Introduction

Accessibility considerations in open education adoption have focused on the accessibility of Pressbooks and the embedded media found in Pressbooks. Built through consultation with instructors, teaching assistants, and staff at Brock University who have worked to create and adopt open educational resources (OER) in different disciplinary areas, this resource highlights some considerations in OER that go beyond the accessibility of the Pressbook.

Each chapter focuses on aspects of accessibility such as social justice, sustainability, language, embedded tools, and more significant institutional priorities to support reflective practices and guidance on areas of accessibility that may be forgotten in OER adoption. This resource can help support advocacy for change around accessibility by providing tangible examples and next steps towards more inclusive sharing and creation of resources.

Open educational resources can be an impactful addition to any educator’s toolbox. However, their immense potential coincides with a responsibility to prioritize considerations such as accessibility and disability justice, positionality and reflexivity, funding and sustainability, pedagogical research, and the normalization of accessibility in higher education. This resource offers an exploration of applied OERs and accessibility practices, concerns surrounding OERs and accessibility in the educational environment, and the planning and development of OERs with a focus on accessibility and inclusion.