If you are already familiar with the accessibility practices outlined in the 7 Core Skills, and know how to use the University’s UDOIT accessibility scanner for Canvas, you may want to explore additional resources on this page.
Many tools and services aim to improve digital accessibility but there isn't a magic tool that does it all. Use these tools and resources in conjunction with communicating with your students to ensure that their individual needs are met.
7 Core Skills Resources
- Image Accessibility Creator: Get AI assistance with writing alt text for complex images.
- Disclaimer: AI generators may or may not accurately describe images. Additionally, the description might not be the appropriate alt text depending on the context in the rest of the page.
- Color Contrast Checker
- Kaltura: Connect to YouTube Videos: Connect YouTube videos that have no corrected captions in Kaltura. Once the connection is established, you can edit the captions for accuracy.
- Accessibility: Slide Presentations (Google Doc): This guide provides recommendations for creating and sharing slide presentations (PowerPoint, Google Slides) that meet accessibility guidelines.
- Accessibility: Documents (Google Doc): This guide provides recommendations for creating and sharing accessible documents.
- Accessibility: Tables (Google Doc): This resource provides guidance for ensuring that the tables you create are digitally accessible in Microsoft Word, Canvas, and Google Docs.
- Accessibility: Qualtrics Surveys (Google Doc)
- Accessibility: Google Forms (Google Doc)
- Accessibility: In the Media You Produce (Google Doc): This guide outlines practices you can use to increase the accessibility of the media (videos, audio files, images and slide presentations) you create.Teaching and Learning
- The Check (Google Doc): This guide helps CEHD instructors create user-friendly course sites for students, whether you are teaching fully online, in-person, or some blend of the two.
- Resource Guide for Faculty & Instructors: Creating Accessible Digital Content (Google Doc): Created by the Office of Digital Accessibility, this guide provides step-by-step guidance on how to create Canvas course content and other digital content that meets new accessibility requirements and can be equitably accessed by disabled community members.
- Course Design: Archiving Content - Canvas (Google Doc)
- Canvas: Remove Course Content: This article covers why it is important to frequently review and remove content from a Canvas course site and how to delete the various types of content found in a course site.
- Using Google Gemini to Create Accessible Content (Google Doc): This guide lists a variety of ways Google Gemini can be used to create accessible content.
Inclusive Teaching Practices
- Teaching with Access & Inclusion (TAI): A workshop available to UMN faculty and staff that explains concepts, principles and practices of incorporating accessibility and inclusion in everyday teaching approaches.
- Use Inclusive Teaching Strategies: Offers ideas on how to design in-class and online activities, content, and instruction to be more accessible and inclusive for all students.
- Our Teaching: Creating an Inclusive Learning Environment guide includes practical recommendations for courses, whether you are teaching fully online, in-person, or some blend of the two.
Self-Paced Online Trainings
- Take the Fundamentals of Disability Accommodations and Inclusive Course Design, a one-hour professional development course that is required for anyone who is teaching at the University. The three modules focus on disability accommodations and inclusive course design.
- Digital Accessibility Badging Program has self-paced training courses on a variety of topics, such as a foundations course and how to create accessible slide presentations and documents.
Google Products
- Google Workspace user guide to accessibility
- How to use Automatic captions in Google Slides (YouTube, 1:17): Like all auto captioning services, the automatic captions will likely not be 100% accurate. Using a microphone, speaking clearly, and reducing background noise will increase the accuracy.
- Add Subtitles and Captioning to YouTube videos you own.
- You can connect a YouTube video in Kaltura that has no captions or automatic captions. Once connected, you should edit the automatically-created captions for accuracy.
Microsoft Products
- Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities
- Instructions for the Accessibility Checker are available within Microsoft Office products.
- Make your Excel documents accessible to people with disabilities: This page gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices for making your Excel spreadsheets accessible to everyone.
Kaltura MediaSpace
All videos uploaded to Kaltura MediaSpace will automatically receive machine-generated captions. To meet digital accessibility requirements, you must edit the captions for accuracy, including spelling and punctuation.
Important! Update the Caption Details
When you are done correcting captions for a video, don’t forget to update the caption label and accuracy percentage. This is an important step. Follow the steps outlined in our resource, How to Update the Caption Label in Kaltura.
Zoom Meetings
Turn on automatic live captions in Zoom meetings and webinars. Like all auto captioning services, the automatic captions will likely not be 100% accurate. Using a microphone, speaking clearly, and reducing background noise will increase the accuracy.
Office for Digital Accessibility
The Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA) is a newly created, system-wide entity designated to provide resources and services to the University of Minnesota community in support of the creation, development, and procurement of accessible electronic content and services. Some of the resources we’d like to highlight are:
- University Accessibility policy from the Office of Digital Accessibility
- Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments
- Final Rule (PDF) on Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities
Office for Equity & Diversity
The Office for Equity & Diversity Education Program offers the course, Ableism & Disability Justice, as part of their Equity Certificate Hosted Online (ECHO) program. The course runs for 1.5-2 hours on Zoom.
- The Step by Step ECHO Guide (Google Doc) offers additional information on how to complete the full ECHO program and receive a certificate.
- Accessibility Ambassadors: a group of University staff who are passionate about making UMN digital resources more accessible online. The group offers monthly webinars on a variety of digital accessibility topics.
- View a list of their upcoming and previous events and their recordings.