Digital Accessibility

USM Announces Formation of Digital Accessibility Working Group

The University System of Maryland (USM) is proud to announce the formation of the Digital Accessibility (DA) Working Group, spearheaded by the Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. This initiative brings together representatives from all 12 USM campuses, community college representatives, independent public university representatives, private college representatives, and MarylandOnline to address the critical need for accessible digital course materials across the State of Maryland.

Teach Access Announces Academic Hub at Kirwan Center

Teach Access, a nonprofit dedicated to making digital accessibility fundamental to higher education curricula, proudly announces its newest academic hub, the University System of Maryland’s (USM) William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation. This collaboration aims to advance accessibility education, research, and practice by integrating accessibility-focused initiatives into faculty development, curriculum design, and institutional strategy across USM.

Digital Accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to the intentional design of electronic technologies and materials so that they are usable by all people, including people with disabilities. In the case of our increasingly technology-enhanced courses, digital accessibility means equal access to educational opportunity.

The Kirwan Center is exploring ways USM institutions—individually and collectively—can support faculty and other educational staff as they work to ensure that the instructional technologies and digital materials they use in their courses are accessible to all learners.

Supporting Digital Accessibility for Learning

The William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation has been collaborating with the National Federation of the Blind for several years to support digital accessibility efforts across the System. We are excited to announce that we are now collaborating to co-host an upcoming meeting to discuss how to build support for faculty around digital accessibility for learning on Thursday, September 29 from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the National Federation of Blind’s offices in Baltimore.