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Putting Policy Into Practice: A Web Accessibility Policy Tip Sheet

Written by

Jeremy Van Hof

/ Published on

AUTHORS:

This post was written by Dr. Melissa McDaniels (of the MSU Graduate School), Dr. Patricia Stewart (of the MSU Academic Advancement Network), and Madeline Shellgren (of the MSU Graduate School).

 

 

The policy, administered by the Office of Institutional Equity (OIE), which states that all new and redesigned University Web pages published after May 15, 2009 must be in compliance with the technical guidelines set forth at webaccess.msu.edu, unless granted an exception under Article IV of this policy.

Policy Link (s):

https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/web-accessibility-policy.html

https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/technical-guidelines.html

MSU Office(s):

MSU Instructional Technology (www.webaccess.msu.edu)


Web Accessibility Policy Liaisons (https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Help_and_Resources/liaisons.html)

 

TIPS FOR FACULTY, ACADEMIC STAFF AND GRADUATE TAs

LEAD – respond, model and engage in ongoing learning  

  • Model inclusive practices by including statements about and a commitment to accessibility in your course.
    • Have a section in your syllabus (or related document) dedicated to accessibility
  • Model lifelong learning by being transparent and open about your own level of awareness around the MSU Web Accessibility Policy and your technical abilities to make content accessible. Be willing to request support and engage in trainings.
  • Model by being a partner in the MSU community’s efforts towards accessible learning

 

 

EMPOWER – Help students make their own choices and develop confidence and competence by creating conditions for inclusive teaching and learning

 

  • Provide students space to decide which resources best meet their needs.

 

  • Commit to making your content accessible so that all students can engage with the course materials regardless of ability.

ADVOCATE – Refer students to campus and community resources and follow through and check-in with students.

  • Connect students to resources including: confidential and private resources, additional campus resources; technologies; other resources; community resources; national resources.
  • Become aware of and advocate for why accessibility matters by attending trainings, engaging in conversations about accessibility, or incorporating regular and ongoing feedback into your coursework and then sharing about your work and the work of others

DESIGN – Use a proactive approach to make decisions about your curriculum, how you engage students, and how you assess learning and get student feedback.

  • Design courses with “Universal Design for Learning” (UDL) in mind, which “refers to the design of products in such a way that they are useable by all regardless of ability. Universal Design supports the use of emerging technologies, use in different environments, use by people with different learning styles or literacy levels, and multi-lingual usage.” (https://www.webaccess.msu.edu/Policy_and_Guidelines/web-accessibility-policy.html)  
  • Include language on the syllabus that not only shares information on the policy, but also communicates expectations and community norms, and do so in a way that explicitly mentions policy around accessibility.
  • Set up spaces for disclosure that are private and welcoming. Communicating that these spaces exist to students beforehand. Following up with an email to students to setup a meeting and discuss any accommodations and accessibility.
  • Prepare for regular and ongoing feedback in order to assess how accommodations are working.
  • Regularly check the accessibility of the documents and web content that you create by using accessibility checkers:
  • Questions to ask yourself:
    • How am I going to engage my students from Day 1 in class? How upfront am I going to be about my approach to LEADING, EMPOWERING, and ADVOCATING with respect to accommodations and accessibility?

RESOURCES

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