Digital Accessibility Training Plan – Faculty
Goals
· Faculty will have access to “just in time” training and resources for ensuring digital accessibility in course websites.
· Faculty will have access to in-person and online synchronous training.
· Faculty will have access to training and/or resources that that will allow them to create accessible content in:
o Canvas
o Adobe PDFs
o Microsoft 365 files (Word/PowerPoint)
o Panopto
o Email
Objectives
Faculty will be able to:
· Identify key laws and regulations requiring digital accessibility
· Explain the institutional responsibility for ensuring digital accessibility
· Use headers in pages, documents, presentations and PDFs in Canvas courses.
· Provide descriptive alt-tags for all images in Canvas courses;
· Use meaningful links all pages, documents, presentations and PDFs in courses;
· Ensure appropriate color contrast in all pages, documents, presentations and PDFs in Canvas courses;
· Ensure all videos uploaded or embedded in Canvas have transcripts;
· Use tables with header rows in pages, documents, presentations and PDFs in Canvas courses.
· Ensure that PDFs are OCRed, use appropriate tagging and reading order.
· Use Ally to check and remediate digital content in Canvas courses.
Training Delivery Methods
· In person
· Online synchronous (Zoom and Teams)
· On Demand (Self-paced modules)
· Resources
Training
In Person
Improving your Course Accessibility Score (3 hours)
This course is offered through eLearning to faculty at select times a year. In this hands-on workshop, faculty learn about various ways to improve your Ally Canvas Course accessibility score. Topics include how to update pdfs and headers to documents and more. Faculty will walk away from the workshop with a course with an improved Ally Accessibility Score.
Accessibility Fundamentals (4 hours)
This course is offered through TTMD to faculty and staff at select times a year. This hand on workshop provides faculty and staff with a comprehensive introduction to digital accessibility. Faculty and staff will walk away from the workshop equipped to ensure all digital content and resources created are accessible to all users.
Panopto Kickstart
This course is offered through TTMD. This hands-on workshop familiarizes faculty and staff with the purpose, interface, and basic functionality of Panopto. Topics include video creation, editing and creating/edition captions.
PowerPoint for All: Designing with Accessibility in Mind (1 hour)
This in-person course is offered by eLearning and TTMD. Faculty and staff will learn how to evaluate and apply institutional accessibility guidelines, use built-in PowerPoint tools like the Accessibility Checker and Alt Text, and design learning materials that support diverse learners.
Online synchronous (Zoom and Teams)
Ensuring Accessibility with Ally (1 hour)
This course is offered through eLearning to faculty at select times a year. In this online synchronous workshop taught using Zoom, faculty will learn about accessibility and how Ally works in the Canvas Learning Management System. At the end of the workshop, faculty will know how to view their course accessibility score and strategies for improving it.
Accessibility Fundamentals (2 hours)
This course is offered through TTMD to faculty and staff at select times a year. In this online synchronous workshops taught using Teams, faculty and staff will learn how to create digital content that's accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities. Specific topics include digital accessibility principles, creating accessible user experience and creating accessible Word documents and PDFs.
On Demand (Self-paced modules)
QM’s Accessibility & Usability Resource Site (AURS)
This site is free through our QM membership. This course provides faculty information on how to address key accessibility and usability concerns. Topics include ensuring accessibility in Word documents, PDFs and YouTube videos. Faculty and academic leadership need to create an account with Quality Matters using their PGCC address. They then need to access the directions for accessing AURS (Accessibility User Resource Site).
Canvas Premium Training Fundamentals of Accessible Digital Content
This self-paced training course is available to faculty through the Canvas training portal. Faculty will learn what digital accessibility means and how it applies to the content in their courses. Topics include POUR principles, how to check for accessibility in Canvas and apply best practices for images, files, and course materials.
TerminalFour (T4) – This is a self-paced training course on creating accessible content using TerminalFour CMS (Content Management System). This is only for select staff designated to submit content for the College’s website. For new staff requiring access to update contents on the website, training is available through the Communications Web Team and UVS. Please submit Website and Portal Access via askPGCC.
Resources
PGCC Digital Accessibility
This hub equips faculty and staff with the knowledge, tools, and support you need to make the digital content you create and share accessible to all members of our community. Whether you’re designing a course, developing web content, creating documents, or planning events, these resources will help you integrate digital accessibility from the start—not as an afterthought. Ally for LMS Help for Instructors
This website provides step-by-step directions and resources for using Ally to improve accessibility in Canvas.
PGCC Digital Accessibility Concept Videos
A series short overview videos addressing the most common challenges in ensuring digital accessibility. Videos include:
· Adding Alt tags to Images
· Adding Headers to Documents
· Adding Headers to Tables
· Making PDFs accessible
· Creating appropriate hyperlink titles
Microsoft 365 Videos
The following short video trainings provide step by step directions for remediating content in Microsoft 365 applications including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint. · Create accessible email messages in Outlook · Create accessibile Word documents · Create accessible Excel workbooks · Create accessible PowerPoint presentations
Panopto Video Tutorials
The following short video tutorials covering step by step directions for creating and using smart captioning in Panopto: · Viewing Video Captions · How Manually Add and Edit Captions USM Remediation Sprints
The Kirwan Center at the University of Maryland developed a series of sprint workshops covering one digital accessibility concept a month that are available to all public institutions in the state of Maryland. Upcoming spring workshops are listed on the page as well as recordings for the prior sprints in the fall. Topics include:
· PDF Practices that Promote Digital Accessibility
· Images & Alt Text
· Color & Contrast
· Links & Navigation
· Headings
· Tables and Data
· Multimedia Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments
This site provides information on DOJs (Department of Justice) final rulemaking updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It covers the specific requirements for compliance for all higher education institutions. It includes information on how to ensure that all web content and mobile applications are accessible to all people. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1) are internationally recognized standards from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for making web content accessible to people with various disabilities, including low vision, blindness, hearing loss, and cognitive impairments. WCAG 2.1 AA is the minimum standard for higher education institutions for compliance.