Accessibility “ […..is] making user interfaces perceivable, operable, and understandable for people with a wide range of abilities. Accessibility also makes products more usable by people in a wide range of situations – circumstances, environments, and conditions” (Henry). When teaching a course at Mississippi State University, all courses –regardless of method of instruction – must be accessible online. An accessible course allows for all students to equitably interact with the instructor, content, and other students while meeting course learning outcomes. To get started, MS State Online’s Basic Accessibility Guide provides a quick and easy overview of the most basic level of online accessibility required by American’s with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA).
This video outlines basic accessibility as well:
If you need help captioning videos and creating transcripts, the Studio captioning guide can help.
As you design your course with accessibility in mind, the following P.O.U.R. acronym can be helpful in determining if your course is accessible:
P is for percievable:
- How can items be viewed? (Alt text or image description, high color contrast)
- How can audiobe heard? (Captions, transcripts)
- How are items related? (Logical order, logical grouping, meaningful sequencing)
- How are items distinguished? (Legible fonts, sizing, no background audio)
O is for Operable
- Can this course be navigated using only a keyboard?
- How does time/timing affect learning? (Assessment times, timeouts on page)
- Are there flashing lights or colors that can cause seizures?
- Is the course content well structured? (Everything is titled, links are purposeful, items can be reached multiple ways, headings are used correctly)
U is for Understandable
- Is the course readable? (Limited abbreviations, consistent naming of components)
- Is it predictable? (Consistent naming, organized)
- Is there input assistance? (Clear directions, links to troubleshooting assistance)
R is for Robust
- Are items uniquely named?
- Are tables tagged correctly?
- Are files labeled clearly?
- Are photos labeled clearly?
For more information about P.O.U.R. and examples of each principle, see the WCAG guidelines.
Citations:
Henry, S.L. "Understanding Web Accessibility", Web Accessibility: Web Standards and Regulatory Compliance. Berkeley, ca: friends of ED/Apress, 2006.
