Learners are diverse

Improving the accessibility of educational materials is crucial for creating a positive and inclusive learning environment. Just as Apple devices categorize accessibility features into cognitive, motor, vision, and hearing, online content creators must ensure that learners can easily access course materials with these categories in mind.

Accessibility relies on customization

Accessibility relies on customization, enabling learners to personalize their learning experience. While automated tools and your LMS can help identify common accessibility issues, human judgment is often needed to address more complex issues. For example, automated tools can check if an image has alt text, but they cannot evaluate if the alt text accurately conveys the image's content.

When it comes to audio and video content, automated tools can detect if transcripts and captions are present but cannot verify their accuracy. Instructors should combine automated accessibility checkers with manual checking, audits, or user testing for effective accessibility evaluation.

It's our responsibility

By thinking a little differently when developing and designing an online course, you can help your learners succeed. Just as we wouldn’t knowingly write computer code with bugs or errors or intentionally omit critical ingredients from a recipe, we shouldn’t deliberately include inaccessible content in our courses.

Developing an accessible online course is not just good practice; it's a legal requirement in many cases. Legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) mandates that online content meets certain accessibility standards.

Instructors should treat accessibility issues items to be fixed immediately, rather than features for future improvement. While achieving perfect accessibility may not be possible from day one, the goal is continuously improving and creating a more inclusive learning environment for all students. Course accessibility can have valuable and wide-ranging positive impacts for all our users.