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Foundations of Accessibility in Teaching and Learning

Michael V. Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning

Overview

Designing with accessibility in mind supports educators in creating learning experiences that enhance access to course materials, meaningful engagement in learning activities, and students' ability to demonstrate their learning. This endorsement emphasizes accessibility‑minded teaching practices that focus on the intentional design of learning environments and materials so that all students can develop knowledge and skills, engage in the interactions, and participate in opportunitiess with substantially equivalent ease of use and independence.
 

Educators and those who support teaching engage with multiple, complementary approaches to accessible and effective teaching, including Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and accessibility‑minded course design. Through these approaches, participants of this endorsement will learn to design learning experiences that anticipate learner variability, reduce barriers, and support full participation from the outset rather than through retroactive adjustments.

This endorsement also builds a foundation in digital accessibility, supporting educators and those who support teaching in creating and revising digital instructional content so that digital materials and tools are equally effective and usable for all students. Working with institutionally supported systems such as Carmen Canvas and Ally, participants apply frameworks such as the Seven Core Skills for Digital Accessibility while developing an understanding of how Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II requirements and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) based institutional standards intersect with effective course design rather than accommodation or enforcement alone. Through workshops, on-demand, and collaborative learning opportunities, this endorsement encourages continued learning and shared responsibility for accessibility‑minded instruction, contributing to a culture of effective teaching across the university.

 

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

  • Design learning experiences that enable students to engage with course materials and participate in learning activities with greater independence, clarity, and consistency, through proactive, accessibility‑minded teaching practices.
  • Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles by designing course materials and activities that offer multiple means of engagement, representation, action and expression, supporting learner variability and reducing barriers to learning.
  • Develop learning environments that anticipate accessibility considerations and enable full participation, drawing on asset‑based approaches and shared responsibility for accessibility within institutional guidance and applicable regulations.
  • Create and revise digital instructional content using institutionally supported tools and practices that align with digital accessibility standards, and articulate how these practices support effective, proactive course design rather than retroactive accommodation or enforcement.
  • Identify and utilize institutional accessibility resources to evaluate and continuously improve accessibility-minded teaching practices.

Program Requirements

Participants must complete requirements in the following two components

  • Core programming: complete one experience from each of the four core requirements detailed in the table below (four core experiences total)
  • Elective programming: complete one elective experience from the elective options detailed in the table below (one elective experience total) 
  • Total endorsement program requirements: 5 experiences
REQUIREMENTCRITERIA

EXPERIENCE OPTIONS

Workshops are offered on a rotating basis.  Check our Workshops and Events page to see what’s offered each semester.

COREREQUIRED
  • Supporting Neurodivergent Students (workshop)
COREREQUIRED
  • Teaching Students with Disabilities (workshop)
CORECOMPLETE 1 OPTION
CORECOMPLETE 1 OPTION
  • Option A: Developing Accessible Course Content (on-demand learning module)
  • Option B: Title II and You: 7 Core Skills for Digital Accessibility Part 1 and Title II and You: Digital Accessibility for Multimedia Materials (two workshops)
  • Option C: Title II and You: 7 Core Skills for Digital Accessibility Part 2 and Title II and You: Digital Accessibility for Multimedia Materials (two workshops)
ELECTIVECHOOSE 1

 

 

Verification

  • The Drake Institute automatically tracks and verifies participant completion of criteria and eligibility.
  • Upon completion of all core and elective requirements, you will receive an email confirming your eligibility within one week. This verification email will include instructions to submit your teaching endorsement application.

 

 

Interest Form

Complete an optional contact form.

Teaching Endorsement Application

Submit your final application after completing all criteria.