AVÀÇ

Faculty & staff: instructional materials accessibility

Providing equal access and opportunity for students with disabilities is a shared responsibility at AVÀÇ. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, California Government Code 11135, the CSU Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), and the new ADA Title II web and mobile accessibility rule, digital course materials must be accessible to students with disabilities.

Faculty and staff are expected to design courses, websites, and learning materials using universal design and accessibility principles so that all students can access the content, including those who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, magnification, captioning, and alternative input devices.

What faculty and staff should do each term

• Choose accessible course technologies. Use campus-supported tools when possible and confirm that any new tools or platforms go through the ICT accessibility review process.
• Provide accessible documents and media. Use built-in accessibility checkers for Word, PowerPoint, PDFs, and Google Docs; add headings, alt text, and sufficient color contrast; and ensure that videos are captioned.
• Organize your Canvas course for access. Use clear module structures, descriptive page titles and links, and avoid uploading scanned PDFs that are not OCRed or tagged for accessibility.
• Respond to accommodation notices. When you receive a Determination of Accommodations from Accessibility Services, review it promptly and coordinate with the listed accessibility counselor if you have any questions.
• Plan ahead for accessibility. Adopt textbooks and course materials early, post your syllabus and reading list as soon as possible, and communicate with Online Campus or Accessibility Services if you need help remediating materials.

Tutorials and guides for faculty & staff

These resources provide practical guidance, timelines, and examples for making courses accessible and meeting Title II and CSU ATI requirements.

Building accessible courses

Accessible courses are built from accessible components: documents, media, Canvas pages, and third-party tools. Use the ATI web techniques pages as quick references when designing or updating your materials:

• Page titles – Make each page title unique and descriptive.
• Headings – Organize content with a logical heading structure.
• Alternate text – Provide meaningful alt text for images.
• Captions and transcripts – Ensure media has accurate captions and transcripts.
• Color and styling – Use sufficient color contrast and avoid using color alone to convey meaning.
• Keyboard accessibility – Make sure students can navigate with keyboard only.
• Meaningful markup – Use semantic HTML so assistive technologies understand your content.

For Canvas-specific guidance, explore Online Campus resources such as the Canvas Support, Resources & Tutorials and accessibility-focused workshops listed on the Accessibility Compliance for Digital Teaching & Learning page.

Responding to accommodations

When a student is approved for accommodations, Accessibility Services will send you a Determination of Accommodations that outlines what is needed for that course. Faculty and staff should:

• Review accommodation letters promptly and contact the assigned counselor if anything is unclear.
• Coordinate early with Accessibility Services for alternative formats (for example, accessible PDFs, Braille, or other formats) if needed.
• Work with Online Campus or Accessibility Services if course materials or Canvas content need accessibility remediation.
• Communicate clearly with students about how accommodations will be implemented in your course.

For more information and support, visit:

• Accessibility Services – Faculty Resources
• Accessibility Services – Our Programs and Contact Information

If you encounter an accessibility barrier

If you or your students encounter an accessibility barrier in a course, system, or campus website, please let us know:

• Notify Accessibility Services:
  Website: Accessibility Services
  Email: as@csueastbay.edu
  Phone: 510-885-3868
• Complete the campus barrier report form:
  

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