Accessibility project 2024

Anybody can benefit from using assistive technology to aide their studies. Assistive technology spans a broad range of tools which can be anything from a screen reader to braille displays and screen magnifiers. For a document to be accessible it must allow use of these assistive technologies and be able to be adapted for specific needs.

Creating accessible course materials involves following best practices and using appropriate tools to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies. Here are some detailed steps and recommendations:

Provide documents in accessible formats

HTML:

What is considered an accessible document varies depending on the use, but the “gold-standard” for accessible documents is HTML. PDFs can be considered accessible in some ways, if they are created correctly, but this is uncommon and time consuming. Chirun is a tool which converts LaTeX to an accessible HTML format. Placeholder link for canvas page

Everything, everywhere:

It’s not just lecture notes that need to be accessible. Problem sheets, solutions, statistical tables, slides, assignments, communications, etc. all need to be available in an accessible format. There should not be any course material without an accessible equivalent.

Canvas:

Canvas is an accessible platform, anything posted on the Canvas course (i.e., announcements, pages etc) is accessible for users of assistive technology.

Design for Accessibility

Headings and structure:

Use proper headings and a logical document structure. This helps screen reader users navigate the document more easily.

Cognitive load:

Consider how easy it is to find a specific resource and how easy they are to use (i.e., if a problem sheet requires the use of a statistical table include it on the problem sheet so students don’t have to switch between tabs/windows constantly).

Alt text:

Provide descriptive alt text for all images, charts, and graphs to convey the content to visually impaired users.

Tables:

Ensure tables are used for data, not layout, and include proper headers to make them accessible to screen readers.

Links:

Use descriptive link text that makes sense out of context (e.g., “View the syllabus” instead of “Click here”).

Colours:

Ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background to aid readability for visually impaired users.

Every student!

But in particular, the Supportive Practice Tool and the list of disability specific reasonable adjustments provided by Student Health and Wellbeing Service (SHWS) suggest that the following disabilities/conditions may necessitate this adjustment:

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Cancer
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• D/deaf
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Dyspraxia
• Epilepsy
• IBD and IBS
• Migraine
• Mobility difficulties
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)
• Visual Impairment

Note: this is not an all-encompassing nor exhaustive list. Some students with the above disabilities/conditions may not require this adjustment and many other disabilities/conditions not listed may necessitate this adjustment

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Uploading course materials in advance provides substantial benefits for students with disabilities, as well as the broader student population. Neurodivergent students often experience difficulties with executive functioning and working memory, which effects planning, organization, and time management (Christopher & Macdonald, 2005; Lukasik et al., 2019; Habib et al., 2019; Barkley & Poillion, 1994).

With advance access to lecture notes, students can preview the content and organize their thoughts, allowing them to follow along more effectively during lectures. This practice helps alleviate the cognitive load that comes with simultaneously processing new information and taking notes (Bui and Myerson, 2014).

In the context of subjects such as mathematics, physics, and statistics, where lectures can be content-heavy and fast-paced, having access to course materials beforehand allows students to familiarize themselves with complex concepts and terminology. This pre-exposure can significantly enhance their understanding and engagement during the actual lecture.

In particular, autistic students often benefit from having predictable and structured environments. Advance access to course materials helps reduce anxiety and allows them to process information at their own pace, leading to a more inclusive learning experience (Gurbuz et al., 2019).

Students with physical disabilities, who may experience chronic pain or fatigue, may face difficulties attending all classes or staying focused throughout long lectures. These students may rely on pre-uploaded materials to keep up with the coursework on days when their symptoms are more severe.

By uploading materials in advance, you can help to ensure that students are not disadvantaged by their disabilities and that all students can engage with the course content in a flexible manner (Sambrook & Rowley, 2010).

The basics

• Ensure that materials are uploaded to Canvas at least one week in advance, the further in advance the better. This includes all course materials, i.e., lecture notes, slides, practice problems and solutions, etc.
• All course materials being available on Canvas from the start of the semester is the ideal.
• Materials being provided only 24 hours in advance should not be viewed as the standard, but as the bare minimum legal requirement.

Using a course schedule

Develop a course schedule outlining what will be covered, when it will be covered, and when materials will be made available if they are not already.

When creating this schedule, include enough detail so that, at the beginning of the semester, students could feasibly search for and find alternative external resources that are relevent to the course.

Ensure that this schedule is on the module's Canvas page at the point of publication and stick to it as closely as possible. If changes must be made to this schedule, communicate this to students as soon as possible and update the relevant materials in a timely manner.

If it is truly not possible to provide a particular resource in advance, provide students with outlines of key topics/theorems/results etc., so that students are able to find alternative resources in advance of teching sessions, and engourage them to do so. Perhaps also consider collating some external resources to which you could point students to in situations like this.

Every student!

But in particular, the Supportive Practice Tool and the list of disability specific reasonable adjustments provided by Student Health and Wellbeing Service (SHWS) suggest that the following disabilities/conditions may necessitate this adjustment:

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Depression
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)

Note: this is not an all-encompassing nor exhaustive list. Some students with the above disabilities/conditions may not require this adjustment and many other disabilities/conditions not listed may necessitate this adjustment

Your material is all handwritten.

Your lecture delivery is highly interactive.

It's all in slides.

Students with various mental disabilities, such as depression, anxiety, specific learning disabilities (SpLD), ADHD, and autism, often experience difficulties with working memory ( Christopher and Macdonald, 2005; Lukasik et al., 2019; Grant, 2017; Habib et al., 2019). Bui and Myerson (2014) note that in the context of lectures, the task of note-taking directly correlates with part of the definition of working memory: “the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information.” ( Baddeley, 1992). Students need to hold the lecturer's words in their mind, understand and organize the information, paraphrase it effectively, and write it down—all simultaneously.

Additionally, students with physical disabilities may also struggle with working memory due to their condition, often referred to as “brain fog” (McWhirter et al., 2023). For example, individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), long COVID, fibromyalgia, and other conditions causing chronic pain and/or fatigue, often experience working memory difficulties ( Berryman et al., 2013; Callan et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2021).

Providing access to high-quality lecture capture, along with guidance on how to engage with this resource, is an effective way to support all students’ learning, particularly those with working memory challenges ( Sanders, 2022; Bennett, 2018).

It is important to recognise that in order to harness the benefits of lecture capture, careful consideration must be taken in how the lecture will be viewed as a recording.

That is, a ReCap recording of a black screen and audio of the lecture (which may be difficult to hear if the instructor is not using a microphone) will not provide the same benefits outlined above and does not serve the intended purpose of lecture recording.

General guidance

• Check that ReCap is set up and working correctly before every teaching session.
• Ensure that anything that is visable or audible in the lecture is visable and audible in the ReCap recording.
• Ensure you are using a microphone and that it works, even if you don't think it is needed.
• If there are no lavalier/lapel microphones available in the teaching space, be mindful of where the ReCap audio is being recorded from and stay close to it and/or increase the volume of your speech.
• Consider creating a backup plan for when the technology in the teaching space is not useable - there will always be the possiblility that the technology fails. This could include using your own devices to record the lecture live and uploading this to Canvas, or recording a new version of the lecture at a later time.

Every student!

But in particular, the Supportive Practice Tool and the list of disability specific reasonable adjustments provided by Student Health and Wellbeing Service (SHWS) suggest that the following disabilities/conditions may necessitate this adjustment:

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Depression
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)

Note: this is not an all-encompassing nor exhaustive list. Some students with the above disabilities/conditions may not require this adjustment and many other disabilities/conditions not listed may necessitate this adjustment

Your preffered style of instruction is to use the boards

Your lecture delivery is highly interactive.

You do not feel confident with the technical skills required.

Students with various mental disabilities, such as depression, anxiety, specific learning disabilities (SpLD), ADHD, and autism often experience difficulties with remembering verbal instructions and organizing information (Boucher, 2009; Barkley, 2014; Reid, 2016; Christopher & Macdonald, 2005; Lukasik et al., 2019; Grant, 2017; Habib et al., 2019). For example, autistic students may struggle to remember verbal instructions and often prefer information in a visual format because it can be processed and referred to over time, unlike spoken communication, which is instant and quickly forgotten ( Howard & Sedgewick, 2021). Written communication allows students to refer back to information as needed, reducing unnecassary cognitive load and helping them stay organized.

Additionally, students with physical disabilities may also struggle with cognitive functions due to their condition, often referred to as “brain fog” (McWhirter et al., 2023). For example, individuals with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), long COVID, fibromyalgia, and other conditions causing chronic pain and/or fatigue, often experience working memory difficulties ( Berryman et al., 2013; Callan et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2021). Clear written communication provides these students with a reliable reference, reducing the need to rely on impaired memory functions.

When written communication is not provided, students might spend unnecessary time and effort re-watching lectures just to find specific verbal statements/instructions, which can be particularly taxing for those with limited time due to their disabilities (Lambert & Dryer, 2017; Holloway, 2001), or they may miss out on the information all together, putting them at a disadvantage. Students with disabilities often face a higher cognitive load and significant time constraints, indeed many disabled people describe managing their disability as akin to having an additional job, involving numerous administrative tasks and medical appointments (Vickerman & Blundell, 2010). These responsibilities add to their overall cognitive and time burdens. For these students, clear written communication about key course information is not just a convenience but a necessity.

This practice not only supports students with disabilities but also improves the learning experience for all students by providing a reliable reference that can be accessed at any time ( Wilson, 2017; Schelly et al., 2011).

The basics

Module changes

Communicate any changes to the structure or content of the module to students as soon as possible in as many forms as possible . E.g., as a Canvas announcement and as a lecture shout-out and mark any revisions or updates on the relevent document and/or Canvas page.

Instructions

Where specific instructions are given to students, provide a written copy . E.g., instructions on how to import a specific dataset/module in R/Python, or when giving directions around campus.

Written summaries of verbal conversations

After one-on-one meetings or office hours, provide students with a written summary of the key points discussed and any agreed-upon action items or advice. Alternatively, allow (and engourage) the student to make notes or record and be mindful of how fast you may be going, making sure the student can keep up.

Canvas

Detailed syllabus/schedule

Provide a comprehensive syllabus and schedule on Canvas at the beginning of the course that outlines the topics, when they will be covered, and assignment deadlines.

Centralise key information

Ensure all key information is centralized in one easily accessible location (i.e., the Modules page of your Canvas course). Use clear headings and subheadings to organize content logically by date, chapter or topic.

Mark duplicated resources, updates and revisions

If a particular resource is published on the Canvas course multiple times (E.g., lecture notes in different formats, updated or redacted versions of documents) it should be clear to students where content is duplicated, and where revisions or updates are made (including correction of typos) this should be noted so that students can accuratley update their own notes.

Going the extra mile

The following suggestions are given to inspire you to consider different ways you can communicate and present information to make your course even more inclusive. Of course, they also provide more effective and engaging education across the board!

Weekly outlines

Create weekly outlines that summarize the key concepts, objectives, and tasks for each week. This helps students keep track of what they need to focus on and prepare for, helping them manage their time effectively.

Summarise key definitions, theorems, etc

List and summarise key definitions, theorems, proofs, etc in a written format to help students organise their revision. Tell students what must be memorised and what will be provided in the exam.

FAQs

Maintain a frequently updated FAQ section on the course platform addressing common questions from students and signposting additional external resources or readings.

Student feedback

Regularly solicit feedback from students (in addition to the current feedback mechanisms) about the clarity and accessibility of the written materials, the Canvas course, and communication methods. Use this feedback to make continuous improvements.

Every student!

But in particular, the Supportive Practice Tool and the list of disability specific reasonable adjustments provided by Student Health and Wellbeing Service (SHWS) suggest that the following disabilities/conditions may necessitate this adjustment:

• ADHD
• Anxiety
• Autism
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
• D/deaf
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Dyspraxia
• IBD and IBS
• Migraine
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD)
• Visual Impairment

Note: this is not an all-encompassing nor exhaustive list. Some students with the above disabilities/conditions may not require this adjustment and many other disabilities/conditions not listed may necessitate this adjustment

Your material is all handwritten.

Your lecture delivery is highly interactive.

It's all in slides.