An Empowering Thank You
Free Accessibility Resources for Teachers
• A free accessibility course
• Free accessibility resources
• A free accessible home page template
This Teacher Appreciation Week, we want to take a moment to say a heartfelt thank you to all our incredible educators who dedicate each day to shaping the future. We see your tireless efforts, your unwavering commitment, and the immense care you pour into your classrooms every single day. We know that at the heart of everything you do is a powerful desire to make learning work for all your students.
You strive to create inclusive environments where every learner can thrive, and we deeply admire that commitment. That's why, this year, we want to give back by empowering you with tools and resources to make accessible learning even easier.
Ready to dive deeper into creating truly accessible learning experiences? We're providing free access to our foundational course on accessibility to all institutions that use Canvas! This course, titled Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content in Canvas, will equip you with practical strategies and insights to design lessons and materials in Canvas that cater to diverse learning needs.
Follow these steps to access the course:
- Select Help from the Global Navigation menu in Canvas.
- Locate and select the Training Services Portal link (contact your Canvas administrator if you do not have the Training Services Portal link).
- If necessary, select Authorize to access the portal.
- Select Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content in Canvas course tile located in the top row offerings, titled On-Demand Training News, and automatically enroll.
Note: If you cannot find the course in the On-Demand Training News section, simply search “Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content in Canvas” in the search bar.
To get you started right away, we've curated a few key resources packed with actionable accessibility tips and information:
- Principles of Accessibility | The POUR Principles: This document breaks down the POUR principles of digital accessibility. These principles ensure digital content is usable by everyone, and help you create accessible digital experiences by considering different sensory abilities, input methods, comprehension levels, and tech compatibility.
- 5 Common Accessibility Mistakes to Avoid: This resource covers five frequent accessibility errors and provides solutions to create inclusive content. It emphasizes using correct formatting tools, providing alt text for images, and ensuring accurate closed captions for videos.
- Alt Text Flow Chart: This flow chart guides you through questions about an image's purpose to create concise, descriptive alt text. Use this document to determine if an image needs alt text and how to write it effectively.
We're also excited to unveil a brand-new, free home page designed with accessibility at its core. We understand the importance of having a central hub that is not only visually appealing, but also usable by everyone. Let's take a quick tour of some of the accessibility features we've built in this home page:
- Clear and Consistent Headings: We've implemented a logical heading structure (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to help screen reader users easily navigate the content and understand the hierarchy of information.
- Descriptive Alternative Text for Images: Every image on the home page includes thoughtful alternative text (alt tags). This ensures that individuals using screen readers can understand the purpose and context of each visual element.
- Optimal Color Contrast: We've carefully selected color palettes that meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) contrast ratio standards. This makes the text easy to read for users with low vision or color blindness.
- Keyboard Navigation: The entire home page can be navigated using only a keyboard, ensuring accessibility for individuals who cannot use a mouse.
- Select Accessible Home Page to access and download the template from Commons. How do I use Commons?
- To actually use the images as buttons, be sure to link the images to the appropriate pages or course navigation.
- Set the desired page as your home page. How do I change the Course Home Page? How do I set a Front Page in a course?
- Save your changes.
- Enjoy your new home page!
Once again, thank you for your continued dedication to education. We hope these resources empower you to create accessible learning environments for all of your students. Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!
With our sincerest thanks,
The Learning Services Team
Please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!
Our Instructional Design team offers templates, consultation, badging services, course evaluations, workshops, and more. If you would like to learn more about our services, please contact your CSM for more information.
