Universal Design & Accessibility
Universal Design & Accessibility
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an educational framework designed to provide equitable learning opportunities for all people. Under the umbrella of inclusive pedagogy, UDL practices ensure that all learners can be successful in their educational pursuits when we remove barriers and add flexibility to the curriculum.
Toward that end, UDL is guided by three principles:
- Engagement: providing multiple means of engaging and motivating learners
- Representation: providing multiple means of presenting content and materials that is optimal for learners with varied abilities
- Action and expression: providing multiple means for learners to express what they know and what they can do
For examples of strategies on how to apply these universal design principles when designing and implementing your course, view these brief videos:
Accessibility
Accessibility is closely intertwined with UDL. Whereas UDL represents a broad framework designed to create learning environments that provide variety, choice, and support to ensure all learners' educational success, accessibility is focused on specific standards and accommodations to ensure equitable learning experiences for individuals with disabilities.
At Emory University, instructors, administrators, and the Department of Accessibility Services share responsibility for ensuring access for learners with disabilities. A key aspect of inclusiveness in a course for instructors is making sure that all content is accessible to all learners. Achieving accessibility has become easier and faster in the last few years, with more tools that support instructors provided in both Canvas and in the software used to create materials (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF).
Tools that Support Accessibility in Canvas
Accessibility Check (UDOIT)
UDOIT will scan an entire Canvas course for issues and provides prompts and fixes. To use it:
- Log into your Canvas course
- Select " Accessibility Check" from the left-hand menu in your course: you may have to add this menu from the Canvas Settings > Navigation.
- UDOIT (the product name for Accessibility Check) opens and will scan your course for errors.
- Select the blue button that says Continue after the automatic scan finishes and takes you to a Dashboard.
- UDOIT provides list of Most Common Errors, Most Common File Issues, and Most Common Suggestions with links to lists.
- To the right of these in the UDOIT Dashboard there is an easy-to-use Ways to Get Started. Choose an option and select Get Started.
- UDOIT will then provide a list of problems with information about the specific issue.
- Select Review on the right-hand side of each item in the list.
- A new window opens with an explanation about what to fix and provides a text entry box for the update.
- At the bottom of the window, users can proceed to the next issues by clicking the Next button.
- You are can stop anytime and return to the list later. UDOIT will keep track of the issues and update the list.
- UDOIT allows you to start with the easiest issues first and rapidly correct dozens of issues in just minutes.
Accessibility Checker
This tool scans the current Canvas page while in Edit mode for accessibility issues and provides prompts to allow fixes right in the window. Access this help at the bottom of the page by clicking on the accessibility checker icon. It catalogs the number of errors on that page. When you click the icon it will open another window on the right and indicate the issues, instructions for fixing them, and an Apply the change button, along with arrows for moving to the next issue or back to a previous one. It also allows you to fix errors and return at a later time to continue addressing the remaining problems.
Common Accessibility Errors and Fixes
Headings on Pages and in Tables
Use headings on a page to break up text into major topics and subtopics. This helps visually chunk content for both screen readers and sighted readers which makes it easier to read and comprehend.
Alt Text for Images
Add descriptive text to the ''alt text" box that accompanies images in Canvas. This allows an individual who is unable to see an image to understand the content of the image when a screen reader scans the image. Good "alt text" combines a short description of the content of the image within the context of the surrounding page. Do not use a file name for "alt text". Here is more information on writing alt text and more information on adding alt text in Canvas.
Tables
Headings should always be indicated in columns of a table in Canvas or in a Microsoft document. One of the most common sources of accessibility errors is not indicating a heading, and this issue is routinely flagged by accessibility checkers. You can review this guide which provides information on how a screen reader 'sees' information in a table.
Links
When adding links, use meaningful text for the link and use the linking tool. Do not use a URL for the link. The screen reader will read it aloud and links can be long and contain strings of meaningless characters.
Tips for accessible links:
- Link text should make sense out of context
- Link text should be descriptive and easy to read by a screen reader
- Multiple links on the same page with the same descriptions are confusing - use different titles
Color
When using certain color combinations (e.g. red/green) or contrast levels, they may not always be visible or easy to read for individuals with various vision abilities. This website allows you to upload an image and experience it from multiple perspectives of visual impairment. When using color, you can use a contrast checker to verify that your foreground and background color have enough contrast to be read
Microsoft Files
Accessibility in documents means providing a document that can be scanned by a screen reader. This can take more time than using the accessibility programs in Canvas. Check-in with the Department of Accessibility Services for support or use the tools provided by Microsoft in their software.
In Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files:
- In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, select Review > Check Accessibility.
- The Accessibility pane opens and you can review the results.
- You will see a list of errors, warnings, and tips with how-to-fix recommendations for each issue.
- Select a specific issue to see why you should fix the issue and the steps to take to change the content.
PDFs
Adobe PDF files can be more complicated to make accessible without the professional version of the Adobe Acrobat software. You can check accessibility without a pro license and make some things accessible in Acrobat, but it can be more limited.
One of the most essential functions Adobe Acrobat DC Pro provides is scanning documents by converting them to a document that allows optical character recognition. This can be important for anything scanned from a book. Ask for assistance if you need to scan a document by contacting Susan Detrie.
Using Captions
Captions should be added to all recordings. Find information about how to add captions through various technologies below:
508 Compliance for Documents
Federal agencies are required to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. These links provide quick video training for submitting documents to federal agencies: