Curricula on Web Accessibility:
A Framework to Build Your Own Courses
Accessibility Curricula Overview
You can use this resource in a variety of situations. Some examples include:
- faculty lecturer wants to teach computer science students about accessibility
- accessibility professional wants to create training specifically on accessibility
- product owner wants to compare the content offered by different course providers
- procurer wants to include specific requirements in a Request for Proposals (RFP)
- hiring manager wants to compare competencies assessed for different certificates
You can combine different modules from the entire resource to create and compare courses, training, and certification programs. For example, teaching accessibility to computer science students likely involves modules from the foundation, developer, and designer curricula. On the other hand, assessing the accessibility knowledge of front-end developers will primarily involve modules from the developer curriculum. This resource does not prescribe specific combinations and order of modules for different programs. It also does not prescribe the duration, effort, or accreditation associated with each. It provides a reference for the learning outcomes on a modular level.
Development | Design | Authoring |
---|---|---|
Foundation Modules | ||
Developer Modules | Designer Modules (TBD) | Author Modules (TBD) |
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Structure and Terminology
This resource consists of the four curricula described in the previous section. Each curriculum consists of:
- Prerequisites — Competencies expected for students to have previously acquired
- Modules — Designed to be taught and assessed in their entirety. Each module consists of:
- Learning Outcomes for Module — What students will learn and should be able to demonstrate.
- Competencies — Skills required for students and instructors to teach the curriculum.
- Topics to Teach — Recommended themes to be taught in any order. Each topic consists of:
- Learning Outcomes for Topic — Detailed description of what students will learn and should be able to demonstrate.
- Teaching Ideas for Topic — Suggested ideas to help instructors teach the learning outcomes based on topic contents.
- Ideas to assess knowledge for Topic — Suggested ideas to assess the acquired skills or knowledge based on topic contents.
- Ideas to Assess Knowledge for Module — Suggested ideas to assess the acquired skills or knowledge based on module contents.
- Teaching Resources — Resources to help teach the learning outcomes. Some resources are integral part of the teaching while others are optional further reading.
Terminology specifically related to people with disabilities, assistive technologies, and adaptive strategies is provided in How people with disabilities use the Web.
Teaching Best Practices
While this resource is organized by modules based on roles in accessibility implementation, it is important to understand and communicate the relationship between different tasks related to accessibility when teaching. For example, creating an accessible form requires input from the content author, designer, and developer. It is equally important to understand and communicate accessibility requirements from the perspective of the user across the different tasks. In addition to the advice embedded in the modules, the following overall practices will help you ensure effective courses, training, and certification programs on accessibility.
Involve People with Disabilities
One of the most effective ways to learn and teach accessibility is by involving people with disabilities. This includes inviting people with disabilities to show how they use assistive technologies and adaptive strategies to interact on the Web, the accessibility features they rely on, and challenges they sometimes encounter. If you cannot invite people with disabilities, maybe you can find suitable videos instead. Yet make sure to guide your students through the process to avoid perpetuating existing misunderstandings. For guidance on working with people with disabilities, ethical considerations, and cautions, refer to Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility.
Communicate the Impact
Often teachings focus too much on the how and insufficiently on the why. Yet understanding the motivations for accessibility is essential to ensuring solutions that are usable in practice. Good practice for courses, training, and certification programs is to ensure that students understand the impact of accessibility barriers and features on people with disabilities. This includes how the learning outcomes, the teaching methods, and knowledge assessments are designed. For example, students should not only know the different ways to provide text alternatives for images. They should also know in which situations each method is more appropriate from the perspective of the user.
Embrace Universal Design
Avoid inadvertent prioritizing of one perceived group over another. The accessibility requirements for people with disabilities overlap without clear boundaries. For example, captions support people who are deaf and hard of hearing as well as people with some forms of cognitive and learning disabilities. Good practice for courses, training, and certification programs is ensure that students understand the concepts of universal design to create accessible and inclusive experiences for everyone. For guidance on cross-disability aspects, refer to How people with disabilities use the Web.
Make it Accessible
Good practice is to ensure that courses, training, and certification programs are accessible. This includes all presentations, teaching materials, exercises, assessments, and other student interactions. For example, ensure that the online learning platform, the classroom, computer lab, or training venue are accessible. Ensure that, for example, captioning, sign-language interpretation, and large-print formats are provided when needed. Also ensure that instructors read aloud what is on the screen and describe any visual information through audio. For more guidance, refer to How to Make Your Presentations Accessible to All.
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