Guide to Digital Accessibility

"""In this book, researchers and practitioners share a variety of ideas, examples, and strategies for addressing the problem of digital inaccessibility through institutional policy, course authoring practices, and professional development. The book excels at providing perspectives from education institutions of widely varying types and sizes. It can be an excellent resource for researchers seeking to advance the state of digital accessibility, or for anyone working to create a culture of accessibility at their own institutions.""--Terrill Thompson, Manager, IT Accessibility Team, UW-IT Accessible Technology Services, University of Washington ""Mancilla and Frey have done a great service to higher education in collaborating with Quality Matters to create a digital accessibility guide. By framing digital accessibility as social justice issue and including institutional examples of policies and practices, they provide a roadmap for meeting quality standards and an overview of best practices. I would recommend this book highly to my colleagues, especially college and university-level administrators and executives, who are looking for a practical, comprehensive review of institutional policies and procedures in this area. It is an invaluable resource!""--Elizabeth Ciabocchi, Vice President of the Online Learning Consortium, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Adelphi University ""This book serves as an important source of information about the doing of accessible online instructional practice, with many chapter authors highlighting perspectives from American universities and post-secondary spaces. The authors of these chapters achieve an impressive level of adaptable specificity while sharing information about digital programs, applications, and assignments, alongside course aims and instructional considerations. There is an also a noteworthy range of institutions represented in terms of geography, student population, and instructor experience.""--Mary F. Rice, University of New Mexico ""This elegantly written and beautifully curated volume by Mancilla and Frey should be required reading for faculty, instructional designers, institutional leaders, and policy makers interested in ensuring that rich educational experiences are accessible to all. With chapters by an impressive array of experts in the field, this volume brings the reader from the early days of digital accessibility to the current moment, offering a thorough and engaging exploration of a critically important issue.""--Marie K. Norman, Associate Professor of Medicine and Clinical and Translational Science, Director of the IDEA Lab ""This guide, edited by Mancilla and Frey, is an essential and comprehensive resource for educators and professionals alike who wish to make informed choices on accessible digital course content. Each chapter, beginning with the first on the history of the digital accessibility movement, and ending with the final chapter which beautifully links social validity theory with professional development, offers timely and critical information that addresses today's 21st century online learning environment. An excellent read and a must have!""--T. Christa Guilbaud, Lecturer, Learning Design and Technology, UNC at Charlotte ""Looking for a single resource to inform your accessibility work? Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices, and Professional Development is it! This go-to collection of writings shares insights and practices on a wide range of accessibility topics, from helpful primers on the subject to guidance for course design and professional development efforts. I found the guide to be a valuable reference book that I will return to time and again. A must-have resource!""--Ann H. Taylor, Penn State University ""Quality Matters has long held accessibility as an indicator of quality. This book will help everyone involved in digital education find ways to continually improve the accessibility of their courses and inclusivity for students of all abilities. Guide to Digital Accessibility should be required reading for faculty, disability services personnel, teaching and learning staff, online and blended learning leaders, academic technologists, instructional designers, and all involved in making digital content accessible for learners.""--Shannon Riggs, Executive Director, Oregon State University Ecampus, QM Board Member, WCET Steering Committee Member, and author of Thrive Online: A New Approach to Building Expertise and Confidence as an Online Educator, Stylus ""While Guide to Digital Accessibility: Policies, Practices, and Professional Development was written by and for university practitioners and experts, the book will prove an essential resource for every educator. Filled with research-based suggestions and actionable advice, I predict that this book will become part of the standard toolkit of every new and experienced college teacher who cares about equity, access, and accessibility in their physical and digital classrooms.""--Joshua Kim, Director of Online Programs and Strategy, Dartmouth Center for the Advancement of Learning, Senior Scholar at CNDLS, Georgetown University"