AccessibleU: Digital Accessibility for Instructors

At UMass Amherst, we are committed to fostering equity and inclusivity in every classroom, whether physical or virtual. Our Digital Accessibility Training for Instructors, AccessibleU, provides the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to design courses that meet federal and state accessibility standards and support all students effectively.

Level: Beginner
Duration: 2–4 hours total
Format: Online, self-paced
 

Enroll with NetID

On the enrollment page, click Enroll in Course on the right.

Enroll for Non-UMass

Hosted on Canvas Catalog. This course is free and open to all. Our goal is to further digital accessibility at all levels of education. We share this is the hopes that it is helpful to educators, instructional designers, administrators, and ultimately all learners to support access. For more information on how to use these materials, see Module 1 of the course. 

Diverse group socialize at a table while on laptops.

What You’ll Learn:

  • Apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines to assess and improve course materials to meet state and federal requirements.
  • Apply key accessibility practices to course content, such as alternative (alt) text, heading structure, and color contrast.
  • Step by step guides to apply accessibility practices in Canvas, Microsoft, Google, and other common sites.
  • Resources at UMass Amherst to support digital accessibility.

Skills You'll Gain:

Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) Compliance; ADA Title II Compliance; Inclusive Teaching; Universal Design for Learning (UDL); Accessible Documents; Screen Reader Compatibility; Accessible Assessments

Course Features:

  • Conceptual framework to guide understanding and application.
  • Real-world scenarios highlighting the student experience.  
  • Practical lessons with checklists and action steps.
  • Downloadable templates and resources for immediate use.
  • Interactive knowledge checks, discussion prompts, and reflection activities. 

 

Who Should Take This Course?

This course is designed for instructors, instructional designers, teaching assistants, and staff involved in the creation of any digital course content. Whether you teach online, hybrid, or face-to-face, this course is for you.


Impact on Student Success

Group of students smile while looking at laptops in a study space.

There can be many reasons to need digital accessibility---some permanent disabilities like low vision or dyslexia, some temporary disabilities like a broken wrist or hearing loss from an ear infection, and some situational barriers like forgotten headphones in a silent library or poor wifi signals. Digital accessibility principles and practices design content so students can access content in a variety of ways to meet their needs.

When instructors apply digital accessibility principles and practices:

  • Students navigate the course confidently without barriers or delays.
  • Students engage with content more easily so they can focus on learning---especially students with disabilities and multilingual learners. 


Questions? 

For more information, contact our team.