elearning summer institute: a practical guide to navigating the accessibility jungle

Welcome all to the first module of the 2024 Summer Institute!

This module will introduce the concepts of digital accessibility: the ideas and terminology, not how-to details (that's coming later in Part 3!). So as you progress through this content, don’t be alarmed by the amount of information shared. Right now we just want to become familiar with the concepts and terminology.

Module Outcomes:

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

Recognize the primary differences between UDL, Digital Accessibility, and ADA accommodations
Identify COCC's accessibility standards and how they are applied
Summarize how COCC responds to accessibility complaints and reports

Why are we learning this?

The easiest answer is because it's the right thing to do! Digital accessibility is rooted in our strategic plan. It directly aligns with our goal of being a student-ready college by ensuring that all materials and course content are accessible when students begin their courses.

Digital accessibility is also deeply aligned with other institutional processes and projects that are getting underway, including Peer Reviews, Major Overhaul Grant applications related to online courses, course-level assessment from the Curriculum office, and Online Programming

It is also newly established as Federal law. Updates to Section 508 and 504 of the ADA mandates that public entities meet specific Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for digital content by Spring 2026.

Specifically it is Federal Register Rule 2024-07758, adopted by the Department of Justice in April 2024, that establishes international standards for web content accessibility. This means that all online content, including instructional materials in digital course spaces, must be WCAG compliant within the next two years. This requirement extends to Canvas content, documents, videos, images, and any required software or digital resources.

Next Steps

How you choose to move through this module is somewhat up to you as the learner. Clicking 'Next' at the bottom of this page will take you to the full Zoom recording of our live session. You can watch the full presentation there or skip ahead to specific sections for review. Alternatively, you can bypass the recording and walk through the text-based version of the module that follows.

Regardless of how you choose to engage with the content, you will need to complete the activities in the Assignments area to qualify for a stipend ($50 per completed module). Your colleagues participating live will be completing some of these too.

Activities for all three of our sessions will be due in Canvas by September 22nd. Stipends will be distributed via the Office of Instruction according to their payment schedule.