Key Takeaways

1. An accessible OER is a resource that is adapted to a variety of disabilities and learning abilities
2. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) requires that web content comply with WCAG 2.2, level AA
3. For an OER to be accessible, it is essential to consider its structure, the legibility of the text, descriptive hyperlinks, tables, alternative texts for images, colour contrast, as well as captioning and transcripts of audio or video content
4. Even if an authoring platform or application complies with accessibility standards, OER authors are responsible for ensuring that their added content is accessible
5. Everyone benefits from accessibility best practices

Useful Resources

• Amanda Coolidge, Sue Doner, Tara Robertson, and Josie Gray. (2018). Accessibility Toolkit – 2nd Edition. BCcampus.
• Canada School of Public Service. (2021). Making Documents Accessible
• Council of Ontario Universities, Accessible Campus
• Darla Benton Kearney. (2022). Universal Design for Learning (UDL) for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA)
• Inclusive Design Research Centre, Inclusive Learning Design Handbook
• Jacqueline Anderson, Helen Camacho, Ieva Jean, Ingi Hong and Scott Baker, Designing with Intent, Ontario Tech
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 (2024)

Module Map

Unsure of where to go from here? Navigate with ease using the module map to chart your course!

Attributions

• Government of Ontario. Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Annual Report 2019
• Digital Education Strategies, WCAG Principles, Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy. The Chang School,  CC BY-SA
• OCADU, Understanding Web Accessibility, Inclusive Design Research Centre,  CC BY
• Jessica Blackwood and Kate Brown, Accessible Digital Content Training
• BC Campus Open Education, Accessibility Toolkit – 2^nd Edition,  CC BY 4.0
• Pressbooks, Make Your Book Accessible and Inclusive, Pressbooks User Guide, CC BY 4.0