Accessibility Corner

Accessibility goes hand in hand with UDL and is essential to any classroom environment. The Accessibility Corner is here to support your course and project development.

Accessibility


Accessibility means creating services and fostering environments that can be used without encountering barriers, especially for people who live with disabilities. Accessibility is crucial to creating an open and inclusive educational environment where people’s learning needs are accommodated. The Accessible British Columbia Act requires a wide variety of public-sector organizations, including universities, to comply with accessibility requirements, meaning that building a more accessible learning environment is not only a helpful thing to do – it’s the law. To increase accessibility in and out of the classroom, universal design practices that help develop content can be understood and interpreted in multiple mediums and access-points.  

Accessibility at UBC


Universal Design practices help all students, as supports designed to help those with disabilities usually also makes learning easier for others as well. For instance, closed captioning may help someone with auditory impairments, but it also ends up helping someone who is learning English as a new language. The UBC Centre for Workplace Accessibility provides resources, tools, and programs that remove barriers for UBC faculty and staff. Students who are registered with the UBC Centre for Accessibility receive additional support to ensure their documented accommodations are met. Some of these accommodations require extra resources, like ASL interpretation, note-taking support, specialized content formatting, access assistants for lab work, or private space/proctoring for accommodated exams. “Accessible design” doesn’t necessarily mean that you, as an instructor, can cover all the bases – and you’re definitely not expected to do so! But accessible design does help ensure that your students will be able to fully engage with your materials and your teaching. Visit our Accessibility Resources page to learn more! 

Here are some guides to help you start thinking about accessibility in the context of your teaching and material development.

Learn how to create an accessible syllabus, schedules, rubrics, and other documents when planning your course

Find tips and guides on how to create accessible documents and layouts to suit the needs of all your users

Learn how to use alt text and descriptions for images and complex data visualizations to meet accessibility standards

Learn how to create accessible media content by providing captions and transcripts and how to use collaborative tools

Help support students who may be in need of accommodations as they take on new learning experiences

Incorporate accessible design when planning your lab to ensure students can participate safely and comfortably

Have more questions?

If you have more questions or would like to connect to learn more about resources you’d like to use in your specific project, we’re here to help!