This guide serves as a resources to help you create accessible digital materials or assets. It provides a guide on Universal Design as well as guidelines and tools for developing the most common types of digital assets, which include: Websites, Documents, Images, Video/Audio Files, Spreadsheets, Presentations, PDFs, and Blackboard.
The Law
According to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, any electronic information or technology that we develop, purchase, maintain or use must provide equitable access and use for individuals with disabilities. The access and use must be comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities. To learn more visit the U. S. General Services Administration 508 website.
"Accessible" means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability. Although this might not result in identical ease of use compared to that of persons without disabilities, it still must ensure equal opportunity to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of such technology. (Office of Civil Rights in the Resolution agreement with South Carolina Technical College System, 2/18/13)
Universal Design is the design and creation of environments both physical and digital that can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, physical stature, preferences, disability or ability. It should be a fundamental goal to design environments that meet the needs of all people. Incorporating the needs of all people results in spaces, products and service that are useful, beneficial and enjoyable for all.
To learn more review the Universal Design tab at the top of this page.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Many higher education institutions at large have adopted the criteria for accessibility of online content outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set the bar for creators and developers of web content, which covers eLearning web-based platforms such as Moodle. To read more about WCAG visit the W3C website.
When you require materials provided by a third party (e.g. a publisher textbook supplement site) ensure the materials you choose are accessible. If materials are not accessible, you must provide an accessible, equitable alternative.
Much of the information and resources presented on this LibGuide was gathered utilizing the Butler University Libraries guide How to Make Digital Assets Accessible. You can find more detailed information on this topic at https://libguides.butler.edu/accessibility/home.
