The document summarizes the key points from a presentation about making online course content accessible according to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. It focuses on a nine-point rubric for accessibility that includes criteria like using organized layouts and headings, descriptive hyperlinks and filenames, alternative text for images and tables, and closed captioning or transcripts for audio and video. The presentation emphasizes the legal responsibility to create accessible content and reviews best practices for text formatting, color combinations, and keeping files simple to aid accessibility.

1. Accessibility for
Online Course
Content
• Jonathan Boyle
• Assistant Professor: Business & Accounting
• Carroll Community College
• E-mail: jboyle4@carrollcc.edu
• AFACCT 2021
• Session 9.2
• Friday, January 8, 2021 2:00 PM to 2:50 PM

2. Executive Summary
The presentation focused on the significance of course design that is compliant with Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990).
Moreover, the presentation focused on a nine-point rubric based on Burgstahler’s checklist
for online accessibility. The checklist included the following criteria:
1. Organization: Maintain an organized, consistent, and easy to navigate layout.
2. Formatting: Use headings and lists built into your learning management system (LMS), Microsoft
Word, or Microsoft PowerPoint. Make sure to use headers in tables.
3. Hyperlinks: Use descriptive wording when adding hyperlinks to text.
4. PDF Files: Post as much content as possible in LMS system, use PDF files sparingly.
5. Image files and Tables: Include alt-text descriptions for all image files and tables.
6. Text: Use sans serif fonts at least 12-points in size. Use bold and italics instead or underlining text
for emphasis.
7. Text/background combinations: Use dark-colored text with light-colored backgrounds. Do not use
text color to communicate important information.
8. Audio/Video Files:
o Video: Close-caption videos. Make sure captions are synchronized. Include transcript if closed captioning is not
available. Limit the use of flashing, flickering, or blinking to three-seconds in length. Limit video to no more than ten
minutes. Use mp4 format.
o Audio: Include transcripts. Limit audio file to no more than ten minutes. Use mp3 format.
9. Keep the content simple and use descriptive names for files.

3. Problem
• According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), 19.1%
of undergraduate students reported having a disability during the
2015-2016 academic year (U.S. Department of Education, National
Center for Education Statistics, 2019).
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) infer that all individuals should have equal
access to all classes, including those that are offered online.
(Burgstahler, 2017; Rabidoux & Rottmann, 2017).
• Creating ADA-compliant online courses is a challenge (Rabidoux &
Rottmann, 2017). Regardless, it is our duty to create accessible online
courses that enhance the user experience (Rogers, 2018).

4. Significance
• According Huss & Eastep (2016), many higher education
institutions have not prioritized accessibility issues
regarding online learning.
• Who is responsible?
• There is little case law regarding the issue, but the legal
liability exists (Huss & Eastep, 2016).
• How many students with disabilities do not report their
disability or are undiagnosed?

5. Purpose
• You will learn strategies for ADA-compliant course design
that you can use in your Learning Management System
(LMS) and ancillary materials.

6. Checklist for
Accessibility
• Burgstahler (2021) developed a 20-
point checklist for an accessible online
course:
• Nine points pertain to design.
• Eleven points pertain to online
pedagogy.
• This presentation will focus on the nine
points for design.

7. 1. Layout/
Organization
• Layout and organization needs to be clear
and consistent and easy to navigate.
• No more than three clicks to access
information.

8. 2. Text-
Based
Formatting
• Use built-in designs for LMS,
Microsoft Word, Microsoft
PowerPoint, etc.
• Use structure headings
• Don’t just bold or
italicize headers and
titles.
• Use lists (numbered or
bullet points).
• Don’t use hyphens or
other characters for lists.
• If you use tables, use them
for presenting data only.
• Make sure to use
headers.

9. 3.
Hyperlinks
• Use descriptive wording for hyperlinks.
• Readability
• An example of descriptive wording for
a hyperlink.
o Use “For Tesla information, visit
https://www.tesla.com” instead of “Tesla information
can be found here: https://www.tesla.com”
o Use “Tesla Information “ instead of “Click
here for Tesla information”.
• Show the URL if the URL is a short.
Otherwise, add a link in the text.

10. 4. PDF’s
• Avoid creating them, if possible.
• Post as much of your content as
possible in the LMS content pages.
• If you need to create or use PDF’s
• Make sure they have ensured screen
readability
• Make sure they can be highlighted,
enlarged/magnified, copied, and
pasted.
• Offer Word document alternatives, if
possible.
• Use PDF’s only as secondary source
of information.

11. 5. Alt
Descriptions
• Provide a one to two sentence alt-text
description for image files and tables.
• If the image or table is decorative, mark it
as decorative.

12. 6. Text
• Don’t underline text.
• Use bold or italics.
• Less is more.
• Use sans serif fonts (e.g., Arial, Helvetica,
Verdana).
• Avoid serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman,
Palatino). Avoid decorative fonts (e.g., French
Script, Desdemona).
• Minimize font variation.
• Spacing
• Avoid clutter
• Use large fonts (e.g., 12-point in documents
minimum).
• Make sure website/document is searchable.

13. 7. Text/
Background
Combinations
• Use dark-colored text with light-colored
backgrounds.
• If you want to use color, use high contrast
design (e.g., dark colored font on light,
plain backgrounds).
• Avoid extremely bright background colors (e.g.,
Red).
• Avoid red-green or yellow-blue color
combinations for text and background.
• Colored text alone should not be used to
communicate important information.
• Use italics or bold instead to communicate
important information.

14. 8. Audio/
Video Content
• Video files
• Use close captioned videos on YouTube
• Caption videos that you create.
• Make sure captions are synchronized.
• Platforms such as Kaltura and Panopto
automatically caption content and allow
caption editing.
• If videos are not captioned, include
transcriptions.
• Keep videos to a reasonable length (no more
than 10 minutes).
• Inform students about length of video so
they can plan for viewing.
• Limit the use of flashing, flickering, or blinking
to three seconds in length.
• Use mp4 video file format.
• Audio files
• Include transcriptions for audio files.
• Keep audio files to a reasonable length (no more
than 10 minutes).
• Use mp3 audio file format.

15. 9. Keep it
Simple
• Content can be browsed using Tab key on
the keyboard.
• Use asynchronous tools
• Don’t design your course in a manner that
relies on multiple technology products
(unless they are needed).
• Use simple language.
• Avoid jargon.
• Include a glossary for technical terms.

16. File Names
•Descriptive names for files.
•Use proper spacing in the file
name (spacebar or
underscores)

17. References
• Burgstahler, S. (2017). ADA Compliance for Online Course
Design. Retrieved from
https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/1/ada-compliance-for-
online-course-design
• Burgstahler, S. (2021). Access Cyberlearning: 20 Tips for
Teaching an Accessible Online Course. Retrieved from
https://www.washington.edu/doit/sites/default/files/atoms/files/
20_Tips_Designing_Courses_0.pdf
• Huss, J. A. and Eastep, S. (2016). Okay, Our Courses Are Online,
But Are They ADA Compliant? An Investigation of Faculty
Awareness of Accessibility at a Midwestern University. i.e.:
inquiry in education: Vol. 8: Iss. 2, Article 2.
Retrieved from: http://digitalcommons.nl.edu/ie/vol8/iss2/2

18. References (cont.)
• Rabidoux, S., and Rottman, A. (2017). 5 Tips for ADA-Compliant
Inclusive Design. Retrieved from
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-
learning/views/2017/05/03/tips-designing-ada-compliant-online-
courses
• Rogers, S. (2018). eLearning Accessibility: Best Practices, Tips, And
Tricks. Retrieved from https://elearningindustry.com/elearning-
accessibility-best-practices-tips-tricks
• U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
(2019). Digest of Education Statistics, 2018 (2020-009), Chapter 3.
Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d18/ch_3.asp