Extend the Core Skills

Summary

Once you have learned the core skills, keep learning and practicing even more skills!

The University of Minnesota is committed to the idea that accessibility is everyone's everyday work. 

All you have to do is start small. For example:

Then use the Filter and Sort Options below and review what you learned, or learn even more skills!

Accessibility Skills Pages and Events

Displaying 21 - 30 of 98

Classroom Activities

To create accessible and inclusive classrooms, start by eliminating barriers to information when you develop or modify course activities. Barriers to information are the primary causes of inaccessible classroom situations. Acknowledging students’ gifts rather than what may be perceived as limitations helps create inclusive spaces.

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Color Contrast Deep Dive Event on

Join the Accessibility Ambassadors for a presentation by Jen Sanders of the Office of Information Technology. Jen will take us deep into the finer points of color contrast and accessibility.

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Contact Us

Digital Accessibility is necessarily a collaborative effort. UMN partners include the Disability Resource Center, the Office of Information Technology, the Office of Equity and Diversity, University Libraries, colleges, departments, and you.

Contrast

Ensure a strong color contrast between foreground and background on every document, slide, and web page. Always use color plus another visual indicator (for example, color plus boldface type or color plus size) to communicate important information.

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Course Materials

When developing course materials, incorporate the core skills of accessibility in your course design. Consider common barriers students experience. As you modify or update course materials, identify and correct any materials that are improperly formatted, inconsistent, or disorganized.

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Course Syllabi

Include a personalized accessibility affirmation on your syllabus. The syllabus itself should be formatted for accessibility in the same manner as any other digital document. See our example accessible syllabus.

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Creating Accessible Content Event on

Join the Accessibility Ambassadors for a presentation and discussion about writing accessible and inclusive content by Jen Neveau from University Libraries.

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Creating Accessible Tables on the Web Event on

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Creating an Accessibility Testing Plan Event on

Once we know the basics of accessibility, it can be a daunting task to actually ensure that our work is accessible.

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Cultivate Inclusion Event on

The Cultivate Inclusion Kick-off event was held online Aug. 5.

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Authors, Designers, and Editors

When you think about accessibility laws and related University policies, you might think they apply only to course and website content.

But at the University of Minnesota, we create thousands of digital content products each day. These can be in a variety of formats, and should all be as accessible to the widest range of audiences as possible

Instructors

The more you make your course accessible, the fewer accommodation requests you may receive.

In addition, more students will be able to better learn from and navigate your course materials and classroom experiences, even if they have different learning styles and abilities.

Leaders and Managers

Leaders can communicate a clear and achievable vision for digital accessibility within the organization.

Managers can drive action by communicating a vision, establishing clear goals and expectations, and providing resources and training.

Check out Promote Digital Accessibility for ideas.

Presenters

You can make your presentations and events you host more inclusive.

For example:

  • Verbally describe your slides while presenting.
  • Include alternative text for images.
  • Provide captions, audio descriptions, and transcripts.

Students

When you produce digital assignments, apply the core skills and your instructors and the students you collaborate with will be better able to understand them, even if they use assistive technologies.

Technology Purchasers

Before a big purchase, the wise shopper gathers requirements, performs research, and reviews potential solutions.

At the University, your digital technology pre-purchase checklist must include an evaluation of the extent to which a product is accessible and how a vendor meets accessibility standards.

Web Developers

From a developer's perspective, the goal is to code a website or web application that, at minimum, meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA standards and follows the POUR guiding principles of accessible technology.