Accessibility & UDL

Accessibility and Universal Design for Learning in OER

How accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) support equitable access to course materials, and what to consider when selecting, adapting, or creating OER.

What is accessibility?

Accessible course materials are designed so that students with disabilities can access, navigate, understand, and interact with the content.

OER is not automatically accessible simply because it is free or openly licensed. When selecting or creating OER, faculty should consider accessibility from the beginning.

Basic accessibility practices include:

Use built-in heading styles to organize content.
Add alternative text to meaningful images.
Provide accurate captions for video and transcripts for audio.
Use descriptive link text instead of phrases such as "click here."
Make sure text and background colors have sufficient contrast.
Do not use color alone to communicate meaning.
Use tables for data rather than page layout, and identify table headers.
Make sure PDFs contain searchable text rather than only scanned images.

What is Universal Design for Learning?

Universal Design for Learning, or UDL, is a framework for designing learning experiences that recognize that students learn in different ways.

UDL encourages faculty to anticipate barriers during the design process rather than waiting until students encounter them.

The CAST UDL Guidelines are organized around three main principles:

Engagement — the "why" of learning. Provide meaningful ways for students to connect with and engage in learning.
Representation — the "what" of learning. Present important information in different ways when appropriate.
Action and Expression — the "how" of learning. Provide different ways for students to interact with course content and demonstrate learning when the course objective allows it.

Accessibility and UDL work together. Accessibility helps ensure that students can access course materials, while UDL considers how course design can reduce barriers to learning for a wide range of students.

Why do accessibility and UDL matter?

Equitable access. Students should be able to use course materials regardless of disability, technology, or method of access.
Better learning experiences. Clear organization, captions, transcripts, descriptive links, and multiple ways of presenting information can benefit all students.
Inclusive course design. UDL encourages instructors to anticipate learner variability rather than designing for one "typical" student.
OER flexibility. Open licenses may allow faculty to revise and improve materials when accessibility or usability barriers are identified.

How do I check an OER for accessibility?

Before adopting an OER, review the resource rather than assuming that the platform or publisher has made it accessible.

Check the following:

Structure. Does the resource use clear headings, lists, and logical navigation?
Images. Do instructional images include meaningful alternative text or descriptions?
Multimedia. Are videos accurately captioned and audio materials accompanied by transcripts?
Links. Does link text describe the destination or purpose of the link?
Color and contrast. Is the text easy to read, and is information communicated by more than color alone?
Tables. Are tables simple, used for data, and provided with appropriate headers?
Documents. Are PDFs and other files searchable and accessible to assistive technology?
Platform accessibility. Does the OER provider offer an accessibility statement or accessibility documentation?

If you discover a barrier, check the OER license. One advantage of openly licensed materials is that you may be able to revise the resource to improve accessibility.

How do I use UDL with OER?

You do not need to provide every piece of content in every possible format. Instead, look for unnecessary barriers and consider where flexibility would help students meet the course learning objectives.

Examples include:

Provide text along with meaningful images, diagrams, or demonstrations when they support understanding.
Caption video and provide transcripts for audio.
Explain unfamiliar terminology and symbols.
Connect new information to prior knowledge.
Clearly communicate learning goals and expectations.
Break larger projects into manageable stages.
Provide examples or models of successful work.
Allow different ways of demonstrating learning when the format itself is not part of the learning objective.
Offer meaningful choices when appropriate.
Provide opportunities for students to monitor their progress and receive feedback.

Creating or adapting OER?

Build accessibility into the material as you create it rather than trying to repair the resource at the end.

When creating Word documents, PowerPoints, PDFs, Canvas pages, videos, or other instructional materials:

Use the accessibility tools built into the software.
Check heading structure and reading order.
Add alt text as images are added.
Create descriptive links.
Caption multimedia.
Check color contrast.
Use accessible tables.
Review documents with an accessibility checker.

Automated accessibility checkers can identify many common problems, but they do not identify every accessibility issue. Materials still require human review.

Accessibility and UDL Resources

Accessibility Resources

ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative — Accessibility and Universal Design
Accessibility guidance and resources specifically for California Community College faculty working with OER.
ASCCC OERI Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Anti-Racism (IDEA) Framework
The IDEA Framework was created to support faculty in pursuing culturally relevant and anti-racist pedagogy through the use and creation of Open Educational Resources. The framework serves as both a guide for creating new OER and a lens for evaluating existing resources.
CCC Accessibility Center
Training, tools, resources, and guidance for creating accessible instructional materials.
Barstow Community College Accessibility
Information about BCC's commitment to accessible digital content and applicable accessibility standards.
Butte College — OER and ZTC for Faculty: Accessibility
Faculty-focused guidance and resources for evaluating and creating accessible OER.

Universal Design for Learning Resources

CAST UDL Guidelines 3.0
The current Universal Design for Learning framework, including strategies for Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression.
California Community Colleges — CAST UDL Guidelines
An overview of the CAST UDL framework developed for the California Community Colleges.
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and the 2027 CVC Course Design Rubric
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that helps educators design learning experiences that anticipate learner variability and reduce barriers to learning before they occur.
BCC Teaching and Learning Support Center
Faculty professional development and teaching resources, including Universal Design for Learning.
Distance Education and Instructional Technology Committee (DEITC)
The Distance Education and Instructional Technology Committee (DEITC) develops guidelines and policies aligned with the California Community College Online Education Initiative.