Initiatives: 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.

The key questions we are exploring include: How do we help faculty understand their role in and responsibility in digital accessibility for learning? What kind of support is available to them in the selection and/or creation of instructional materials? How do we create a “born accessible” culture within our academic programs? And how might we collaborate across USM institutions to share resources and best practices?

Our Work in Digital Accessibility

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2022

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2022
October 5, 2022

Resource Guide for Making an Accessible Classroom

This resource guide was created for USM institutions in support of the digital accessibility goals. For more information or resources, please contact the MDOD IT Access Initiative via email at: mdod.nva@maryland.gov or via their website mdod.maryland.gov.

The Center for Excellence in Nonvisual Access of the National Federation of the Blind is an excellent resource for learning more about nonvisual accessibility.  They can be contacted at access@nfb.org.

September 29, 2022

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.

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.