Spotlight Feature
Accessibility Audit Pilot
Danae Cowell, Coordinator
What is the purpose of the accessibility audit pilot?
The pilot was begun in August 2016, with the sole purpose of making course content and web content within online courses accessible for students with disabilities.
The pilot’s scope has since grown to include new accessibility initiatives beyond course development, including, but not limited to, Graduate School/Stout Online (GSSO) staff and campus accessibility training sessions; campus collaborations on accessibility; universal design for learning activities; and, counter-narrative research on students with disabilities.
How does this project serve our online students?
The pilot provides our students with accessible course and web content in their online courses. The content is tested prior to the start of the course against the common assistive technologies found at Stout to ensure it is accessible with most variations of the technologies.
How does it serve our online instructors?
Having a course accessibility service on campus for our online instructors eliminates the need for them to learn the accessibility laws and procedures on their own. Instead, they can create accessible online course content in partnership with the GSSO’s instructional design team.
In the future, we will offer accessibility training as professional development, so online instructors can add this information, knowledge and skills to their online teaching toolboxes.
Is there an advisory group and, if so, who serves on it?
Yes, an accessibility audit pilot advisory board was established this year, overseen by Jamison Patrick, GSSO senior instructional designer. It is comprised of a representative from Disability Services, Instructional Resources Service, Learning Technology Services, Nakatani Teaching and Learning Center, University Library and University Marketing, as well as Dr. Bethanne Shriner, program director for the BS in Human Development and Family Studies online program; Joan Vandervelde, course vendor for UW-Stout’s School of Education; alumna Laurisa Titterud, Kraus-Anderson Construction; and Dr. Justin Small, St. Catherine University.
Lastly, we are currently working to recruit a UW-Stout student to fill our open student advisor role.