Abstract
Designing and delivering inclusive online courses requires attention to digital accessibility to ensure materials are usable by all students, including those with disabilities. This chapter introduces a repertoire of proactive course development practices faculty can use to author accessible documents, images, and multimedia. Each strategy is accompanied by a description and example for easy implementation. The chapter further presents accessibility checkers to identify common barriers with guidelines for remediation. It concludes with recommendations for auditing and remediating legacy course content.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Bastedo, K., Sugar, A., Swenson, N., & Vargas, J. (2013). Programmatic, systematic, automatic: An online course accessibility support model. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 17(3), 87–102. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v17i3.352
Burgstahler, S. (2015). Opening doors or slamming them shut? Online learning practices and students with disabilities. Social Inclusion, 3(6), 69–79. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.v3i6.420
Burgstahler, S. (2023). Designing inclusive formal and informal online learning: What do instructors need to know? In R. Mancilla & B. A. Frey (Eds.), A guide to digital accessibility: Policy, Practices, and Professional Development. Stylus.
Center for Applied Special Technology. (n.d.). https://www.cast.org/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) data guide status and types. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/dhds/data-guide/status-and-types.html
Crow, K. (2008). Four types of disabilities: Their impact on online learning. TechTrends, 52(1), 51–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-008-0112-6
Dell, C. A., Dell, T., & Blackwell, T. (2015). Applying universal design for learning in online courses: Pedagogical and practical considerations. The Journal of Educators Online, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.9743/jeo.2015.2.1
Gladhart, M. A. (2010). Determining faculty needs for delivering accessible electronically delivered instruction in higher education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22(3), 185–196.
Hodges, C., Moore, S., Lockee, B., Trust, T., & Bond, A. (2020, March 27). The difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning, EDUCAUSE.
Legon, R., Garrett, R., Fredericksen, E., & Simunich, B. (2022). CHLOE 7 Tracking online learning from mainstream acceptance to universal adoption.
Lieberman, M. (2018, May 2). Technology can help address accessibility challenges, but many say it’s an incomplete solution. Inside Higher Education. https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2018/05/02/technology-can-help-address-accessibility-challenges-many-say
Mancilla, R., & Frey, B. (2020, November 5). Administrative supports for digital accessibility: Policies and processes [White paper]. Quality Matters™, 1–19. https://www.qualitymatters.org/sites/default/files/research-docs-pdfs/QM-Digital-Accessibility-Policy-Process-WP.pdf
Mancilla, R., & Frey, B. (2021 February 3). Course design for digital accessibility: Best practices and tools [White paper]. Quality Matters™, 1–15. https://www.qualitymatters.org//sites/default/files/research-docs-pdfs/QM-Digital-Accessibility-Best-Practices-Tools-WP.pdf
Mankoff, J., Fait, H., & Tran, T. (2005). Is your web page accessible? A comparative study of methods for assessing web page accessibility for the blind. In CHI, proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems, pp. 41–50. ACM, New York: April 2–7, 2005.
Morris, K. K., Frechette, C., Dukes, L., III, Stowell, N., Topping, N. E., & Brodosi, D. (2016). Closed captioning matters: Examining the value of closed captions for ‘all’ students. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 29(3), 231–238.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2022). Postbaccalaureate enrollment. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/chb
National Federation of the Blind. (2020). Higher Education Accessibility Online Resource Center. https://www.nfb.org
Quality Matters. (n.d.). Course format chart. https://www.qualitymatters.org/qm-membership/faqs/course-format-chart
W3C. (n.d.). WCAG 2 Overview. https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
Web Accessibility in Mind. (n.d.). Typefaces and fonts. https://webaim.org/techniques/fonts/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Frey, B.A., Mancilla, R. (2023). Inclusive Online Learning: Digital Accessibility Practices. In: Davis, P.K., Cohn, E.R., Branche, J.C. (eds) Diversity in Higher Education Remote Learning. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31214-4_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-31214-4_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-031-31213-7
Online ISBN: 978-3-031-31214-4
eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)