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Digital Accessibility

Accessibility in education ensures that all learners, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access and engage with instructional materials, technology, and resources equitably.  Accessibility promotes inclusivity, supports diverse learning needs, and complies with legal requirements like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.  Beginning on April 24, 2026, Title II of the ADA will require all digital course materials and related content to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards.  In addition to the federal regulations, U-M has a specific Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standard Practice Guide (SPG 601.20) that was adopted in June 2022.

Following best practices of around accessibility is a good teaching practice overall.  Even users who do not have any disabilities can benefit from accessible content (like closed captions).

General Accessibility Guidelines

The WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards are comprehensive and robust.  The following is a simplified, though not comprehensive, list of general accessibility guidelines:

  • All links should be descriptive (not "click here").
  • All videos should have closed captions, which should be as accurate as possible.
  • All images should have alt-text, which described the image/graph/equation in plain English for those with vision issues.
  • Heading levels should be respected (H3 falls under H2, no skipping levels)
  • Color contrast should be as high as possible (dark text on a light background, or light text on a dark background).

The above guidelines apply to content created in Canvas as well as documents (Word, Google Slides, PDF, etc), slideshows (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc), Spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets, etc), and any other digital materials available as part of a course or on a public website.

UM-Dearborn's Digital Accessibility Course has a more comprehensive list and guidance for fixing/remediating most issues.

Digital Education Accessibility Tools

U-M has purchased a few tools to assist with identifying and remediating digital accessibility issues in specific platforms.  Please see he links below for more information about each of these tools.

Digital Education Accessibility Training and Support

Canvas Training Course

The Office of Digital Education and the Hub for Teaching and Learning Resources have a Digital Accessibility Course focused on accessibility issues and how to remediate them in Canvas with U-M Approved tools.  While the course is focused on Canvas, the concepts are universal and any UM-Dearborn faculty, staff, or student is welcome to enroll.

Office Hours

The Office of Digital Education hosts drop-in Zoom office hours dedicated to digital accessibility for UM-Dearborn faculty.  The Winter 2025 digital accessibility office hours schedule is:

  • Mondays - 1:00pm-2:00pm with Chris Casey (zoom link)
  • Tuesdays - 9:30am-10:30am With Chris Casey (zoom link)
  • Wednesdays - 3:00pm-4:00pm with Chen Wang (zoom link)
  • Thursdays - 2:00pm-3:00pm with Chen Wang (zoom link)

Support via Email

Please email umdearborn-de-accessibility@umich.edu with any questions about digital accessibility in Canvas or the classroom.