Inclusive and Accessible Classroom

Teaching with Access & Inclusion

When embraced fully, accessible and inclusive teaching begins at the design stage, resulting in a paradigm shift that fundamentally alters thinking about curriculum, course design, the classroom, and campus culture. The Teaching with Access & Inclusion guide provides principles and practices for academics who are committed to improving equitable student learning experiences.

Access, Inclusion, and Accommodation in Lab Settings

Inclusive Course Design Ideas - Neurodivergency Inclusion

Plan for Accessibility From the Beginning

Planning for accessibility from the beginning is key to reducing barriers for students with disabilities. A tangible way to get started is to learn how to create digital materials that can be used by the greatest number of people without modification. This can both reduce the need for reactive accommodation and improve access for all students. We encourage you to do what you can to make your digital resources accessible before posting or sharing them.

Creating an Accessible Experience for Everyone

  • Remember to respect the confidentiality of students requesting disability accommodations.
  • Accommodations are designed to ensure access. If accommodations are provided on time, faculty members can issue grades according to course standards.
  • We support faculty as well as students.  Please call us with your questions and concerns.
  • Check out this great resource for more helpful tips: Inclusive Course Design Ideas 

Make sure an inclusive statement on disability is included in your course syllabus.  We suggest the following:

Students with Disabilities:
It is the policy and practice of the University of Minnesota Duluth to create inclusive learning environments for all students, including students with disabilities. If there are aspects of this course that result in barriers to your inclusion or your ability to meet course requirements such as time limited exams, inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos, please notify the instructor as soon as possible. You are also encouraged to contact the Office of Disability Resources to discuss and arrange reasonable accommodations. Call 218-726-6130 or visit the Disability Resources web site at https://disability-resources.d.umn.edu/ for more information.

Accessible Course Media

Technology offers endless learning opportunities, but keep in mind that everything must be accessible. Including captions on all course media – movies, YouTube videos, audio recordings – is beneficial not only to students with disabilities, but to a wide range of learners that can include:

  • English language learners
  • Students who learn visually
  • Captions can also ensure access in environments where sound isn’t allowed and can help compensate for noisy backgrounds or poor audio quality.  
  • For more information about creating accessible course media, contact the UMD Multimedia Hub.

7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility & Badging Program

Use the Accessible U: Cultivate Inclusion website to learn the 7 Core Skills of digital accessibility. Or, start the Digital Accessibility Badging Program, which is more comprehensive  and teaches participants how to create accessible web content, slide decks, documents, PDFs and more. Once you have taken Digital Accessibility: Foundations, you will be eligible for any of the other courses in the program including Digital Accessibility: Create Accessible Canvas Course Sites.

Accessible Canvas Courses

Instructors can create course sites that are both usable and accessible to the widest range of students possible by following the practices outlined in these resources:

 

Other University Resources: