by Jessica Porter, Office of Educational Technology (eTech)
There has been a lot of talk about accessibility lately, and you may be wondering how this applies to your face-to-face classes. The truth is accessibility touches all aspects of your course, from multimedia to course documents, and it’s a good idea to ensure this content is accessible.
So what do I mean by accessibility?
Accessibility is about making all course content available to and usable by all students, including those with visual, auditory, cognitive, and other impairments. The most obvious trouble point for face-to-face classes is Blackboard Learn, where we typically share documents like syllabi and supplemental readings.
As you set up Blackboard shells for your face-to-face courses, remember that students may use screen readers or other assistive technology to access online content. If you’re unfamiliar with accessibility, Blackboard offers several resources to help you get started, including general accessibility guidelines, tips for writing accessible content, and the accessibility standards for online courses (and the LMS environment).
You can also find information on accessibility at accessibility.ua.edu and in our accessibility guide.