assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice recognition software, or alternative input devices, an accessible digital lesson is one that anyone can learn and benefit from. 

For this to work, two criteria must be met: the digital environment must be accessible, and the content uploaded into it must be accessible. 

Fortunately for us, , following the internationally recognized (WCAG) to ensure that our digital learning environment is accessible for everyone. 

Legal Compliance

While accessibility goes beyond compliance, we'd be remiss to ignore the legal requirements all together. There are a multitude of regulations that apply to higher education, though they typically cover the same criteria.

Federal Regulations

Texas State Regulations

It should also be noted that accessibility regulation is constantly evolving at a slow yet consistent pace. This is one reason we highly recommend faculty be proactive when it comes to designing accessible course materials. 

Okay, so how do we design an accessible course?

There are so many elements that make up a college course, from learning materials to group activities to assessments, and each one has their own accessibility requirements. It would be difficult to summarize everything a course designer needs to know in one blog post. 

As such, we'll focus on general tips to keep in mind for today, with the intent of diving deeper into individual mediums and practices at a later date. 

1. Be proactive: It's almost always easier to address accessibility requirements prior to starting something. Writing alt-text for all of the images in a course is much easier to do as you are uploading each file, as opposed to trying to go back and adjust all of them at once at a later date. 
2. Provide options: Many accommodations function by adding an additional option for access to students who need it. From alternative file types to letting students choose the format of their assignment, building those options in from the beginning can address many accessibility concerns. 
3. Test and explore: Whether you're testing a tool integration that all of your students will use, or exploring a specific assistive technology (such as screen readers or TTS), it's important to get a feel for the learning environment your students will be experiencing. 

There is also a wide variety of tools and resources available to help guide faculty who are new to the discussion of accessibility. From to Anthology's very own Ally (discussed below), there are a multitude of ways to check existing content for suggested changes. 

Faculty are also welcomed to reach out to the Accessibility Resource Center or our Faculty Success Team for more general guidance.

Accessibility is a broad topic that touches on everything we do in higher education, and it can be overwhelming to try to keep track of it all, but it's also imperative that we try our best to ensure that all learners can access and engage with the learning environment. 

This blog series will serve as your guide to understanding and implementing accessible practices, one step at a time. Whether you're just beginning or looking to refine your approach, we invite you to join us in creating a more inclusive learning environment for everyone.