Inclusive Teaching and Accessibility Strategies

Course Design and Content

As the University of Arizona is providing more remote instruction for many classes this spring, the information and considerations below will assist instructors in ensuring an inclusive and accessible class experience for all of their students, including students with disabilities. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your students with disabilities, please contact us at drc-info@arizona.edu

Communication:

Build-in opportunities for feedback and open communication with your students.

• Check-in with students (and members of your teaching team). Assess their needs and their access to networks and technology off campus.

Flexibility:

Include flexibility for class attendance and participation.

• Plan for change. Online and in-person courses can be affected by factors outside of our control. Consider contingencies and plan for them.

Multiple methods:

Provide information using multiple methods of representation, engagement, and expression to support diverse learners. Incorporate diverse assessment strategies.

• Post content in multiple formats. For example, if you post PDF versions of your PowerPoint, consider posting the PowerPoint file as well to allow students to choose their viewing preferences, and students using assistive technologies can access the text. 
• Create and post accessible Word, PowerPoint and PDF Documents
  • Microsoft Office Accessibility Tutorials
• More on Universal Design for Learning (UDL):
  • DRC's Universal Design for Learning Strategies
  • CAST resources for more on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

Inclusive and accessible presentations:

Where to start?

• Make sure to describe charts/graphs or other graphics
• Read content aloud if it’s not incorporated into your speech
• Repeat questions asked during class or posted in chat
• Techniques for inclusive and accessible presentations

Captioning:

Only use or create captioned multimedia content

• Tip: Include the word "captioned" in your search for media.
• There are many resources for automatic, machine generated captions which can be used with common applications such as Zoom, PowerPoint 365, Panopto, etc.
  • Turn on Zoom Live Auto Transcript
• If your class is held synchronously with students who request disability-related accommodations for communication access, DRC will work with you to ensure your class meeting is captioned. 

Assessments:

Explore alternative assessment options such as take-home assessments, group projects, etc. that would minimize the need for accommodations and proctoring.  

Tools/Technology:

As much as possible, use University supported technology which has been vetted for accessibility, FERPA-compliance, and student privacy and safety.

• D2L's Accessibility Checker to make sure the content you add to your course site is accessible.
• Zoom accessibility techniques 
• Blackboard Ally's file transformer is currently available for free: upload files of type PDF, DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX or HTML and receive accessible alternative formats. 

Additional Resources

Office of Instruction and Assessment

• Teaching Modalities for the 2020-2021 academic year
• Webinars
• Tips on Teaching with Zoom

Digital Learning

• Digital Learning upcoming workshops and events
• Digital Learning Culture of Honesty/Online assessment

Registrar’s Office 

• Spring 2021 Information and Updates
• FERPA guidance around course recordings (PDF)

MS Teams Channel - Teaching Discussions

• Teaching Discussions channel to provide chat option. This will connect instructors with peers and teaching support staff 

Other resources

• UDL Quick Tips to increase access in your class 
• UArizona Remote Teaching
• UArizona Remote Learning (geared towards students)
• DO-IT: 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course
• Article: "Inclusive teaching: audio describing your own presentation"

Questions?

Consult with DRC to ensure access and accommodations. Contact us at drc-info@arizona.edu or 520-621-3268.