Course Accessibility: Commitments, Supports, Resources

MSU’s public commitments include a commitment to providing accessible, usable, and aesthetically pleasing websites. “The MSU Web Accessibility Policy defines the accessibility requirements for university web pages and web content. The current Technical Guidelines require that pages meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 at Conformance Level AA.”

For all things digital accessibility at Michigan State, webaccess.msu.edu is the place to go! On the Course Accessibility page, educators can find a series of tutorials for “ensuring your content is usable to the greatest extent possible by all users,” including this Basic Accessibility Checklist. If you’re looking for a place to start, this is it. You can also learn how to create accessible Microsoft Word Documents, PowerPoint presentations, and PDFs. The webaccess.msu.edu Course Accessibility page can walk you through key components of audio and video accessibility (namely captioning) and point you to “how to’s” on creating stable links to Library Resources (more accessible than scanned PDFs), setting special access in D2L, creating accessible equations, and more! Check out the Course Accessibility page!

Do you use D2L/Brightspace as the learning management system in your course? (If you need a reason to start using D2L, this is a good one!) Spartan Ally is a D2L/Brightspace integration that automatically scans course content for common accessibility issues and provides feedback to help faculty gauge the overall accessibility of their course, along with step-by-step guidance for fixing issues that may affect student access to content. The Spartan Ally page will lead you through all the things you need to know to optimize your use of this integrated service to promote accessibility and student success by improving course content. “Ally helps make your course experiences more accessible by providing:

• On-demand alternative formats of common file types for all learners.
• Instructor-specific reporting and feedback to help improve content accessibility and usability.
• Institution-wide reporting to help gauge ADA-compliance and to provide metrics for identifying training and support opportunities.

If you can’t find what you need on webaccess.msu.edu, another place for digital accessibility support is the MSU IT team itself. While webaccess.msu.edu is maintained through IT, they can also provide information about getting connected to your local Web Accessibility Policy Liaison within your college or department. They offer consultations on Spartan Ally, can review course materials for accessibility with an instructional designer, and have published a new Digital Accessibility Support Cookbook! If you can’t find what you need at the MSU IT Accessibility page, you can always email them at webaccess@msu.edu.

A final note… Accessibility isn’t only about digital accessibility. Michigan State University is committed to providing equal opportunity for full participation in programs, services, and activities. The MSU Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities (RCPD) has compiled resources that promote and advance accessibility across campus, including items related to mobility aids & equipment, assistive listening devices, all gender and accessible restrooms, MSU transportation and parking, and snow removal. RCPD also maintains an online suggestion box for architectural accessibility suggestions and universal design improvements.