This guide serves as a central location for both internal and external resources to help you create accessible digital materials (or assets). It provides a primer on Universal Design as well as guidelines and tools for developing the most common types of digital assets: Documents, Images, Video, Audio Files, Spreadsheets, Presentations, PDFs, and Infographics. Please check back often for updates and additional resources. Subscribe to the CAT newsletter to receive updates on this LibGuide and other information.
If you have questions about how to make your digital materials accessible, please contact the Center for Academic Technology at cat@butler.edu or 940-8575. We look forward to working with you on making your course materials accessible!
According to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, any electronic information or technology that we develop, purchase, maintain or use must provide equitable access and use for individuals with disabilities. The access and use must be comparable to that provided to individuals without disabilities. Approximately 14% of Butler students have registered with the Student Disability Services (SDS) office. To learn more visit the U.S. General Services Administration 508 website.
"Accessible" means a person with a disability is afforded the opportunity to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as a person without a disability in an equally effective and equally integrated manner, with substantially equivalent ease of use. The person with a disability must be able to obtain the information as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability. Although this might not result in identical ease of use compared to that of persons without disabilities, it still must ensure equal opportunity to the educational benefits and opportunities afforded by the technology and equal treatment in the use of such technology. (Office of Civil Rights in the Resolution agreement with South Carolina Technical College System, 2/18/13)
Universal Design, or Inclusive Design, is the design and creation of environments both physical and digital that can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, physical stature, preferences, disability or ability. It should be a fundamental goal to design environments that meet the needs of all people. Incorporating the needs of all people results in spaces, products and service that are useful, beneficial and enjoyable for all.
Developing your electronic materials using Universal Design principles is easy and simply, good design. To learn more review the Universal Design tab at the top of this page.
Many institutions for higher learning and the eLearning community at large have adopted the criteria for accessibility of online content outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set the bar for creators and developers of web content, which covers eLearning web-based platforms such as Canvas. To read more about WCAG visit the W3C website.
When you require materials provided by a third party (e.g. a publisher textbook supplement site) ensure the materials you choose are accessible. If materials are not accessible provide an accessible, equitable alternative. Contact CAT with questions or for further direction as needed.
"How to Make Digital Assets Accessible" by Butler's Center for Academic Technology is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
As of Spring 2021, 14.16% of Butler students have registered with Student Disability Services (SDS).
The Butler University accommodation statement must be included on all your course syllabi. You can find the statement on the SDS website at: www.butler.edu/disability/syllabus-statement.
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