Accessibility for Instructional Design and eLearning

A UDL-rich eLearning experience for all

Event Description

Much has been done and said about accessible Web pages, documents, and apps: yet the instructional design world remains challenged by development tools that are often weak regarding accessibility, especially when we take into account the variety of devices in use by online learners today and the shift to distance learning.

Whether you use Adobe Captivate, Articulate Storyline, Rise, Studio, Canvas, Lectora, ATutor, or hand-coded HTML5, we will de-mystify for you how you can delight all learners (and educators!) while conforming to regulations regarding accessibility for people living with disabilities.

We’ll even get into the accessibility of learning management systems and platforms (such as Blackboard, CogBooks, D2L, Google Classroom, Moodle, Rise.com, SuccessFactors) and SCORM. We can actually reduce your total cost and effort while creating better learning outcomes for all.

We can provide this course tailored to focus specifically on your preferred instructional design platform (such as Articulate Storyline or Adobe Captivate), upon request.

Most adults suffer from some level of disability or difficulty at times, and these can be mitigated through accessible technologies. And when we design for the extremes, everyone benefits.

Especially during the pandemic, we’ve learned that the challenges of learning remotely are essentially a basket of temporary disabilities for all participants … so when we can design courses that can work even when vision, sound, mobility, or full cognitive function are even temporarily unavailable, we’re not just accommodating people with extreme challenges. We’ll actually have succeeded in creating a more robust learning environment that can delight everyone.

Not only will you comply with the standards and regulations (WCAG, EN 301 549, Revised Section 508, ADA, ACA, AODA, UDL,…): you’ll be broadening the audience for your content while enriching the experience of all learners. You’ll learn immediately applicable tips and techniques in this powerful course.

“Inspiring, engaging … techniques I can use.”

– Liv Stenersen, Government Administration Services, Oslo (Norway)

Our course includes a thorough review of every pertinent standard that applies to accessible eLearning, including policies and regulations that call for WCAG Level A and AA compliance. We’ll cover everything from storyboarding to testing.

Not only will you leave with ideas you can use right away, but you may also gain a whole new attitude toward how technology can improve lives. By the end of the course, you will not only be aware of why accessibility and standards affect everyone: you’ll be equipped with a thorough understanding of the best strategies to approach what needs to be done and how.

Computer-mediated accessibility to information represents the greatest liberation in human history. Most people in our societies have some sort of physical or mental difficulty which can stand in the way of clear communication unless proper design steps are taken… and for the first time it is possible to include everyone online.

“Good Pace. Easy to understand.”

-Vanessa Maynard, LCBO- Corporate Learning and Development

Each participant leaves with a comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every relevant accessibility success criterion.

“Great job! Made it easy to understand!”

– Raymond Cornell, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety

“Excellent.”

– Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern, Affairs Canada

What’s Wrong

Although many professional instructional designers now strive to create eLearning products with an awareness of e-accessibility, it’s still way too difficult to get it done. Instructional design teams are faced with the daunting challenge of rising accessibility standards and regulations. This is coupled with the general inadequacy of the current eLearning authoring tools and platforms to make it obvious and simple how to create products that comply with WCAG Level A and Level AA success criteria. Too many online courses continue to be designed based on assumptions that don’t address the specific needs of remote learners and instructors living with disabilities, thus failing to deliver the promise of distance learning that includes everyone.

“Entertaining.”

– Sjur Kristiansen, Telenor Telecommunications Group

“Eye-opening. Love your method of teaching.”

– Jean Descrochers, National Research Council

“I enjoyed it all.”

– Robert Hallat, Public Service Commission

“Right on target.”

– Marius Monsen, Reaktor ID

What Makes This Course Unique

Our course author, David Berman, is a government consultant on the implementation of accessible online learning experiences and has developed training on this topic for the Canadian federal government, Agriculture Canada, American Psychological Association (APA), Canada School of Public Service, Carleton University, Imagine Learning, IPL, Internet Institute, LCBO, University of Tampa, and Yardstick. He has completed online accessibility projects for many large organizations including Statistics Canada, the National Research Council, and IBM. He has been the project manager of numerous accessible online products and has developed strategy and design for CFIA, CRA, CMHC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, and the International Space Station … as well as many private sector and non-profit organizations.

What You Will Learn

This course is actually two courses in sequence, that can be severed or taken together, depending on your needs. The first portion covers the principles and fundamentals of Universal Design for Learning, and is applicable to all learning environments and instructional design systems. The second portion focuses on creating accessible eLearning courses, tailored to the instructional design tools you use.

You will learn how to make your current and future instructional design more accessible by complying with current standards and guidelines. Specifically, you will learn:

First Half (typical morning of a full-day course)

• why accessibility matters to all learners, not just those with disabilities
• the major disabilities and challenges: what they are and how most of us have some level of difficulty that can be assisted by accessible eLearning
• assistive technologies we can typically use to mitigate these issues
• fundamentals of Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
• examples of accessible online learning
• how accessible templating can reduce effort and save money
• overview of regulations, PDF/UA, eLearning products, LMS products

Second Half (typical afternoon of a full-day course)

• W3C WCAG guidelines and how they apply to eLearning
• current standards (AODA, Section 508, ADA, ACA, EN 301 549, Canada’s Standard on Web Accessibility)
• specific technologies and design techniques used to create accessible eLearning
• specific techniques to save money through accessible design
• optional tailoring: specific accessibility recipes or considerations for the most popular and/or accessible eLearning development environments (Adobe Captivate, Articulate Rise 360, Articulate Storyline, Canvas, CogBooks, Trivantis Lectora, HTML5, PowerPoint, PDF,…)
• specific technologies and design techniques used to satisfy core distance learning issues
• how to avoid tradeoffs
• how to create accessible activities that remain intriguing for all
• testing approaches for accessible online courses

“David really knows his topics. Very well done: got the point across in a way that can be applied to everyone.”

– Sean Strasbourg, CFIA

Goals

At the end of this event, you will:

• know many techniques you can apply right away to make courses, distance learning, and LMS systems more accessible
• have a comprehensive understanding of W3C WCAG and current government accessibility guidelines and how to meet them
• be able to make informed decisions as to what degree to comply with accessibility standards
• understand better the experience of those with disabilities using online learning, presentation, and authoring tools
• know you’re doing the “right thing” by seeking accessibility for all

“Very eye-opening and thought-provoking.”

– Anonymous

What You Get*

• a complimentary, comprehensive 180+ page learning guide, detailing every major accessibility guideline (also available separately for $97 with optional 1-on-1 distance coaching)
• a money-back guarantee: if, after coaching and refresher, you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, we’ll refund your entire fee

(*If you are attending one of our courses hosted by another organization, confirm which of these items apply.)
Register or call 1-613-728-6777… or bring this event to your site: for a keynote, half-day, or full-day event, customized for your group.

Prerequisites: None (no programming experience required)

“This will make us better communicators.”

– Luc Bergeron, SSHRC

“Perfect.”

– Jean Leclair, Environment Canada

About the course developer

David Berman is the principal of David Berman Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications.

David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how universal design and accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.

In 2013, The World Wide Web Foundation had David personally audit the accessibility of benchmark Web sites from over 40 countries for their global report on the state of the Web.

He is an Invited Expert to W3C (the authors of WCAG) and a member of the ISO standards committee on accessible PDF documents.

His book (Do Good Design, Pearson/Peachpit) about how design can be used to create a more just world speaks about universal design and accessibility, and is now available in 6 languages, as well as braille.

He has worked extensively in adapting the printed word for electronic distribution, including software interface development.

He has much experience as a senior consultant in applying accessibility and standards to government Web sites, as well as to private sector clients such as IBM and the Bank of Montreal, both as a strategist and compliance testing/coaching leader. He regularly teaches accessibility principles as part of his professional development workshops, and developed custom workshops for the National Research Council and Ontario’s largest school board. His plain writing, design, and accessibility work include award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government. Clients include Justice Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Health Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition.

David’s opinions have been featured in the Financial Post, the Globe And Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, Marketing, Applied Arts, HOW, and Communication Arts magazines, as well as ABC and CBS.

His arc as an internationally-celebrated expert speaker has brought him to over 60 countries. He is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

David is vice-chair of the IAAP, the International Association of Accessibility Professionals David has served as Ethics Chair of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, was named a Fellow (the highest professional honour for graphic designers in Canada) in 1999, and has served as a director and sustainability chair of Icograda, the world body for graphic and communications design.

Who Should Attend

This course is targeted to all managers, writers, editors, instructional designers, graphic designers, and developers involved in developing eLearning courses and LMS:

• instructional designers and creators
• writers, content owners and editors of course material
• graphic designers who work on eLearning products
• software developers who construct distance learning applications
• quality control team members
• managers who need to get their eLearning compliant with current and future government accessibility standards (e.g. W3C WCAG, Revised Section 508, AODA, ADA)

Language:

English or French.

Duration:

One-day course, half-day course, or keynote presentation (we provide this course tailored/customized on-site for your organization).

“Wonderful handout! The way extra information, like links and explanations, is included works beautifully.”

– Elizabeth Strand, Making Waves, Oslo (Norway)

“Makes you feel you are part of the course.”

– Arup Ghosh, BMO Financial Group

“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”

– Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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Reviewed August 22, 2022