Practical strategies for instructional faculty and librarians designing accessible instructional materials

Abstract

While discussions of the accessibility of instructional materials are not new, librarians and instructional faculty are facing increased pressure to ensure the accessibility of their materials in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic’s rapid shift to online education. Many faculty and librarians, however, do not receive adequate training and support in the area of accessible design. In addition, there is often confusion about who is responsible for ensuring the accessibility of instructional materials in higher education environments. This paper presents practical strategies for librarians and instructional faculty to identify readily available resources, create inventories of their own instructional materials, identify common accessibility errors and remediate those materials. The paper presents a brief overview of accessibility terminology and legislation before focusing on three common types of instructional objects: presentation slides, instructional videos and content pages in learning management systems (LMS). For each type of object, it discusses common accessibility errors associated with the format, connecting those errors to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), as well as available tools to check the accessibility of the materials. The rising use of artificial intelligence (AI) in accessibility checkers is also discussed. Identifying the types of accessibility errors made in the design of their own materials provides a productive way for faculty and librarians to learn about and apply accessibility principles to their own instructional design process. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.