Making Decisions about Accessibility: Considering Effort and Impact

In an effort to improve the accessibility of online courses, the University of Pittsburgh's Pitt Online team consulted with the disability resources and services specialists regarding frequently requested accommodations from students for online course materials. Two key barriers were identified: (1) inaccessible PDFs for blind or vision-impaired students, and (2) videos without transcripts or closed captions for hearing-impaired students. The Pitt Online team conducted a two-phase project to enhance accessibility. Phase One was a review of courses to determine barriers and identify best practices in online course development. Phase Two was a team decision matrix session rating the effort/impact of accessibility practices.

OUTCOMES: Identify barriers to students with disabilities in online courses * List best practices for developing accessible online materials * Create a decision matrix based on effort and impact of accessibility practices