UMB offers resources including practical guidance, training, and checklists to support accessible teaching practices.
Digital accessibility begins with awareness and action across the UMB community. New federal regulations that take effect April 24 require public universities, including UMB, to ensure that their websites, course content, digital documents, and online tools are accessible to the public and students with disabilities to access our programs, services, and activities. Over the next few months, we will be sharing information and tips each week in “The Elm Weekly.”
UMB offers a range of digital accessibility resources to help faculty create course materials that are usable for all learners. Available on the UMB Digital Accessibility website, these resources include practical guidance, training, and checklists to support accessible teaching practices.
The site also features self-paced learning guides, quick-fix tutorials, and discipline-specific resources for areas such as STEM, humanities, and social sciences. In addition, UMB’s Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning offers consultations, workshops, and hands-on support to help faculty create inclusive learning environments.
Faculty are encouraged to continue reviewing course materials — including documents, images, videos, and learning management system content — using accessibility best practices such as structured headings, alternative text for images, and captions or transcripts for media. Built-in accessibility checkers on platforms like Microsoft Office and Blackboard Ally as well as tools like Equidox can help identify and remediate common issues.
These efforts support inclusive learning and help UMB meet updated ADA Title II requirements for digital accessibility. Faculty can explore available resources and training on the Digital Accessibility website as well as the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning website.