Making Your Class More Accessible

Creating a Culture of Accessibility

According to the most recent figures from the National Center for Education Statistics, around 21% of undergraduates and 11% of postbaccalaureate students have a disability (NCES). However, NCES data also show that student disabilities tend to be underreported, with only 37% of students with disabilities informing their college (Adam & Warner-Griffin, 2022). This data discrepancy suggests that the students who could benefit most from accessible course practices may often be invisible to the instructors teaching them. Creating a more accessible classroom helps build a more equitable classroom, and designing courses with accessibility in mind from the start has been shown to improve learning outcomes for all students, not just those with disabilities (Almeqdad et al., 2023).

The work required to make a course more accessible can seem overwhelming, but you don’t have to tackle everything all at once. Each small accessibility change that you make can help future students have a better experience in your class. With that in mind, below are several ways to make your class more accessible, starting with easier, “lower lift” strategies and moving toward more advanced ones.

1. Let your students know that you care about their experience in your class

The easiest (and perhaps most important) item on this list is to tell your students that you want to hear about any barriers they may encounter and that you’re willing to help find a solution. This can be as simple as adding a sentence to your syllabus or mentioning it aloud on the first day of class. This kind of open invitation shows that accessibility is important to you, without requiring students to disclose a diagnosis or navigate a formal process first. Framing accessibility as an ongoing conversation also makes it easier for students to come to you later in the semester if something isn’t working, rather than struggling in silence.

2. Use tools that enhance your course’s accessibility (or tell your students about them)

WashU provides access to several tools that can help make your courses more accessible.

• The Canvas Accessibility Checker scans Pages and Assignments for common accessibility issues as you build your course. Running the checker while designing your course is a quick way to catch and fix problems before students ever encounter them. (Note: the Canvas Accessibility Checker may not be turned on in all schools. If you have trouble locating the Accessibility Checker, please contact your school’s Canvas admin).
• SensusAccess is a self-service media and document conversion service that allows students, faculty, and staff to easily convert documents into a range of alternate media. SensusAccess can also help make documents like image-only PDF files, PowerPoint presentations, and LaTeX projects more accessible. The SensusAccess tool is available as a Canvas integration and as a file converter on an external website.
• Read&Write is a literacy support tool and assistive technology that makes online content more accessible, readable, and inclusive. It includes a variety of tools that support students in reading texts, learning unfamiliar words, researching materials, and proofreading written work.
• Equatio is an advanced equation editor that makes math notation more accessible and inclusive. Equatio includes a variety of tools that support students and teachers in creating, understanding, and engaging with digital math objects.
• OrbitNote is an assistive technology that makes PDFs more accessible, readable, and inclusive. It includes a variety of tools for students and instructors to work on and interact through annotations on PDFs.

3. Adopt Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a teaching framework grounded in cognitive science on how the human brain processes information, sustains motivation, and demonstrates learning. UDL takes a proactive approach, emphasizing that courses should be designed with accessibility in mind from the start, rather than reacting to accessibility concerns only after a student has encountered a barrier. The UDL framework focuses on three core principles, each tied to a distinct brain network:

• Multiple means of engagement (supporting the affective networks that drive motivation and interest)
• Multiple means of representation (supporting the recognition networks involved in processing information)
• Multiple means of action and expression (supporting the strategic networks involved in planning and demonstrating skills)

To learn more about Universal Design for Learning, visit the UDL resource page on the CAST website or sign up for the CTL’s Course Design Institute.

4. Take the Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content course that is offered through Canvas

This course takes around 150 minutes to complete and is self-paced, so you can pause and come back to complete the course as your schedule allows. The course helps instructors understand how to check for accessibility issues in Canvas and apply best practices for digital content creation, including images, files, and other course materials. In addition, the course introduces the POUR principles as a flexible foundation for accessible design across contexts.

To access the Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content course, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to Canvas using your WashU credentials.
2. Click on the “Help” button in the left navigation bar
3. Select “Training Services Portal”
4. In the Training Services Portal, enter a keyword (like accessible) from the course title: Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content.
5. Select “Enroll Now”
6. Confirm that you would like to enroll in the course by clicking the “Enroll” button

Additional Resources

• Request a consultation with a member of our Educational Development team to talk about accessibility within the specific context of your course.
• Read through Disability Resources’ Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty and Staff.