Accessibility Compliance

What is Accessibility?

According to CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), accessibility is shaped by what we need to do, how we interact with the environment, and by our personal preferences.  

Our materials and resources are accessible if a person with a disability can… 

• Acquire the same information
• Engage in the same interactions 
• Enjoy the same services 

In an equally effective, integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use as a person without a disability.

This means access. A person with a disability must be able to use, interact with and enjoy things in the same way that a person without a disability would. It also must be just as easy for them to do so in the same way as a person without a disability. You can find out more about accessible educational materials on CAST’s website. 

Inclusive Teaching and Accessibility

Effective teaching often results from evidence-based inclusive teaching practices. Per its definition, inclusive teaching inherently addresses accessibility because its focus is to cultivate learning experiences that are designed for students of all backgrounds to thrive. Inclusive teaching practices embrace the diversity of our students and consider how diverse backgrounds and identities impact learning. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an inclusive teaching framework that focuses on learner variability and reducing barriers to learning by providing a variety of ways for students to engage, receive information, and express what they’ve learned. Accessibility is at the heart of UDL, and it also can address other variables that can have an impact on student learning including: 

• Gender 
• Race/Ethnicity 
• Cultural differences 
• Socioeconomic differences 
• English as a Second Language 
• Non-traditional 

Check out the UDL Teaching and Course Design Guide for more information on UDL inclusive teaching strategies.

Additional Resources

• Yale University Inclusive Teaching Strategies  
• Univ of Washington Inclusive Teaching Definition and Accessible Teaching Strategies 

Accessible Content Benefits All Students

Accessible content is required for students without disabilities, but research has found that accessible design and support mechanisms also benefit students without disabilities. Accessible content often minimizes cognitive load for students, which results in a positive impact on comprehension, reading fluency, and retention of information. Here are a few examples of how accessible design and content benefit students without disabilities: 

• Captions in a noisy/quiet environment  
• Keyboard use – when mouse stops working  
• Using shortcut keys instead of the mouse takes less time 
• Headings to preview an article  
• Review recorded lectures as a study aid 
• Search a transcript to reinforce information from a presentation  
• Clear consistent design – to quickly find the information we need  
• Captions for spelling technical terms; clarifying misunderstood words 

When accessibility is addressed through inclusive teaching practices, learning will improve for all students (Black et al., 2015).

Compliance and Legal Information

The primary reason accessible content is important is because it removes barriers that exist for students with disabilities and allows them access to our course materials. There are also, however, several legal reasons for providing accessible content. The following laws and policies speak to the need for organizations to make online content accessible to people with disabilities:  

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)  
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act  
• NC Persons with Disabilities Protection Act  
• UNCG’s ICT Accessibility Policy 

This is especially critical for higher ed institutions because non-compliance can result in a loss of federal funding and in some cases, both the institution and individual employees could be sued by those who require accessible content but do not receive it. 

The Laws and Guidelines page has more information about legal requirements for accessibility.

Student Accommodations Process

If you receive an accommodation letter from OARS, it means that a student with a disability is enrolled in your course and will need specific supports to ensure they have full access to your course materials, activities, and resources. But before getting the letter, several things have already taken place: 

• Student contacts OARS. The student has formerly requested accommodations from OARS. 
• OARS determines if accommodations are needed. OARS determines if accommodations are appropriate by gathering information through the student’s documentation from health providers and self-reporting. This information helps OARS understand:  
  • the nature of the student’s disability,  
  • how the disability impacts daily life, and
  • any barriers that may occur for the student in the academic learning environment. 

• OARS generates an accommodations letter. OARS provides the student with an accommodation letter that outlines the specific accommodations that have been approved for the student.
• OARS sends a copy of the letter to instructors. The accommodation letter is distributed to instructors as requested by the student. 
  • Students must make a request to issue an accommodation letter to instructors each semester. Instructors will not receive a letter if the student does not specifically request accommodations in that class (sometimes students only need accommodations in certain courses and will ask OARS to send letters to those instructors). 
  • You can view accommodation letters that have been issued to you via the Clock Work portal.

While it’s most beneficial for students to request accommodations before the semester starts, students can request accommodations at any time. There are several reasons why a student might request accommodations after the semester starts: 

• Student’s disability is diagnosed after the semester begins 
• Student doesn’t get a full understanding of the course requirements until attending a few class meetings (or after reviewing the course syllabus) 

Students who are approved for accommodations after the semester begins are only eligible to apply them to future class assignments, activities, or other accessibility-related issues that may arise. Accommodations are not retroactive and are unable to be applied to issues that occurred prior to the student’s initial contact with OARS. 

What to do when you get an Accommodations Letter

Here’s some guidance for what you can do after you get an accommodations letter for a student in your course: 

1. Review the letter. Make sure you understand what the letter says and the accommodations that are listed. If you need further explanation, contact OARS (preferably the staff person who sent the letter). The UTLC is also available to help you determine how accommodations can be implemented in your course. The Common Accommodations section covers some of UNCG’s most common accommodations and ways to implement them. 

2. Reach out to the student. It’s best to connect with the student to make sure that you both have the same understanding of what will be provided. It’s also a good time to discuss the logistics of how the accommodations will be implemented. Students who have received accommodations in previous classes can share what worked for them in the past, which can give you guidance for how you can address them in your class. 

3. Keep the student’s disability status confidential. Discuss the student’s accommodations in a private area to ensure the student’s status remains confidential. This includes:  
   • Not referring to the student’s disability or accommodations during class or when other students are around
   • Not talking with faculty or staff who do not have a need to know the student’s disability status. 

4. Be mindful of your assumptions and personal reactions to disability issues. For many instructors, receiving an accommodations letter is the first time that they’ve engaged with a person who has a disability, which can bring about a variety of responses (both positive and negative). Remember to interact with each student with a disability as an individual, unique person; don’t assume that all students receiving an accommodation will need the exact same thing. As mentioned previously, the best approach is to communicate with the student to make sure you’re both on the same page. It would also be helpful to learn about disabilities. Research has shown that faculty tend to be more comfortable and better equipped to provide student accommodations when they have a good understanding of common disability characteristics and why accommodations are needed (Cook, Rumrill & Tankersley, 2009). Review the It’s All About Accommodations Chart for more information about common accommodations and why they’re necessary. 

5. Reach out to departmental and other campus resources. Depending on the nature of the accommodations, you may need additional help to successfully implement them for the student. Remember that you are not tasked with doing this all on your own – especially for those accommodations that are more complicated to provide. Here’s a list of resources that are available to you: 

• OARS for: 
  • Clarity on the accommodations letter,
  • Help determining if an accommodation can be reasonably provided in your course,  
  • Interpreting services 
  • Separate low distraction testing space 
  • Assistive technology 

• UTLC for: 
  • Help figuring out how to provide an accommodation through: 
  • Teaching strategies,  
  • Assessment/assignment alternatives,  
  • Resources for creating or sharing accessible course materials 
• Your department Academic Technology Specialist (ATS) for: 
  • Help with fixing inaccessible course content 

Reaching out to campus resources can happen at any time of the process. Sometimes faculty need more guidance as soon as they get the letter, while others may not need help until after they’ve connected with the student. Either way, just remember that UNCG has a variety of resources to help you with providing the accommodations your student needs. 

6. Expect students with disabilities to meet the same academic standards and rigor as their classmates without disabilities. Students receiving accommodations are doing so to even the playing field and get equal access, not to gain an advantage, or to reduce the rigor. Accommodations are needed to either remedy course materials that have been created in an inaccessible way, or to remove a barrier that exists because of the student’s disability. As such, instructors should refrain from reducing class assignments and requirements for students with disabilities. The best approach is to fix the inaccessible items or find an accessible alternative that is equivalent to the original course assignment, activity, or resource. This will ensure that the academic standards and rigor for your course are maintained. 

Tips to Use on the Journey of Accissibility

• SLIDE into Accessibility – SLIDE is a mnemonic (created by CAST) that will help address some of the easier accessibility issues when developing documents and presentations. It’s a great way to make some small changes that will have a big impact on the student learning experience.  
• Pace Yourself – you don’t have to do everything all at once. Creating an accessibility plan is a great first step to addressing accessibility. Having a plan will help you determine what you can commit to do proactively, and how you will address issues when they arise from a student accommodation.