In this webinar, Jennifer Ismirle, Senior User Experience Researcher, and Phillip Deaton, Accessibility Coordinator, from Michigan State University will share how they developed a digital accessibility training program for different types of content and content creators. They will discuss why training is important, as well as share strategies for creating an engaging and successful program.

1. Developing
Accessibility
Training Strategies
in Higher Ed
Jennifer Ismirle
Senior User Experience
Researcher
Michigan State University
www.3playmedia.com
Twitter: @3playmedia
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Phillip Deaton
Digital Information
Accessibility Coordinator
University of Michigan

2. Developing Accessibility Training
Strategies in Higher Education
Phil Deaton & Jennifer Ismirle
3Play Media Webinar
September 13, 2018

3. Agenda
• Overview of MSU and accessibility needs
• Survey 1 study description and results
• Training resources considerations
• Survey 2 study description
• Strategies for Training

4. Michigan State University
• Land-grant university; member of the Association of
American Universities (AAU)
• Over 200 academic programs/areas of study
• 50,000 students: 39,000 undergraduate, 11,000
graduate and professional
• 12,800 employees: 5,700 faculty & academic staff,
7,100 support staff
• 563,000 living alumni

5. Why talk about Training?
• Most accessibility management programs within
higher education are small (1-2) (~55%)
• Training organization-wide is important to get more
people involved
• Training is more complicated than buying a vendor
training and giving links to members in the
organization
• Training must account for different needs

6. Current State of Training at MSU
• We have custom face-to-face training
• Online tutorials
• Partnership with vendor for trainings, which are
subsidized centrally
• We utilize a distributed work model for accessibility
(this means all employees need to be trained); 5-year
plans
• Training challenges > not force everyone to do
everything

7. UOE as a Case Study of Accessibility in
Higher Education
• Center for Student Learning and Civic Engagement –
Students, community partners, social media
• Center for Community and Economic Development –
Urban and rural partners, faculty, students
• Wharton Center for Performing Arts – General public, K-
12 students, faculty, graduate students
• UARC – Government, academic, and industry partners

8. UOE as a Case Study – Content Types
• CSLCE – Community engaged learning courses, service-
focused student group websites
• CCED – Complex reports (PDFs), planning
sketches/drawings, online surveys
• Wharton Center for Performing Arts – Events,
ticketing, third-party vendors, social media
• MSU Museum – Physical and digital collections, public
events, social media
• The Engaged Scholar Magazine and E-Newsletter

9. UOE as a Case Study – Organizational
Complexity
• Taken together, it’s a very challenging environment
• Implementing a practical training strategy requires data
and institutional commitment
• Personnel time
• Financial considerations for training, tools, Acrobat Pro
• Building buy-in/awareness within and across departments

10. UOE Accessibility Training Survey
• Goal: Understand the state of accessibility
awareness/training and knowledge across MSU UOE
personnel
• Develop strategic plan for training
• Analyze results by role and by overall respondents to
understand training needs
• Survey conducted in summer of 2017 and again in
summer of 2018

11. Survey
• 10 Questions
• Anonymous to mitigate concerns over potential
consequences for low knowledge or ability and to
reduce bias in over-reporting of knowledge or ability
• Indicate their general role at MSU (faculty, staff, or
student)

12. Survey Questions
• Current Relationship with UOE
• Types of documents or content typically create as part
of job
• Level of expertise with different types of technology
• Confidence level for creating accessible documents
(Word/PowerPoint, PDF, webpage text/images, videos)
• Accessibility training completed (MSU or external)
• What is required for MSU’s Web Accessibility Policy
• Questions Text: usability.msu.edu/uoesurvey

13. Example of Confidence Question (2018)
• Are you confident that you create Microsoft Word
documents that can be fully used by persons with
disabilities?
• I don’t create these documents or primarily use a different type
of software to create documents. (N/A)
• I create these, but I give it to someone else to make accessible.
• I create these, but I don’t know how to make it accessible.
• I can make some parts accessible, but not most parts.
• I can make most parts accessible, but not everything.
• I think I can make it fully accessible.
• I know I can make it fully accessible.

14. UOE Accessibility Training Survey Results
• 2017 Survey Response:
• Used UOE listserv to distribute survey
• 87 responses (of 137)
• 64% response rate
• Groups/Roles:
• Faculty, Academic Specialist, or Postdoc: 34%
• Staff: 53%
• Intern, Research Assistant, or Temp/Hourly: 13%
• Content most are creating:
• Microsoft Word documents and PDFs
• Faculty: Microsoft PowerPoint presentations

15. Microsoft Word Documents
• 89% creating for their job role
• 8% creating with someone else making accessible
14% I know I can make it fully
accessible.
24% I think I can make it
fully accessible.
18% Can make some - most
parts accessible.
44% Don’t know how to
make it accessible.

16. PDFs
• 82% creating for their job role
• 7% creating with someone else making accessible
13% I know I can make it fully
accessible.
22% I think I can make it
fully accessible.
18% Can make some - most
parts accessible.
47% Don’t know how to
make it accessible.

17. Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations
• 56% creating for their job role (80% of Faculty)
• 7% creating with someone else making accessible
6% I know I can make it fully
accessible.
27% I think I can make it
fully accessible.
15% Can make some - most
parts accessible.
52% Don’t know how to
make it accessible.

18. MSU’s Web Accessibility Policy “Quiz”
• List of 10 items: 4 required, 6 not required by policy
• Or could select option: “I have no idea what is required”

19. Accessibility Training Experience

20. 2017 and 2018 Results Comparison
2017 Results 2018 Results
Response: 64% Response: 73%
Content: Word docs & PDFs (Fac: PPT) Content: Word docs & PDFs (Fac: PPT)
Confidence (Accessible Word/PDF/PPT):
• Don’t know how: ~48%
• Give to someone else: ~7%
Confidence (Accessible Word/PDF/PPT):
• Don’t know how: ~15%
• Give to someone else: ~19%
Accessibility Training:
• None: 49%
• Taught by Colleague: 24%
• Self-taught: 21%
Accessibility Training:
• None: 30%
• Taught by Colleague: 19%
• Self-taught: 22%
• Classes/workshops through MSU IT: 41%
• Tutorials/classes from other source: 20%
MSU Web Accessibility Policy Quiz:
• I have no idea: 26%
• Incorrect: 68%
MSU Web Accessibility Policy Quiz:
• I have no idea: 30%
• Incorrect: 64%

21. Higher Ed Accessibility Study Description
Survey higher education accessibility professionals:
• Distributed to higher ed accessibility list-servs
• Multiple respondents per institution allowed
• Individual perception of institution
Goal/Outcomes:
• Goal: Study how higher ed accessibility professionals
do work
• Outcomes: Increased understanding of work
practices, including barriers and opportunities

22. Training/Support in Higher Education (Part
1 of 2)
• 71.43% indicate institutional support doesn’t match
need for accessibility
• 60.59% indicate that they strongly disagreed or
disagreed with the statement “My institution
provides sufficient support to individuals who work
on Digital/EIT/web accessibility.”

23. Training/Support in Higher Education (Part
2 of 2)
• When given 5 options (Consultations/Training,
Conferences/workshops, web development, user
research with persons with disabilities, and
communication from executive leaders who
represent accessibility), 50.62% individuals indicated
that Consultations/Training was what they thought
was most important for organizations to provide

24. Training Strategies
Align Training Model with Accessibility Model:
• Distributed work? Invest in distributed training.
• Connect face-to-face (networking) with JITT
• Focus on training at levels that different constituents
need
• Be responsive to change
• Using vendors is fine, but there should be a strategy

25. Contact
Phil Deaton
Digital Information Accessibility
Coordinator (DIAC)
Office for Institutional Equity
University of Michigan
pdeaton@umich.edu
@deatonphil
Jen Ismirle
Senior UX Researcher
Usability/Accessibility Research
and Consulting (UARC)
Michigan State University
ismirlej@msu.edu
@IsmirleJen