Tiffany Tijerina is the Program Manager at Affordable Learning Georgia and recorded a lighting talk for Open Ed 2021 that I watched tonight. Tijerina presented “Evaluating OER Accessibility: Open, Digital, and Pedagogical” and described a tool they developed. The tool starts by focusing on open access:
- Can the resource be downloadable in a common format?
- Is the resource designed to be printable in a common page format?
- Does the resource have a responsive design on desktop and mobile devices?
- Does the resource allow for format convertibility without losing its accessibility features?
- Does the resource avoid other barriers of access, such as login requirements, paywalls, and language barriers?
Tijerina explained that the next check the tool performs is for digital access and includes questions or prompts such as:
- Are images readable and include appropriate alternative text and descriptions?
- Do audio files include proper transcription?
- Do videos include accurate and timed captioning in at least the primary language of the video?
- Are headings nested appropriately?
- Are lists properly coded as numbered or bulleted lists?
- Do links include “descriptive text explaining the destination of the URL”?
- Is text emphasis using bold font instead of color?
- Is color use appropriate and avoids using color to convey meaning?
The last category the tool addresses is pedagogical access, and Tijerina explained that they are looking for self-assessment opportunities, incorporation of Universal Design for Learning (when possible),
- Does the resource include self-assessment opportunities before submission?
- Is Universal Design incorporated to encourage, where possible, multiple?
Tijerina did mention that in some cases multiple forms to complete an activity may not be possible or “work with Universal Design” but Tijerina did encourage its use. The lightning talk was only 4:21 minutes long but packed with information. I had to watch it twice pausing several times. The tool and video were shared with the link:
tinyurl.com/opened21-accessibility I would like to learn more about how others are using the tool too.
