The success of any online course depends on the active participation of all students. Given the amount of time it takes to design your course and course content, it makes sense to consider accessibility as part of your planning process, so you can ensure that everyone can participate and access content.
What is Accessibility?
Accessibility in course design is generally considered to be the design of course sites in such a way that they can be successfully navigated by individuals who are print impaired, deaf and/or hard of hearing, physically impaired, and/or colour blind.
About 4.4 million Canadians (14.3%) reported having a disability in 2006. The number of Canadians aged 15 and over living with a learning disability is an estimated 631,000 people (Source: Statistics Canada).
Common-sense guidelines for accessible course content include providing materials in a variety of formats: visual and descriptive formats, auditory and textual formats, with consideration toward structure, and use of colour and media; and with an understanding of how information is processed by an individual with a disability who may be using an assistive technology.
Intent of this Area
The intent of this accessibility area is to provide a reference of information containing recommendations for successful practices, useful suggestions, and practical ideas for Instructors, TAs, Admin staff, and others, on the creation of content that is inclusive, so that such practices become a permanent part of all your online content creation.
UVic blended and online courses are an increasingly popular and effective way for students to obtain course content and participate/collaborate online. For the sake of inclusion and equity, accessibility is an important consideration in the design of online courses, but an added benefit is that many good practices in accessibility can result in a better experience for everyone who accesses your course.
Microsoft Office Online Course (30-40 minutes): Find out what accessibility means and how people with disabilities experience your documents. Learn about the different accessibility needs of various people, and what you should do to make your documents available to them.
Disclaimer
Information contained on this site is intended to help you make your course content more accessible to people with disabilities, help you evaluate the accessibility of your content and identify problem areas. However, we do not review all accessibility guidelines and criteria, and consequently do not warrant that your course content will comply with any specific guidelines or regulations. In cases where more certainty is required, it is recommended that you test course content with end users with disabilities, including screen reader users.
