The University of ݮƵ is committed to achieving barrier-free accessibility for persons with disabilities studying, visiting, or working at ݮƵ. This document is devoted to connecting ݮƵ instructors with practicalresources for implementingaccessible practices in teaching. Accessible course design, teaching practices, and learning resourcescan help you meet the needs of the greatest number of learners.
For questions about universal design or accessibility in teaching, contact CTE's Trevor Holmes or read more about on-campus accessibility support.
Resources
Why accessibility in teaching matters
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| The Province of Ontario was the first province and one of the first jurisdictions in the world to enact specific legislation establishing a goal and time-frame for achieving accessibility for government, business, non-profit, and public sector organizations, which includes the University of ݮƵ. | |
|
A resource developed by the Council of Ontario Universities that discusses:
|
Understanding disability
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| The Ontario Human Rights Code’s full definition of disability, which notes that “disability” covers a broad range and degree of conditions, including physical disabilities, mental and developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, and injury. | |
| Definitions and examples of the five barriers to accessibility from the Council of Ontario Universities. | |
| Videos from the Council of Ontario Universities featuring students discussing their individual experiences with mental illness at Ontario universities. |
ݮƵ policy
| Policy | Description |
|---|---|
| Policy 58: Accessibility | The principle policy for meeting the requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with a Disability Act (AODA) at ݮƵ. Available from the Office of the Secretariat. |
| Policy 33: Ethical Behaviour | States that the University “has a responsibility to provide an environment free from harassment and discrimination” as required under the Ontario Human Rights Code and the occupational Health and Safety Act. Available from the Office of the Secretariat. |
| Guidelines for Managing Student Information | Establishes procedures for maintaining students’ confidentiality with respect to their personal information, including health information. Availablefrom the Office of the Secretariat. |
Instructors' roles and responsibilities
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| AccessAbility Services guidance for faculty and staff | Guidance and tips for faculty and staff created by ݮƵ’s AccessAbility Services. |
| A factsheet summarizing the roles and responsibilities for government, post-secondary institutions, and students with disabilities from the Ontario Human Rights Commission. |
Understanding assistivetechnologies
The following resources provide an introduction to assistive technology. Students use many types of assistive technologies, many of which are discussed in the first resource below. The final two resources focuson screen readers, a technology relevant to the creation of accessible teaching materials like PowerPoint slides and documents.
For more information about assistive technologies in use at ݮƵ, contact AccessAbility Services.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| A primer on assistive technologies commonly used in higher education and how they enable students to engage inside and outside the classroom. Created by the Association for Higher Education Access & Disability (AHEAD). | |
| A short video from theUniversity of California, San Franciscodemonstrating how users read a website or text with a screen reader. | |
| A short video from Normandale Community College showing how screen readers read accessible and inaccessible documents, including headings, images, spaces between paragraphs, and hyperlinks. |
Accessibility checklists
The checklists below will help you create accessible MS Word documents, MS PowerPoint slides, and face-to-face presentations.
Learning how to create accessible teaching materials
The resources below will help you create accessible teaching materials.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| Step-by-step instructions for PC users creating accessible materials in the Microsoft Office suite,including Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Developed by Microsoft. | |
| Instructions for creating accessible materials for the Microsoft Office suite and Adobe Acrobat on both PC and Mac.Developed by the Accessible Digital Office Document Project (ADOD). | |
| Three-minute video tutorials on creating accessible PowerPoint slides, Word documents, using an accessibility checker, and creating alt-text, developed by the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. | |
| A half-hour course showing you how to make accessible documents in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. LinkedIn Learning was formerly Lynda.com. | |
| Creating Accessible Transcripts or Captions for Video-Based Learning Resources | Why and how to create accessible transcripts (or captions) for video or audio-based learning resources. |
| A step-by-step guide to creating captions for video, from the University of Washington. | |
| A free tool for checking the accessibility of a website or PDF document. |
Accessible teaching practices andcourse design
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| [YouTube] | In this session recording of the Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching and Learning webinar series, Christine Zaza (Online Learning Consultant, Centre for Extended Learning at the University of ݮƵ) reviews basic level accessibility practices that remove common barriers. |
| [YouTube] | In this session recording of Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching and Learning webinar series, Victoria Feth (Educational Developer, Centre for Teaching Excellence at the University of ݮƵ) shows how accessibility practices are connected to ݮƵ’s Framework for Teaching Effectiveness. |
| Accessibility in Group Work [YouTube] | In this sessionrecording of the Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching and Learning webinar series Rob Gorbet, Associate Professor, Department of Knowledge Integration at the University of ݮƵ, shows how to design and implement group work with accessibility and accommodations in mind. |
| [YouTube] | In this session recording of the Enhancing Accessibility in Teaching and Learning webinar series, Laura Ingram, Associate Professor, Chemistry, at the University of ݮƵ showcases how to implement accessibility practices for very large classes. She also focuses on the challenges of making accommodations in very large classes. |
| AccessAbility Services guidance for faculty and staff | Guidance and tips for faculty and staff created by ݮƵ’s AccessAbility Services. |
| Accessibility teaching tips from the Council of Ontario Universities(COU)for creating accessible lectures, evaluating students and giving feedback, using PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, and PDFs, and teaching students with visual disabilities, deaf-blindness, physical disabilities, mental health disabilities, speech-related disabilities, and learning disabilities. | |
| A guide for designing your courses with accessible education in mind, from the Council of Ontario Universities. | |
| e-Classroom services and support details | A listing of ݮƵ campus buildings and rooms with information about instructional technology(e.g., podium/laptop availability, podium instructions, microphone availability, etc.)and images of classroom layouts in select rooms, from Information, Technology, and Media Services (ITMS). |
Universal design
There are three frameworks that apply Universal Designprinciples to education: Universal Design for Learning (UDL),Universal Design of Instruction (UDI), and Universal Instructional Design (UID).Despite their differences, these frameworks have the common goal of designing inclusive and equitable education that considers all learners.
| Resource | Description |
|---|---|
| A tool for implementing Universal Design for Learning (UDL), covering three areas of learning: engagement (the “why” of learning), representation (the “what” of learning), and action and expression (the “how” of learning), developed by the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST). | |
| Universal design | From the Library at University of ݮƵ's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Toolkit, includes seven principles for universal design as well as additional information and resources. |
| An overview of the definition and principles of Universal Design for Instruction (UDI) as well as guidelines for implementation and examples of UDI in practice. Developed by the University of Washington. |
On-campus support
See also: List of Accessibility Initiatives at ݮƵ.
| Unit | Description |
|---|---|
| AccessAbility Services |
Provides academic support for University of ݮƵ students who have both permanent and temporary disabilities, including full-time, part-time, graduate, and undergraduate students.Contact AccessAbility Services for further information about:
|
| Campus Wellness | Provides primary medical care and mental health services to University of ݮƵ students. If you believe a student is in crisis or is in need of medical support, refer them here. |
| Centre for Extended Learning |
Supports the design, development, and delivery of accessible online credit and non-credit courses for the University of ݮƵ. |
| Centre for Teaching Excellence | ݮƵ faculty and staff can consult with Trevor Holmes, on questions and issues related to universal design and accessibility in teaching. |
| Human Resources: disability management |
Resources and key contacts for staff and faculty.
|
| Information Systems and Technology | Offers web accessibility consulting to instructors, faculty, researchers and staff as well as Skills for the Electronic Workplace (SEW) courses, including courses on creating accessible documents, accessible digital design, and accessible websites. Check the SEW site for current course offerings. |