Creating Universal and Accessible Content

Even in face-to-face courses, an increasing proportion of course materials and activities are housed or take place online. The current standard to measure the accessibility of a web-based resource is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Links to an external site. digital accessibility standard, which is the latest version from the W3C Links to an external site.. While it will be helpful to at least browse the headers of the standard itself and read the Introduction to Understanding WCAG 2.0 Links to an external site.., the foundational requirements can be summarized in the four letter acronym POUR:

• Perceivable - Information must be presented to all users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable - Users must be able to operate the site components, navigation, and structure.
• Understandable - Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
• Robust - Content must be robust enough so that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of technologies, including assistive technologies.

These simple considerations make a big difference if applied when content is created. Keep the POUR guideline in mind as you move through this module. By creating robust content, structured to be perceptible in multiple sensory channels, we ensure that all users, whatever their circumstances, can take full part in the University.

Video: Canvas Content and Accessibility Links to an external site.