The Viscardi Center

at The Viscardi Center

Providing a lifespan of programs and services that educate, employ and empower children and adults with disabilities.
An employer membership organization and comprehensive resource for disability employment best practices.

DONATE

Header Links

  • Login
  • Media Room
  • Contact Us

Share

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • You Tube
  • Instagram
  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Abilities, Inc.
    • E-Learning
    • Henry Viscardi School
    • The Disability Entrepreneurship Institute
    • Nathaniel H. Kornreich Technology Center
    • Services by Type
    • Services by Age/Audience
    • Services for Businesses
    • How to Obtain Services
  • Our Stories
    • Adults
    • Businesses
    • Children
    • Donors
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give
    • Together We Soar Campaign
    • Advocacy
    • Volunteer
    • Share Your Story
    • Viscardi Alumni
  • News & Events
    • News
    • Blog
    • Events
    • Media Room
    • Viscardi Voice Newsletter
  • Digital Accessibility
    • Document Accessibility
    • Web Accessibility
    • Captioning & CART Services
    • Audio Description
    • ADA Bundle
    • Viscardi Multimedia Learning Center
  • About
    • History
    • Staff Leadership and Boards of Directors
    • Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards
    • Sunny
    • FAQs
    • Careers
    • Financials
    • Contact Us
www.viscardicenter.org > Viscardi Blog > Education > Educators: Have You Fully Embraced Digital Accessibility?

Educators: Have You Fully Embraced Digital Accessibility?

September 21, 2020 by Mike Caprara

  • A A A

September 21, 2020

Michael Caprara

Digitized image of a wheelchair icon

Delivering a high-quality education has never been more dependent on technology. The abrupt move to remote learning in response to the pandemic revealed gaps in accessibility that puts students with disabilities of all ages at a major disadvantage.

Individuals with low hearing or deafness may find themselves watching a video or attending a virtual seminar without appropriate, accurate captioning. Those with low vision or blindness may try accessing course materials that aren’t compatible with screen reading software or using a webpage that lacks alternative text for complex graphics and images. That’s why integrating digital accessibility into every stage of curriculum development now, or remediating existing materials, could mean the difference between a student participating or falling behind their peers down the road.

As schools, colleges, and universities across the United States fine-tune full-time remote learning and hybrid learning models—blending traditional in-person classes with the flexibility of online instruction—it’s critical that all students have the tools to fully engage with the curriculum. And while remote learning presents a new set of challenges for educators, identifying and addressing accessibility shortfalls, and prioritizing the needs of a diverse student body, doesn’t have to translate to a drain on time and resources.

 Achieving an Inclusive Learning Experience

Schools and higher education institutions have an incredible opportunity to enhance the online learning experience for students with disabilities by designing new and reassessing existing websites, course materials, and virtual events.

Here are some simple questions to consider as you stay ahead of the digital accessibility curve and create a level playing field.

  • Has your school, college, or university adopted an accessible and inclusive culture? First step – develop the best remote learning experience for all by communicating your digital accessibility policies and goals to staff and faculty. Ensure educators understand changes that need to be made to existing materials, how to actively include accessibility when developing remote lesson plans, and how to ensure new content meets compliance standards.
  • Have your course materials been remediated? PDF, Word, and PowerPoint files should be appropriately converted for access by screen reading software. Equally important, the correct reading order must also be established by tagging heading and paragraph structure, properly formatting columns, and identifying the language.
  • Are your instructional videos captioned—and are the captions accurate? Relying on auto-generated captioning can lead to textual inaccuracies that make your video content difficult to understand for viewers with low hearing or deafness. Guarantee that every student gets the most out of instructional content by providing closed or open captioning.
  • Do you offer real-time captioning for virtual events? Create a fully accessible audio-visual environment during virtual gatherings, livestreams, and webinars with CART (Communication Access Real-Time Translation) services, which provide real-time captioning by a professional transcriber.
  • Are you providing an inclusive web experience? From online learning portals to complex images and graphics, establish an accessible virtual learning environment that all users can independently navigate and understand. This includes providing alternative text to visual content, setting logical reading order, and plain text links and contact information.

Looking for more guidance on ensuring your digital content is accessible? We’re here to help.

Michael Caprara

Michael Caprara

Chief Information Officer, The Viscardi Center
Michael oversees all aspects of technology at The Viscardi Center, where he implements and innovates accessibility for students, staff, and faculty.

Filed Under: Education, Employment, Empowerment

News & Events

  • News

    >

  • Blog

    >

  • Events

    >

  • Media Room

    >

  • Viscardi Voice Newsletter

    >

Blog Categories

  • Empowerment
  • Education
  • Employment

Events

Hands over a keyboard

Webinar on Digital Accessibility Fundamentals

[php snippet=2]

NY Islanders defensemen Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock and actor Kevin James standing behind Viscardi CEO Dr. Chris Rosa and two Henry Viscardi School male students

Celebrity Sports Night

[php snippet=2]

View All Events

Related Posts

Neon sign that reads Portland Oregon Old Town, on top of a building.

Public Agency Cooperatives Have Their Advantages When It Comes to Making Digital Assets Accessible

A plant in front of a laptop showing a virtual meeting.

Best Ways to Make Virtual Meetings Accessible

A graphic with a network of social media and web icons over an image of hands typing on a laptop keyboard

Should WCAG Compliance Be Your Goal?

Recent Posts

View All >
  • Get Your Wheels on Fire Socks Today!

    March 21, 2023 March 21, 2023 The Viscardi Center is thrilled to announce that it is John’s Crazy Socks’ latest charity partner. John’s Crazy Socks is a father-son social enterprise, here on Long Island, inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome. 10% of the sales of John’s latest sock design, titled Wheels on Fire, [...] Read More...
  • The Passing of Judy Heumann, Disability Rights Advocate

    March 4, 2023 March 4, 2023 Our hearts are heavy upon learning the news of the passing of Judy Heumann. The disability community has lost a disability rights giant and a trailblazer who has influenced generations – mine included - and will continue to for many years to come. As Justin Dart, Jr. was seen as the “Father [...] Read More...
  • Public Agency Cooperatives Have Their Advantages When It Comes to Making Digital Assets Accessible

    March 1, 2023 March 1, 2023 Michael Caprara Photo by Zack Spear on Unsplash Studies have shown that efficiency, volume discounts, more effective sharing of relevant resources and information, and cost savings are just a few of the advantages of cooperative purchasing. As a public agency, your organization may be able to benefit from cooperative purchasing power when [...] Read More...
  • Best Ways to Make Virtual Meetings Accessible

    February 2, 2023 February 2, 2023 Michael Caprara Photo by Sigmund on Unsplash Why do virtual meetings need to be accessible? Well, why not? We live in a day and age where technology is continuing to evolve at a fast pace as it is becoming more and more integral to our daily lives. In recent years, we have [...] Read More...
  • 2022 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards Bestowed

    December 2, 2022 December 3, 2022 The Viscardi Center, a renowned non-profit organization that educates, employs, and empowers people with disabilities, announced six recipients of the 2022 Henry Viscardi Achievement Awards. The Awards were first bestowed in 2013 to honor the vision and legacy of the Center’s founder, Dr. Henry Viscardi, Jr., a leading disability advocate who himself [...] Read More...
  • Reach for a Star 40th Anniversary Receives Rave Reviews!

    November 29, 2022 November 29, 2022 The Viscardi Center’s annual Reach for a Star Luncheon celebrated its 40th Anniversary on November 15, 2022, at the Crest Hollow Country Club. This year’s luncheon happily returned to in-person after being remote for two years due to the pandemic. It was a magical event filled with music and joy. Chilina Kennedy, [...] Read More...

Contact Us

The Viscardi Center
National Business & Disability Council at The Viscardi Center
201 I.U. Willets Road
Albertson, NY 11507
516.465.1400
info@viscardicenter.org
Careers at the Viscardi Center | Staff Log in
Accessibility | Privacy | Site Map

Sign up For Enews

The Viscardi Center is a 501(c)(3)
non-profit recognized by the IRS.

Connect With Us

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • You Tube
  • Instagram

© 2023 The Viscardi Center. All rights reserved. | Designed & Developed by Infinite Media Corp.