Universal Design and Accessibility
Universal Design: Access and Inclusion
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that helps ensure that course materials and activities are accessible and inclusive for all students, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or preferred learning styles.
By designing courses with accessibility and inclusion in mind, faculty can create a more welcoming and equitable learning environment for all students, thus improving student outcomes and reducing achievement gaps.
In addition, faculty need to consider the impact of course design on access to materials and technology, as students from diverse backgrounds or with limited access to technology may face barriers to accessing course content. By doing so, faculty can promote even greater equity and access for all students.
Blackboard Ally
Blackboard Ally is a tool that enhances the accessibility of online learning environments by providing insight into an institution's accessibility performance, generating alternative formats for course materials, and assessing accessibility issues in course content.
Resources
Blackboard:
- Introducing Blackboard Ally: A Tool for Content Accessiblity
- Making Course Content Accessible: Guides to using Ally in Courses
- Blackboard: Why Accessibility?
- Setting Up Student Accommodations in Ultra Video (1:14)
Universal Design:
- Content For All: Applying Universal Design to Digital Resources Video (3:16)
- CAST is a nonprofit education research and development organization that created Universal Design for Learning framework and guidelines
- Universal Design for Learning and Digital Accessibility Article
- Designing Learning-Ready Spaces for All Students Article
Accessibility at KUMC:
- Accessible KU
- Office of Academic Accommodations Services
- Office of Technology Accessibility
- Universal Design & Accessibility: 5-Part Series
- Recommended Video Captioning Options - Open a support ticket for more information