Creating an Accessible Online Environment
As an instructor, it is important for you to consider accessibility when creating materials for the online environment. Whether you are offering an online course; creating a course for Global Campus; or posting to KSOL, content needs to be accessible. Retrofitting is not a recommended practice, so the best time to implement strategies for accessibility is during the creation process.
The inherent issue concerning web accessibility is complexity. There are excellent resources available on the topic. The World Wide Web Consortium or W3C is the international standards organization for the World Wide Web. The Web Accessibility Initiative is the section of the W3C that is responsible for the strategies, guidelines, and resources to make the Web accessible to people with disabilities. However, as wonderful as these resources are, the information contained within the websites is daunting.
It is the intent of staff to provide faculty basic information in the area of web accessibility. Best practices, resources, and descriptions of "how to" are included under Documents and Presentations. For specific guidelines on creating an accessible course in Canvas, we recommend you look at K-State's Digital Accessibility in Canvas.