QM offers free Accessibility & Usability Resource Site Built by the peer community for the peer community

In response to institutional and educator priorities for making education accessible for all learners, the Quality Matters peer community created the Accessibility and Usability Resource Site (AURS). 

Free and open to everyone, AURS provides the online community with important information on addressing key accessibility and usability concerns, including:

  • Universal Design for Learning - Discover what you need to know about UDL and how it can assist you in creating accessible and usable content to meet the needs of diverse learners.
  • Alternative Text - Find out why alternative text is an important principle in accessible web design and how you can use it to help all learners understand the meaning of the image used in your content.
  • Video Captions and Audio Descriptions - Uncover the specific steps that must be taken to make video content accessible.
  • Hyperlinks - Gain an understanding of how to set up links in the most accessible way possible in order to create accessible content.
  • Accessible MS Office products - Explore the basics of Microsoft product accessibility, including alternative text, document best practices and utilizing built-in accessibility checkers.
  • Readability: Color Choice and Contrast - Dive into the topics of readability and discover why color choice and contrast play a major role in creating accessible digital resources.
  • Accessible PDFs - Take your readability skills to the next level and learn more about how you can make PDFs accessible for your learners.
  • Cognitive Accessibility - Increase your understanding of cognitive accessibility and uncover strategies to combat this common barrier to student success.
  • Inclusive Teaching Practices - Discover design and pedagogical practices to help you foster an inclusive and diverse online learning community.

Each topic features different resources to assist you with your accessibility challenges. Videos show you step-by-step changes you can make to increase the accessibility of your course. Examples highlight best practices. Articles provide you with additional information and resources. And forums allow you to connect directly with accessibility experts --peers who have expertise in designing accessible courses. There is also a General Accessibility and Usability Questions' Forum where you can ask any question that is unrelated to the listed topics.

Accessing AURS

Anyone can register for the site for free by logging into MyQM and selecting "Workshop - Register" in the side navigation and choosing "Register for Accessibility & Usability Resource Site." Need a QM account? 

If you've already registered, the AURS link can be found on your Dashboard in the QM Classroom after you log in.

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The National Center on Accessible Education at CAST, Inc. is sponsoring a free webinar on accessibility.


Free Webinar: Accessibility of Course Materials & Your University

Thursday, May 9, 2019
3:00 - 4:00 pm ET (Find out when the webinar starts in your time zone)

Presenters: Cynthia Curry, AEM Center; Joanne Benica, Director of Disability Services, University of Southern Maine; Eric Moore, UDL and Accessibility Specialist, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; and Mark Nichols, Senior Director of Universal Design & Accessible Technologies, Virginia Tech

The Quality Indicators for the Provision of Accessible Educational Materials (AEM) can be used by faculty, IT, instructional designers, administrators, and others at higher ed institutions to self-assess and map improvements of course material accessibility. Join a discussion with a panel of higher ed professionals who have experience with many of the Critical Components of the Quality Indicators.  To get the most out of the webinar, please review the Quality Indicators and the Higher Education Critical Components.

Unable to attend the webinar?  No worries!  A recording will be available on the webinar's Event Page approximately one week after the webinar.  An announcement will be sent when the recording is available.

Click on this link to Register Now!

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