Below is a list of steps you should take before the semester starts to ensure you're prepared to meet the access needs of your students with vision disabilities:
- Learn about accessible teaching practices. In particular, it is helpful to practice providing spoken descriptions of visual content that you use in your teaching. If you are teaching remotely, please also review the Zoom Accessibility Best Practices.
- Publish content early. This allows students more time to review content to determine whether they will need to send it to the Alternate Format Production & Access Center (AFPAC) in Disability Services for remediation.
- Let students know which software and services you will be requiring them to use for your course well in advance of any deadlines. A good time to do this is on the first day of class and in your syllabus. This will give students more time to familiarize themselves with the software or websites using their assistive technology and communicate with you about any issues they encounter. It’s best to be as specific as possible about what students will be expected to do in each application so they can explore the functions of the product they will need to use.
- If your course uses an e-text or any digital content from a publishing company, contact the publisher about best practices and known accessibility issues for your particular products. Please consult our E-Text Accessibility Guidelines for details on how to do this and specific questions to ask.
- Get additional support. Email DigitalAccessibility@colorado.edu if you have any questions about the accessibility of specific tools you are using or if you need support in ensuring your course is accessible for your students.