Creating Accessible Courses

Disability Resources for Students (DRS) is not the resource for all accessibility related questions. DRS is your resource for questions about implementing accommodations for an individual student. However, many instructors arrive at our website looking for help on making their courses more accessible. We understand how confusing it can be to navigate all the different campus resources. Therefore, we have created this page to help guide you to the appropriate place to get your questions answered.

Creating accessible courses is not just about complying with accommodation requests; it’s about designing courses that are inclusive and usable for all students from the outset. By proactively incorporating accessibility principles into your course design, you can minimize the need for individual accommodations and create a more equitable learning experience for everyone.

Making classrooms more accessible has benefits for all students. For example, providing captions on videos helps students with hearing disabilities and also benefits English language learners and students studying in noisy environments.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

We encourage you to explore the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). UDL is a framework for creating flexible learning environments that can accommodate the needs of diverse learners. UDL is distinct from individual accommodations. While accommodations address specific disability-related barriers, UDL creates an inherently more accessible learning environment that benefits everyone. When implemented effectively, UDL can reduce the need for individual accommodations.

Tip

Teaching at UW is your resource for learning more about Universal Design for Learning. Your department may also be able to help you think about how to design more inclusive courses.

Make course materials accessible

Accessible course materials are usable by the widest range of students possible, regardless of disability status. This means ensuring that all students can access, perceive, understand, and interact with the content.

Examples:

Text Documents (Syllabi, Handouts, Articles) – Formatted with headings, alternative text for images, and sufficient color contrast. Can be read by screen readers and other assistive technologies.
Presentations (PowerPoint, Google Slides) – Include descriptive slide titles, alternative text for images, and are designed with clear, logical order.
Videos – Include captions that accurately reflect spoken content and audio descriptions that describe visual elements for students who are blind or have low vision.
Audio Files (Podcasts, Lectures) – Provide transcripts that accurately reflect the audio content.
Images (Charts, Graphs, Diagrams) – Include alternative text descriptions that convey the meaning and purpose of the image.
Websites and Online Platforms – Designed to be navigable by keyboard and compatible with screen readers. Follow web accessibility guidelines (WCAG).

Tip

Accessible Technology within UW-IT is your resource for learning to make your course materials accessible for all students. They provide guides with step-by-step instructions for a variety of different document types. DRS is your resource for assistance with making media accessible for individual students with accommodations. DRS does not assist with creating accessible course materials outside of accommodations—that is UW-IT’s role.

Inform students of DRS

To ensure students who face barriers in your course know how to initiate the accommodation process, we highly recommend adding an accessibility statement to your syllabus:

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Your experience in this class is important to me. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please activate your accommodations via myDRS so we can discuss how they will be implemented in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to mental health, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), contact DRS directly to set up an Access Plan. DRS facilitates the interactive process that establishes reasonable accommodations. Contact DRS at https://www.washington.edu/drs.

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