Implementing accommodations and accessibility best practices online

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Sue Johnston & Ana Palla, PhD

itaccessibility@umd.edu

�DIT | Academic Technology & Innovation

Accessibility features for presentations

• Communication during today’s meeting
• If you want to speak “Raise Hand”
• Ask questions in Chat
• UMD Accessibility Guide for Zoom presentations
• Provide slides and materials in alternative formats
• https://go.umd.edu/DIYAccessibility (PowerPoint)
• Plain text version of today’s presentation
• Provide captioned recording
• The slides and recording of this presentation will be available at IT Accessibility training page
• Avoid virtual backgrounds (know your audience)
• Audio describe visual relevant content

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Accessibility for this meeting

• Zoom auto Live transcript is available
• You may choose to save the transcript
• How to enable the Zoom Live transcript feature at UMD
• ASL interpreters
• “Pin” ASL interpreter or presenter
• “Spotlighting” the interpreter’s video keeps it visible to all attendees. Attendees can also “Pin” the interpreter’s video, which will make it always visible to them, even if Active Speaker view is enabled by the Host

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Agenda

1. Introduction to IT Accessibility
2. How our students with disabilities use the technology
3. Improving accessibility of ELMS-Canvas space
4. Most common types of accommodations
5. Implementing accommodations online
6. Resources

Web Accessibility

• Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them
• Web accessibility impacts access to the Web to people with disabilities, including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual
• Web accessibility also benefits people without disabilities

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Required for some, beneficial to ALL!

UMD students registered with the accessibility and disability service office

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• 2019-2020 Report

Learn how people with disabilities use technology

• Focus on providing excellent learning experience and access to all
• W3C - Web Accessibility Initiative
• Web Accessibility Perspectives from W3C
• Diverse Abilities and Barriers

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• Stories of Inclusive Technology
• Video series developed by Colorado State University

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IT Accessibility at UMD

Commitment to equal access to information and services to all

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UMD Web Accessibility Policy

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1. All web-based information needs to be created and maintained using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - WCAG
• Web pages
• Web content (hypertext, videos, documents, images, audio files, etc.)
• Web-based applications
• Online instructional content, services, and resources

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1. IT Accessibility Website www.itaccessibility.umd.edu

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Include Accessibility in your Everyday Tasks

• Writing emails
• Creating and updating websites 
• Creating documents and materials such as handbooks, guides, reports, information materials, newsletters, flyers
• Creating presentations for events and classes
• Online meetings and webinars (Zoom, WebEx, Skype)
• Creating and managing social media accounts
• Procuring accessible Apps, eTools and software

How does this apply to online courses?

Web-based information used for instruction (created by instructors or third party)

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1. ELMS-Canvas space and content
2. Documents
1. Readings and Textbooks
2. Word, PPT, PDF, other documents
3. External websites
3. Media
• Video, audio, podcasts, other
4. eTools

IT Accessibility: �Six Essential Steps

1. Headings
2. Links
3. Color & Contrast
4. Images
5. Tables
6. Media

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DIY IT Accessibility Handout

• Download IT Accessibility Infographics (PDF)
• Download text version (word)

1. Headings

• Provides structure
• Easier to navigate

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H1

H2

h3

h4

2. Links

• Write meaningful link text.
• Links embedded in text should describe the link’s destination.
• Avoid using text such as "click here” or "read more" to describe the link destination.

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• More info about Links and Hypertext

Descriptive:

Orientation Guide

Lesson One Slides

Syllabus

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Not descriptive:

Click here

More info

here

3. Color & Contrast

• Use sufficient color contrast

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• Avoid using color alone to convey meaning
• Add labels to charts and graphs

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Articles:

• Visual Disabilities - Color-blindness
• Contrast and color accessibility

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4. Images

• Provide meaningful alternative (Alt) text to convey the purpose of an image (including pictures, illustrations, and charts.)
• Should be functional and provide an equivalent user experience.

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Articles:

• Accessible Images
• Alternative Text

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Image: Maryland Daffodil Society, marylanddaffodil.org

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5. Tables

• Create Tables with column and/or row headers
• Don’t merge or split cells
• Don’t use tables to format a document
• Add alt text

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Articles:

• Creating Accessible Tables - Data Tables
• Creating Accessible Tables - Layout Tables

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https://www.washington.edu/accessibility/documents/word/

6. Media

• Add captions to your videos
• Edit all machine or automated captions
• Zoom, Panopto, YouTube
• Provide a transcript for audio files
• Use Google Voice Typing to generate a transcript [Tools]
• Google Slides auto caption

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Example: return.umd.edu

• Video captioned in different languages, MP3 and Transcripts

Captioning Resources and Services

• Prerecorded
• Enable and Edit Machine Captions
• Panopto
• WebEx
• Zoom
• YouTube

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• Live Caption integration
• Webex and Zoom

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• Auto live caption
• Web Captioner (multiple languages)
• Google Slides auto caption

• Outsource
• ADS Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services offers captions, real-time captioning, transcription, subtitles (English and foreign) and audio description.

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• Division of IT Panopto Professional Captioning offers professional captioning (English only).

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Accessible fonts

• Use real text rather than text within graphics.
• Select basic, simple, easily-readable fonts.
• Ensure sufficient contrast between the text and the background.
• Avoid small font sizes.
• Limit the use of font variations such as bold, italics, and ALL CAPITAL LETTERS.
• Avoid blinking or moving text.
• Verdana, Tahoma, Trebuchet MS, and Georgia were developed specifically for use in electronic media

Refer to WebAim article on fonts accessibility

Creating Accessible Documents

• Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Google Docs & Slides
• Apply 6 essential steps (headings, links, color/contrast, images, tables, media) and use accessible fonts
• Avoid PDFs (Adobe Acrobat) as the default to publish documents
• Use Accessibility checkers
• Provide alternative formats (Word, HTML, mp3, braille, other)

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Scanned images of text

are not accessible

SensusAccess Document Conversion

SensusAccess | IT Accessibility

• SensusAccess is an online document conversion system
• Supports the transformation of text and image-based file types into different formats
• Available for free for UMD students, faculty and staff.

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SensusAccess Best Practices

• The quality of a conversion is dependent upon the quality of the original document

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Accessibility conversion

• PDF
• Word
• html
• PPT

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Audio conversion

• .mp3

E-book services

• epub
• ebook formats

Available inside ELMS

Requesting Professional Captioning on ELMS-Canvas

• Professional captioning is done through the Panopto platform
• Webex and Zoom recordings can be uploaded to Panopto as .mp4
• Request Captioning inside ELMS-Canvas

Requesting Professional Captioning on ELMS-Canvas

Professional Captioning Using ELMS-Canvas (cont’d)

Auto Machine Captioning in Panopto: ENABLE

1. Navigate to your Folder in Panopto and click on the Settings gear (far right side of screen).

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1. Click on Settings.
2. Under "Captions" use the drop-down menu to select "Automatic Machine Captions"

This can take some time to apply (may take 8 hours for a 60 minute video).

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Auto Machine Captioning in Panopto: EDIT

1. Hover over the title of your video, and click the "Edit" pencil

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Auto Machine Captioning in Panopto: EDIT

1. In the left menu, click "Captions"

Auto Machine Captioning in Panopto: EDIT

1. Select the CC button to display the captions on the video
2. Edit the captions by typing in the window to the left of the video. (Play the video to listen, and pause to type.)
3. It will auto save, and when you are done you can click "Apply" at the top of the screen.

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Implementing accommodations online

Testing accommodations

1. Extended time and breaks for exams, quizzes and assessments
1. Quiz extensions tool allows faculty to provide extra time to multiple students at once.
2. Quiz moderation tool is used to give individual students extra time or attempts.
1. Students who use adaptive technology to complete exams
2. Use of video and audio clips during exams, quizzes and assignments
3. Using alternatives to human readers and scribes

Note taking and audio recording

Sign Language interpreting and transcribing

Documents in alternative format

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Visit Keep teaching page: https://go.umd.edu/accommodationsonline

Tools

ELMS - Test and Improve Accessibility

Documents

Alternative Format

• UDOIT
• Design Tools Accessibility Checker
• ELMS Accessibility Checker
• Course Accessibility Checklist

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• Accessibility Checkers
• Styles
• Alternative Text for Images
• Adobe PDF checker

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ELMS - Extend time for quizzes

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• Quiz Extensions

• SensusAccess

Extending Availability: Quizzes and Assignments

Watch: Extending Quiz Time in ELMS-Canvas video

Extended time on quizzes: Quiz Moderation

Quiz Moderation (cont’d)

Quiz Moderation (cont’d)

Quiz Moderation (cont’d)

Be aware!

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If you set a time for the quiz availability to end, it must include the extended time!

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Extending Due Dates: Quizzes and Assignments

Extending Due Dates: Quizzes and Assignments

Using the Quiz Extensions Tool in ELMS-Canvas

• Extends time for multiple students at once
• Applies to all existing quizzes and exams
• Re-run if new quizzes or exams are added

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Quiz Extensions (cont’d)

Quiz Extensions (cont’d)

Quiz Extensions (cont’d)

Quiz Extensions (cont’d)

Where do I start?

• Course syllabus
• New content
• Prioritize all your content
• Make a plan and use resources
• Flexibility on course design / Universal Design for Learning
• Multiple ways to present information/content
• Multiple ways to assess and evaluate student learning / student express knowledge
• Prerecorded vs. live lectures
• Discussion live vs. discussion board
• Availability of exams/quizzes
• Timed assignments

IT Accessibility Services and Resources

• Website: itaccessibility.umd.edu | Email: itaccessibility@umd.edu
• ELMS Tools - UDOIT & Quiz Extensions
• Panopto Professional Captioning Service
• Evaluation of eTools before procurement/implementation
• Siteimprove - Web Governance and Accessibility testing
• Request Consultation & Training
• Accessibility and disability related concerns: accessibility@umd.edu

New ADS Accommodation Letter Procedure

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• Students share their accommodation letters electronically through the ADS online portal
• Paper copies of accommodation letters will no longer be used
• Students must still privately meet with instructors during their office hours or schedule an alternate meeting time with them to discuss and coordinate the implementation of their accommodations
• Contact Accessibility and Disability Service Office
• Dr. Jo Ann Hutchinson, director
• adsfrontdesk@umd.edu

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Implementing accommodations and accessibility best practices online

Q&A

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Sue Johnston & Ana Palla

itaccessibility@umd.edu

�DIT | Academic Technology & Innovation