Accessible Instructional Materials-Related FAQs
Question: As an instructor, am I responsible for making all of my handouts accessible?
Yes. All handouts given to students should be accessible to all students enrolled in your class. Instructor-created handouts should be developed in an accessible manner. Photocopied or scanned documents can be converted by the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) office.
If you review handouts during class time, students who need accessible documents will need to have the documents before class so that they can review the materials. You can discuss details with the students, but some possible solutions include posting all documents on Canvas so all students can access the materials before class or emailing the documents directly to students.
Question: What should I do about the videos I show in class?
All videos should be accurately captioned (not YouTube's automatic captioning), and the captions should always be turned on when you show the videos in class. You may not always know if there are students in your class that have hearing loss, and asking the class, "Is there anyone here who needs the captions turned on?" requires students to disclose personal and confidential information that they may otherwise not disclose. In additon, captions are helpful for reasons other than hearing loss or deafness. For example, individuals with attention difficulties benefit from captions and students who process information better visually rather than auditorily benefit from captioned videos. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) can assist you in geting your videos accurately captioned.
Question: How do I know what materials I am responsible for making accessible versus what I should take to either Accessible Resources Center (ARC) or CDRC?
Students request their e-text accommodation from the CDRC, and the CDRC converts their required and recommended textbooks into an accessible format. Instructors are generally not involved with this accommodation beyond their responsibility of identifying the textbook(s) they will be using by the predetermined date.
Instructors are responsible for ensuring their handouts and other required readings are accessible. The Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) office is available to assist faculty in converting paper-based documents (articles, chapters from a book, etc.) into an accessible electronic format that can be uploaded to Canvas.
Documents that instructors create and distribute to students should be created in an accessible manner.