There is a great deal to learn about creating accessible content, designing effective learning experiences, and fostering an inclusive practice for people with disabilities. We can start by prioritizing learning about what you can directly influence. For example, do you frequently use PowerPoint in your teaching? Learn how to create or modify slide decks so that everyone can read/use them equally. Are you responsible for creating and managing marketing materials within your department? Review the features in Microsoft Word for how to ensure documents are created with accessibility in mind.
Accessibility Practices in Canvas
- Watch the recorded session, Ally for Canvas Tool Overview, to learn about instructor and student accessibility assistance.
- Enroll in the Teaching for Inclusion Canvas course to learn how to create accessible courses and materials, principles of universal design, and more.
Level Access Academy
Our digital accessibility vendor partner, Level Access, offers on-demand courses and curated learning paths to support content creators, site owners, developers, and others at Rice. As part of the systematic rollout of the Level Access product, some departments and teams with high-priority web content will have access to Academy seats.
Any Rice department is welcome to contact us at a11y@rice.edu to discuss getting your team into the Academy and assigning our role-based training and certification.
Some examples within the course catalog of the Level Access Academy:
- Integrating accessibility into development for Web Developers
- Testing with Screen Readers - A User-flow Case Study
- What's New in WCAG 2.2
- Accessible Documents Overview
- Communication and Sensitivity for Customer Service Representatives
- Creating Accessible Emails
- Disability Etiquette & more!
Recommended Free Courses
- W3C The Digital Accessibility Foundations online course covers principles from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web content accessibility guidelines and much more. Course available in edX, the full course is 16-20 hours to complete.
- Accessibility fundamentals learning path from Microsoft includes an introduction to disability and accessibility, Microsoft accessibility features and tools, creating accessible content with Microsoft 365, and creating accessible and inclusive content for mobile apps.
- Self-guided courses for Educators from Teach Access are free, self-paced courses for educators that introduce disability and the principles of accessible design across various disciplines. In addition, they guide educators on how to start teaching accessibility in their courses.
- Section 508 Trusted Tester Training & Certification The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s Customer Experience Directorate (CXD), formerly known as the Office of Accessible Systems & Technology (OAST), is committed to the development of Trusted Tester, a common testing approach for accessibility compliance and conformity. Trusted Tester provides a code-inspection based test approach for determining web content conformance to the Section 508 standards.