There are three aspects of accessibility that are key here: 1) technological accessibility for students that may have challenges with reading/seeing/hearing digital files and content; 2) accessibility for students with psychological and/or learning differences that require certain accommodations such as extra time to process materials or additional exam time; and 3) accessibility for students with limited access to resources like computers, stable internet service or funds for course materials.

1. Technology

Ensure all files, images, videos and other posted content are accessible. Here, accessibility primarily means that visual content can be clearly translated by a screen-reader (for those with visual impairments) and that audio content has visual captions. For several years already, San Diego State has been urging faculty to make sure that their syllabi are in accessible formats but ALL instructional materials should be accessible:
- Word documents: ITS has lots of great resources, including a series of short tutorials that walk you step by step through using alt text, styles, and other components of Word that help ensure your document can be easily read by a screen reader
- PDF files: See Adobe’s guidance to Create and Verify PDF Accessibility
- Images: See lots of examples of image descriptors plus an explanation of the difference between Alt text, descriptions and captions in these Guidelines for Creating Image Descriptions from the American Anthropological Association
- PowerPoint: Microsoft has a nice grid of things to think about in Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible. One point a lot of us forget is that when we use color for emphasis or contrast (a particularly common practice with charts and pie graphs), anyone who is color blind won’t be able to see color differences.
- Videos: Zoom and YouTube can automatically transcribe recorded (Zoom) or uploaded (YouTube) videos; Google slides and Powerpoint will create captions on the fly (and you can even translate captions to different languages in Powerpoint)
Don't forget to check whether content is mobile-friendly. Students do a LOT on their phones/tablets. An easy way to see how any digital content will look on a phone is to check it on your own phone first.
One benefit of the pandemic has been an increase in resources around accessibility for instructors: See SDSU's site on Supporting student accommodations in the virtual learning environment; Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 from Mapping Access and Ten Steps Toward Universal Design of Online Courses from the University of Arkansas for additional ideas and resources. The Association on Higher Education and Disability also has some great resources around Higher Education Access in the Time of Coronavirus.
The website for SDSU's Accessible Technology Initiative also provides a wealth of resources around accessible social media;, core skills like color, headings, links and tables; and tools that can be used to check the accessibility of your materials.

2. Accommodations

Provide approved accommodations for students who present accommodation letters from the Student Ability Success Center. All instructors are required to include language in their syllabus about disability accommodations. One thing to keep in mind is that student needs can vary with modality: students who may not ask for accommodations in a face-to-face class may find they need them in a fully online course, or vice versa.

3. Resources

Consider variation in students’ access to computers and stable internet service. Students can always use SDSU’s campus computer labs but doing so may limit their ability to participate in online synchronous class sessions. Even if they have access to a computer and stable internet, students may be sharing that computer with others or have limitations on data and bandwidth, so consider taking steps to make things easier for them, such as using files that can be downloaded and viewed offline.
- Ask students what they have and know, as well as what they need (see sample surveys from Andrea Kaston Tange and in this article on Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19).
- If you’re doing asynchronous lecture/discussion, consider audio-only (podcast) recordings to go with annotated slides instead of a full video recording
- See additional suggestions from Pedagogy Playground
Advocates for Open Educational Resources (OER) have long encouraged faculty to reduce the cost of course materials for students by using materials that are free. The Library's guide on OER @SDSU for Faculty is a great place to start for more information.

Learn More

The CSU provides multiple virtual training programs to learn more about best practices in technological accessibility.
Ability Ally, hosted by the Student Ability Success Center (SASC) and is designed to establish disability partners and advocates across the San Diego State University campus. Upon completion of the Ability Ally seminar, allies will be able to create a safe, supportive, and understanding environment for students with disabilities. In addition to supporting students who are already connected with SASC, an ally will have the knowledge to support and provide resources to students who are not yet connected with the Student Ability Success Center. See the SASC website for current dates.
SASC also has resources for faculty and staff on their website, including information on understanding disabilities, instructional strategies, and communicating with people with disabilities.