Accessibility
Access by Design
Accessible Instructional Materials Checklist for SDSU Faculty
Introduction
CSU is committed to creating a culture of access for an inclusive learning environment. This means ensuring that all campus electronic and information technology resources are fully accessible to persons with disabilities. The goal is to provide the most effective learning environment for all students while at the same time complying with existing policies and laws.
SDSU Contact: Bonnie Zimmerman
Universal Design For Learning (UDL)
Universal design for learning enhances student success, regardless of ability and learning styles. Designing course strategies and materials from the start with accessibility in mind will enhance the learning experience of all students, not just students with disabilities. For more information: see Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction video and related publications.
SDSU Contact: Carol Tohsaku
Specific Steps Faculty Can Take to Ensure Student Access to Instructional Materials
Preparing Course Materials
- See SDSU’s Order Course Materials Web site to identify textbook and course pack selections at least six weeks before classes begin. This will allow enough time for the materials to be converted into alternate formats.
- Ask publishers if they offer accessible electronic copies.
- Make the class syllabus and other instructional materials available online in accessible format before class. This can help students plan ahead so they can access instructional materials ahead of time.
(Example: Students who need accommodation of their disabilities should contact me privately to discuss specific accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, but have not contacted Student Disability Services at 619-594-6473 (Calpulli Center, Suite 3101), please do so before making an appointment to see me.)
- Consider using Blackboard to post the syllabus and other important class information and course materials.
SDSU Contact:
for Blackboard Accessibility: Jon Rizzo
for Instructional Web Site Accessibility: Marc Pastor
for Accessible Textbooks and Course Packs: Severino Reyes
Creating Accessible Online Course Materials
- Create or convert and post electronic course materials online in accessible formats. There are online tutorials and resources for commonly used applications. Doing it right the first time is much easier than trying to fix it later! See: Guides for Commonly-used Applications.
SDSU Contact:
for Microsoft Office Document Accessibility: Charles Hurley
for PDF Document Accessibility: Carol Tohsaku
Making Course Web Sites Accessible
- Make course Web sites accessible by complying with the SDSU Web Style Guide. Use the SDSU Templates, which are already compliant, to create new sites and/or migrate existing sites. This can be much easier than trying to design it yourself or repair a non-compliant site. Consult the Web Accessibility section of this site.
SDSU Contact: Marc Pastor
Using Electronic Course Reserves
- Use the Electronic Course Reserves to make reserve items available to students in Blackboard in accessible formats.
SDSU Contact: Sara Baird
Creating Accessible Print and Video Materials
- Provide clean copies of print materials before they are covered in class so they can be scanned and converted into accessible formats such as audio, large print or Braille. This includes handouts, course reserves, course packs, examinations, etc.
- Caption all video used for instruction. Buy only captioned videos and DVDs and have captions added to existing videos before using them online or in the classroom. This can be done quickly and inexpensively, especially if an audio transcript already exists.
SDSU Contact:
for Non-copyrighted, Fair-use, Digital Video: Marc Pastor
for Copyrighted, Commercial Video: Jacqueline Hill
for Accessible Textbooks and Course Packs: Severino Reyes
Creating Audio Transcripts
- Provide transcripts for audio-only presentations and materials. Consider using a speech recognition software tool (such as Dragon Naturally Speaking) to convert your lectures and other audio-only materials into text.
SDSU Contact:
for Podcasting: Marc Pastor
for Captivate, Wimba, and other Web-based Audio Tools: Jon Rizzo
Using Multiple Instructional Methods
- Provide students with alternative methods to receive lecture materials, e.g., post lecture notes online, provide transcripts, allow students to record class lectures, etc. Be open to communicating with students about their learning styles and to using multiple instructional methods and a variety of materials to address their needs. Provide alternate ways for students to demonstrate their knowledge.
SDSU Contact:
for Universal Design for Learning: Carol Tohsaku
for Individualized Accommodation not Attainable through Course Design: Mary Shojai
SDSU Contract & Procurement Management Policies
- Electronic and information technology resources purchased for campus use, including instruction, must be reviewed for compliance with Section 508 standards based on SDSU’s Procurement Implementation Plan. For more information:
SDSU Contact: Cathy Garcia
Contact List for Faculty Checklist
Sara Baird, Reserve Book Room Coordinator, 619-594-2530 <sbaird@mail.sdsu.edu>
Cathy Garcia, Chair, Accessible Procurement Committee, 619-594-5919 <cgarcia@mail.sdsu.edu>
Jacqueline Hill, ITS Media Scheduler, 619-594-4061 <mediasch@mail.sdsu.edu>
Charles Hurley, ITS Instructional Designer, 619-594-0483 <churley@mail.sdsu.edu>
Marc Pastor, ITS Coord. of Instructional Systems & Multimedia Production, 619-0594-3782 <mpastor@mail.sdsu.edu>
Severino Reyes, SDS Alternative Media Coordinator, 619-594-0219 <sreyes@mail.sdsu.edu>
Jon Rizzo, ITS Instructional Designer, 619-594-0270 <jonrizzo@mail.sdsu.edu>
Mary Shojai, SDS Director, 619-594-1113 <mshojai@mail.sdsu.edu>
Carol Tohsaku, ITS Instructional Designer, 619-594-2203 <ctohsaku@mail.sdsu.edu>
Bonnie Zimmerman, Chair, Accessible Instructional Materials Committee, 619-594-6111 <bzimmerm@mail.sdsu.edu>
Tutorials and Guides for Commonly Used Applications
SDSU Tutorials and Guides
- Create Accessible Word Documents
- Creating Accessible Documents with Word 2003
- HiSoftware Online Training
- How to Add Accessible Content to Blackboard
- How to Create an Accessible PDF file from a Scanned Document
- How to Create an Accessible PDF file from a Word Document
- How to Create an Accessible Word Document
- How to Scan a Document into TIFF Format
- ITS Workshop Handouts on how to create accessible documents with commonly-used software
- SDSU Training Guides
- Web Authoring Resource Center
Tutorials and Guides from Other Sources
- AccessDL
— University of Washington. Resources on Accessible Distance Learning. - Access eLearning
— Free online 10-module tutorial offering information, instructional techniques and practice labs for creating accessible instructional materials. From Georgia Tech Research on Accessible Distance Education Project (GRADE) in partnership with IDET Communication, Inc. - Accessibility
— Cal Poly. The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) provides that no qualified individual with a disability be denied access to or participation in services, programs, and activities at Cal Poly. This act applies to virtually all aspects of campus activities, including employment, student programming, and services provided to the campus community. As part of the university’s campus-wide ADA compliance program, this web page has been developed to link you with the many ADA and disability-related resources on campus. - Accessibility
— University of British Columbia. More resources from UBC, including PPTs and links. - Accessibility in Online Learning: Web Accessibility Process Manual
— University of British Columbia. This Process Manual provides a guide that helps web developers, instructional designers and instructors responsible for, and involved in, developing online course materials to enhance their content and to make it more accessible. The Manual also provides a guide that serves as a readily available professional development reference document. - Accessibility Tutorials for Microsoft Products
— Links to online tutorials on how to create accessible Office documents. - ADE Home
— University of Maryland University College. The Accessibility in Distance Education (ADE) Web site focuses on helping faculty develop accessible online learning materials for people with disabilities. It is divided into five major sections, targeting common accessibility questions. - Adobe
— Accessibility Resource Center. Includes guides on how to create accessible PDF and Flash documents. - Create Accessible eLearning Materials
— Enhance the usability of online materials for all students. - Create Accessible PDF Documents
- Create Accessible PowerPoint Documents
- DO-IT Opens The Center for Universal Design in Education
— University of Washington. DO-IT has enhanced its AccessCollege resources for postsecondary faculty, staff and students with The Center for Universal Design. - DO-IT Publications: Information Technology
— University of Washington. Excellent resources on various issues, including accessible technology and accessible distance learning. - Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for Microsoft Office
— Converts Office documents into HTML and other formats for publishing on the web. - Making Web Sites Accessible for Everyone
— University of Washington. The university seeks to provide access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation in its services, programs, activities, education, and employment for individuals with disabilities. As the World Wide Web becomes an essential means by which we carry out our mission of education, research, and service, our goal is to implement information and systems in this new technology such that they work effectively for all. - Real Connections: Making Distance Learning Accessible to Everyone
— University of Washington. This video presentation provides guidelines for designing Internet-based distance learning courses to fully include all students, including those with disabilities. The presentation is open-captioned and audio-described to assure access to the content for viewers who are deaf or blind, respectively (Runtime: ~11:55 minutes). - Technology and Universal Design
— University of Washington. Resources on Accessibility and Universal Design. - Web Accessibility for All
— University of Wisconsin-Madison. Tutorials: learn-by-doing examples and an online course to help create accessible web sites. - Web Accessibility Principles
— Introductory training session from the online movie library at lynda.com. Section one can be viewed at no cost; the other sections require a license. Site license options are being explored. Lynda.com offers in-depth training on Dreamweaver, Acrobat, Captivate and other tools. - WebAIM (Accessibility in Mind)
— Links to articles and tutorials on various tools and applications including an Introduction to Web Accessibility. - Welcome to Access IT
— University of Washington. Access IT promotes the use of electronic and information technology (E&IT) for students and employees with disabilities in educational institutions at all academic levels. This Web site features the Access IT Knowledge Base, a searchable database of questions and answers regarding accessible E&IT. It is designed for educators, policy makers, librarians, technical support staff, and students and employees with disabilities and their advocates.