Section D - What Online Materials Need to Be Made Accessible?

ALL web-based materials (HTML pages, PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, video files, audio files, images) for use with online, hybrid, blended, or face-to-face classes must be made compliant.

This includes: 

  • Content created by the instructor within your school's learning management system. 
     
  • Files uploaded by the instructor to your school's learning management system. 
     
  • Material created or controlled by the instructor, but hosted on another server. 
     
  • Content provided by textbook publishers and other third-party websites

What About Textbooks?

Though outside the instructor's responsibility, a student may need the textbook in an alternate format (e.g., Braille, large print, audio, electronic), which is usually done by your campus disability services.

Converting a print text can be a time-consuming process—one which causes the student to lose valuable time while it's being produced—so as an instructor, you can support students by opting for digital Open Education Resource (OER) textbooks and learning materials (that have been vetted for accessibility, of course ;-)).

Optional Course Content

In the past, the unofficial interpretation of accessibility guidelines was often that optional material need not be held to the same strict compliance standards as required course materials. There has been a decided shift in perspective in the last few years, however, and the growing opinion is that if it's in the course, it's legally supposed to be accessible. While the CVC doesn't dictate your campus policy in that regard, we do want to point out the increasing prevalence of lawsuits around inaccessible educational materials.

Plus, keep in mind that a student who is disabled can't take advantage of things like "optional" review or extra credit activities unless they're made accessible. 

Know that accessibility is an ever-evolving topic of consideration. Guidelines are regularly being updated and revised, often based on technological advancements or legal findings. It's important for you to do your best to stay informed. (It's a good idea to make friends with an accessibility expert. =-))

The National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE) has a variety of helpful cheatsheets Links to an external site. for developing external files (PDFs, Word docs, ect.) that will be used in your course.