It is essential for courses to be designed with accessibility in mind. You use a variety of document formats to present classroom materials. Make your materials more accessible for your students by following simple guidelines.
- The Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) provides information on making your course accessible.
- The SDRC provides additional information on document accessibility.
- Visit the university Brand Toolbox for instructions about addressing the most common digital accessibility issues.
- You are encouraged to discuss accommodations with students at the beginning of each semester. The SDRC provides example syllabus statements.
- If you need assistance with creating accessible online materials for your course, consult with an Instructional Designer at the CTE or an Accessibility Specialist at the SDRC.
Blackboard Ally (Alternative Formats) is a built-in tool in Blackboard that gauges the accessibility of course content. Ally provides guidance and tips for improving content accessibility. The tool also provides alternative formats (audio, Braille, ePub, HTML, etc.) of your course materials.
· Learn more about Blackboard Ally and how it works.
Sign language interpreters, closed captioning and transcripts are additional tools that students with disabilities may rely on to receive information clearly.
- View video captioning resources for more information on sign language and captioning.
- The Office of Distributed Learning provides both transcription and closed captioning services to help faculty meet course accessibility needs. Contact the Office of Distributed Learning if you need assistance with making videos accessible.
Please review the SDRC Test Proctoring FAQs page for more information regarding the current test proctoring accommodation procedures. For students to be eligible to receive testing accommodations, they must be registered with SDRC first.
The Test Availability Exceptions option in Blackboard allows instructors to provide individual accommodations by making changes to test settings such as time allowed, dates available, and number of attempts for an individual student.