Inclusive Design Resources: Purpose

This Quercus page provides advice, guidance, resources and tips to members of the University community to create online programming that is accessible and inclusive.

Principles

Inclusive design is design that considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference. Designing inclusively results in better experiences for everyone. The below principles are taken from the Inclusive Design Guide from the Inclusive Design Institute.

Recognize Diversity and Uniqueness

As individuals spread out from the hypothetical average, the needs of individuals that are outliers, or at the margins, become ever more diverse. Most individuals stray from the average in some facet of their needs or goals. This means that a mass solution does not work well.

Inclusive Process and Tools

Inclusive design teams should be as diverse as possible and include individuals who have a lived experience of the users the designs are intended for. This also respects the edict “nothing about us without us” without relegating people with disabilities to the role of subjects of research or token participants in design exercises.

Broader Beneficial Impact

It is the responsibility of inclusive designers to be aware of the context and broader impact of any design and strive to effect a beneficial impact beyond the intended beneficiary of the design.

Accessible facilitation

Multiple modes of engagement

While online tools provide the means to have multiple modes of engagement (i.e. in Teams, participants can now communicate visually, verbally, and textually), keep in mind that there are other ways that different users engage with information and topics
Have a plan in place for providing alternative means of engagement. Can participation take place via a phone call, can you meet the intended outcomes of the program via low tech solutions?

Facilitation styles

Create an inclusive online learning environment:
- Provide an agenda
- Outline expectations and processes for participation and express openness to alternatives
- Provide expectations and alternatives for participation (audio/visual participation, text-based participation through a chat function, participation in private chats)
- Provide contact information for facilitators
- Set-up and delivery
- Speak clearly & slowly
- Describe or state all information that is only provided visually (e.g. image or text on a slide)
- Enlarge text during screen sharing
- Set-up your environment in advance: no backlighting, no background noises
- Ask attendees to turn off their microphones,
- Schedule a test of all systems in advance, especially if it the first time using the system
Provide clarity on confidentiality or privacy
- Do students have to share their names (either identifying themselves or are their names visible in platforms like MS Teams)?
- Encourage students to avoid sharing personal or health information
- Note that group chats are visible after the meeting for some platforms
Use a co-facilitator wherever possible
As one facilitator speaks, the co-facilitator can monitor the chat function, provide text descriptions of verbal information, respond to questions, read out questions, and place speakers or questions in a queue
Provide confidential and sensitive processes for requesting accommodations
Respond to accommodation requests in a timely manner

Accessible content and digital materials

If you are posting video content or live streaming, captioning is a valuable resource for all students.

Use live captions in an MS Teams meeting (please note that this only works in a pre-organized meeting)
Use closed captioning in Zoom
Use automatic captioning on YouTube videos and livestreams

Create accessible PowerPoint presentations

- Ensure that you add meaningful hyperlink texts (standalone and accurate information)
- Ensure that colour is not the only means of conveying information
- Use sufficient contrast for text and background colours
- Include alternative text with all visuals (smart art, images, charts, videos)

- Provide unique titles for each slide
- Use built-in layouts and styles for headings and sub-headings
- Provide a transcript of notes (use speech to text software to create your transcripts)
- Don’t overcrowd the slides, use simple fonts at 18 point

Create accessible Word documents, apply the top three tips for PowerPoint presentations, plus:

- Use built-in headings and styles to organize your document
- For tables, use a simple structure and specify column header information

- Provide material in multiple formats

If showing a video or playing an audio clip, provide an alternative
- [info on accessible podcasts)

Convert to PDF properly (File > Export > Create Adobe PDF)

Further resources & external providers

Approved Suppliers: American Sign Language

Captioning and Transcription Services

Coursera Course: Basics of Inclusive Design for Online Education

Inclusive Design Guide, Inclusive Design Institute

Making your online courses accessible (CTSI)

Universal Design for Learning Resources (CTSI)

Templates

Accessible PowerPoint Presentations
Platform intro and orientation slides
Access Check slide
- Tips for access checks
  - Focus on what you can change about the space and be compassionate about what you can't.
  - Provide confidential communications channel for folks who want to contact someone directly.
  - Have a co-facilitator ready to help implement any requested changes.

Platform specific accessibility information

PowerPoint
Word
Teams
Zoom | Accessibility Guide for Running Meetings using Zoom (Word)
BB Collaborate

Adobe Acrobat

Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM)

Feedback

We welcome any feedback you might have on this document and particularly encourage members of the University community with lived experience of disability to provide feedback to the University’s AODA Officer, Ben Poynton. All feedback will be treated as confidential.

Email: ben.poynton@utoronto.ca

Phone: 416-978-723

Inclusive & Universal Design Repository