Our school has made substantial efforts to maintain an accessible website which meets WCAG standards and AODA requirements. However, I am not aware of the existence of an accessibility checklist for teaching. During the COVID-19 pandemic, I used primarily Zoom for teaching. I developed the following accessibility checklist and tried it against a recorded Zoom session I delivered last year. There were a few things I could have done for the students to facilitate their learning, for example, I didn’t always keep in mind how people learn when creating teaching materials.

  • Turn on the Closed Captions or Automatic Captions features so the learners can see subtitles during instruction.
  • Turn on the “Mute Participants Upon Entry” option to minimize disruptions at the start of a class.
  • Always describe visual content that is showing on the screen; also explain what you are writing on the Whiteboard.
  • Tell participants how they can ask questions, i.e. via chat function, use hand-raising symbol and un-mute function. Repeat questions they written in the chat.
  • Email resource links posted in Chat after the class.
  • Consider recording your Zoom sessions so students may review them.
  • Choose materials that address learners’ needs, interests, and learning preferences.
  • Make content relevant.  Explain concepts with lots of examples.
  • Ensure to turn captions on for videos you posted for the class. Ensure transcripts are available.
  • Create material in an accessible format i.e. Microsoft Word, PowerPoint; provide both the source files and PDF files.
  • Create materials that are consistent with how people learn. When presenting information in words and pictures, avoid overloading learners with too much information.
  • Use arrows, outline, and headings to help learners organize and process information.
  • Eliminate irrelevant words and images; present complex information in chunks.
  • Provide opportunities for learners to engage in materials in different ways i.e. reading, small group discussions, internet simulations, and breakout rooms.

 

References

Microassist. Accessibility checklist: 10 critical areas to evaluate for website accessibility. Digital Accessibility Digest.
https://www.microassist.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Microassist-Accessibility-Checklist-ACC.pdf

Standard University. Accessibility considerations for online teaching.

https://teachanywhere.stanford.edu/accessibility-considerations-online-teaching#suggest

University of Washington, DO-IT. Equal Access: Universal design of instruction

Equal Access: Universal Design of Instruction | DO-IT (washington.edu)

Yale University. Zoom accessibility best practices for Zoom meetings

https://usability.yale.edu/web-accessibility/articles/zoom