Accessibility and Inclusion in Instructional Design

Andrea.T.735

July is Disability Pride Month, a month that is all about celebrating and amplifying the contributions of people with disabilities and promoting accessibility and inclusion. In honor of Disability Pride Month, here are five things you can do to design courses that are more accessible and inclusive for everyone.

1. Use alt text: Alternative text, or alt text, is a text substitute for an image that describes the image’s content, appearance, or function. It will be read by screen readers or display if an image fails to load, which helps everyone get the most out of your content.
2. Be mindful of color contrast: Color contrast is the difference in light between the foreground or font and the background. Making sure the difference is stark enough ensures that everyone, including those with low vision, low contrast vision, or color vision deficiency, can read the content.
3. Include transcripts, closed captioning, and audio descriptions for audio and video content: Not everyone interacts with audio-visual content the same way. Providing transcripts of audio content and both closed captioning and audio descriptions for video ensures everyone can engage with your content.
4. Include diversity: Learners will be more engaged with the content if they can see themselves in it. When choosing images, including decorative images, it is important to mindful of their diversity. Case studies, word problems, and examples are also great opportunities to ensure everyone is represented in the content.
5. Provide options and variety in assessments: Different learners approach learning differently and may struggle or excel in different areas. Providing options for learners on assessments where possible, such as the option to write a paper or do a presentation, can help everyone achieve success. Varying the types of assessments also gives everyone opportunity to shine.

If you want to learn more about creating accessible and inclusive content, check out 3 Keys to More Accessible Written Communications in the Learning Center.

What practices help you to ensure your content is accessible and inclusive?