Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning

Creating accessible digital content allows everyone, including students with disabilities, to participate in the learning experience more fully. Accessibility unlocks features in our technologies that some people need, and others often appreciate. For example, when captions are added to a video, it gives access to learners with hearing impairments. But the captions are also very helpful for multilingual learners, students studying in loud spaces, or wanting to pinpoint the spot they need in a lecture by searching the captions. When accessibility is implemented, it supports a wide range of learners.

Accessibility is part of a larger framework called Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The UDL framework is designed to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people based on scientific insights into how humans learn. UDL includes accessibility measures and considers ways to address a wider range of barriers, such as motivation, background knowledge, and executive function. This framework focuses on providing different types of materials, engaging students using active learning strategies, and assessing learning using many types of assessments.

• Center for Transformative Teaching

  Instructional Designers can help by reviewing your course to look for content that might not be fully accessible, explaining the process of making different document types accessible, and thinking about ways to implement Universal Design for Learning.

  

• Services for Students with Disabilities

  The SSD office can help by answering questions about student accommodations and consulting with faculty on implementation of accommodation plans.

  

• UNL Libraries

  UNL Libraries can help by providing accessible digital content for students using course reserves and subject and course guides.  Love library also has select accessibility equipment and technology in the building to ensure students with disabilities have access to learning & studying spaces while using the physical library resources.

  

• Information Technology Services

  ITS provides instructions for academic technologies at UNL that include accessibility features like Zoom live-transcription and captioning in Yuja. They also run the Digital Learning Center(DLC), which can provide accommodations for students with disabilities.

  

• Institutional Equity and Compliance

  IEC can help by providing accommodations to faculty and staff at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.