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A frequent question that arises with proactive accessibility is 鈥淒oes removing barriers really help many people?鈥� We encourage faculty and staff to consider how accessibility builds more inclusive spaces and to focus on inclusion over compliance with laws while we highlight a few ways in which accessible instructional practices benefit everyone in ways that may not be as well-known.

Captions

In addition to making videos with audio accessible to people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, captions also benefit any hearing students who cannot use audio or who process information better with both audio and visual at the same time.

• Watching course videos in public such as a coffee shop, on the bus or train, and having headphones die.
• English Language Learners engaging with both spoken and written English at the same time for deeper understanding of a new language.
• Visit our page on Captioning in Yuja and Best Practices for Captions for guidance on implementing captions in your courses.

Screen Reader Compatible Documents

While screen readers are known for reading text documents aurally for people who are blind or low-vision, documents which are screen-reader-ready benefit other situations as well.

• Someone with hearing listening to course materials while working out or doing chores.
• English Language Learners, people with dyslexia, and other people where audio and visual helps with comprehension.

Document Structure

Ensuring Word documents have proper heading structure (i.e. using programmatically determinable headings) also benefits the author in addition to providing critical navigational features for screen reader users.

• Word documents easily generate a Table of Contents based on the Heading Structure.
• Visit our pages on Digital Structure in Microsoft Word and Canvas.

Tactiles

Physical objects that can be touched or turned can help all learners understand more about the object they are learning about. For example, an embossed image of the human skeleton can help learners feel how the different bones connect, and a 3D model of a skeleton additionally helps with feeling how joints work differently.

• Read about the .
• Read about how .
• Parents and teachers can check out the for parents of blind children.

In addition to creating inclusive digital spaces, physical accessibility also benefits many people.

• Curb cuts on sidewalks help people with mobility devices (such as wheelchairs, walkers, or canes) as well as parents with strollers, people with rolling carts, walking bikes, etc. The tactile bumps on curb cuts indicate to people who are blind and use canes that an intersection is present.
• Accessible doors can be used by anyone with a barrier in using a handle, including people whose arms are full of groceries or children.
• Inclusive seating provides options for different body types, physical abilities, and provides more under-desk room for service animals.
• Remote controls provide a convenient way for people to interact with an object that is further away, whether out of necessity or convenience.
• Sign Language such as American Sign Language (ASL) allows people with the ability to sign to communicate quietly.
  • Visit the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind page on .
• Houses built to be accessible from the beginning has potential to save homeowners a lot of money and stress on renovations if someone in the house needs physical accessibility in the future.

Ready to keep moving forward in your instructional accessibility journey? Pick the level you feel you’re at and read about some next steps to create inclusive instruction.

• New to accessibility: Pick a Canvas page for your upcoming week and open it to ensure that the headers were created properly. If you have more time, work on other pages as well.
• Intermediate accessibility: Check any external websites you wish students to use for your class for accessibility, including keyboard navigability, color contrast, and screen reader functionality. Or check course materials such as PowerPoints and PDF documents for accessibility. Unsure how to check? Request an Access Check from the IAG and let us check the accessibility of聽 your resource(s) and recommend any further action.
• Proficient accessibility: Advocate with your chair and with senior leadership for additional accessibility support for faculty and staff. Share your accessibility knowledge and techniques at subject matter conferences.
• Any level: Find time to discuss accessibility with your colleagues or chair. Discuss and think about what barriers remain in your department and ways to tackle those barriers.

No generative AI was used for this article.