Day 1: Why?

So, why do we care? Why should our courses and our syllabi be accessible? 

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Accessibility is usability for everyone. It is work done ahead of time to make content and platforms available to the widest audience possible. 

Designing accessible course content is real work, but it is work that can become part of your routine workflow, and this is what we want to help you achieve with this challenge: learn new skills to improve the accessibility of your courses overall, one day at a time, starting with your syllabus. 

Illustrated picture of 11 people of all ages, races and abilities standing outside on what appears to be a school or college campus.

Why should courses be accessible?

It is the law

Instructors have always been required to provide reasonable accommodations to any student who has a documented disability and requests a course accommodation. Title II of the Americans for Disabilities Act (ADA) now requires that digital accessibility be in place for all content at all times. As of April 2024, all public colleges and universities are now explicitly required to ensure that digital course content—including syllabi, readings, and assignments—meets federal accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA).

That means making documents that work for screen readers, are easy to navigate, and don’t create barriers for students with disabilities. The good news? Accessible materials support many students, including multilingual learners, mobile users, and students with anxiety or ADHD.

It is easier to create accessible courses than to remediate inaccessible ones

Some of you may be remediating your course content in response to Title II, but as you become comfortable making your digital course content accessible, making your courses more accessible becomes second nature and requires minimal extra work since the bulk of the work is spread over time. Work smarter, not harder. 

It is more inclusive

When you consider accessibility and thus inclusivity at the course design stage, you remove some of the most common barriers to access to course material which makes your course more welcoming to our diverse body of UMaine and UMM students. 

Note that you may still need to provide specific accommodations, on a case by case basis, in addition to providing accessible course material, depending on the individual needs of students.

Course Accessibility at UMaine

10% of the student population at UMaine documented having one or more disabilities in the academic year 2022-2023. In 2024, close to 20% of undergraduate students in the United States reported having one or more disabilities.

The top four reasons why students receive an accommodation at our institution are:

  • attention deficit disorders (ADHD)
  • mental health diagnoses
  • learning disabilities
  • chronic health issues

The fastest growing reasons for accommodations are psychiatric or mental health disabilities and medical or health related disabilities, including chronic conditions with unpredictable flare-ups. 

Notes about students with disabilities and requests for accommodations

  • Students can have several reasons for accommodation (one or more disabilities) and some of the reasons may not be perceivable (physical disabilities versus neurodivergence, color vision deficiency or chronic illness, just to name a few examples).
  • It is up to the student to disclose their need for accommodations. Research as well as experience show that students with disabilities may choose not to disclose their need for accommodation to their instructor by fear of being treated differently, and may disclose later on in a given semester if and when they meet barriers in the course they can’t overcome on their own.
  • Students who have a documented need for accommodation were able to provide the paperwork that allows them to qualify for a reasonable accommodation. There are many students on our campus who met with Student Accessibility Services but were not able to provide paperwork to qualify for a reasonable accommodation. Students can be non-documented for a variety of reasons, ranging from financial barriers to time and administrative constraints as getting a disability legally recognized can be a lengthy and difficult process.

Before tomorrow

  • Select the syllabus you would like to work on for this challenge, if you had not done so already
  • Schedule or set aside at least 15 minutes for everyday of this week to engage with the content of this challenge, and more time to apply what your learned and make changes in your syllabus
  • If you’re feeling overwhelmed and you don’t want to do this on your own, you can request a meeting with one of our instructional designers.
  • Today, we invite you to meet Jessie, a first generation student from Aroostook county who just started at UMaine in the fall. Jessie is feeling a bit homesick and has emerging anxiety. As you read about Jessie, think about what might help them succeed or what might unintentionally create stress or confusion in your syllabus.
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