ERIC - EJ1171774 - Okay, Our Courses Are Online, but Are They ADA Compliant? An Investigation of Faculty Awareness of Accessibility at a Midwestern University, i.e.: inquiry in education, 2016
eric.ed.gov
The purpose of this study was to investigate the current extent of our faculty's familiarity with the rights, responsibilities, and resources pertaining to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Workforce Rehabilitation Act insofar as compliance and accommodations for online courses. Through the collection of data we sought to heighten awareness and encourage faculty members to look at and think about how their online programs and courses are consistent with accessible design, thereby providing a real opportunity for continuous improvement in both course design and implementation. An electronic researcher-created survey instrument revealed that accessibility compliance for sensory disabilities within online courses has not been achieved and a lack of familiarity with the requisite expectations is also very much in evidence. Faculty raised topics such as when courses should be designed to be accessible and who bears ultimate responsibility for compliance. We

This study explores the accessibility of online courses at a Midwestern University. The results show that most faculty are not implementing accessibility features. Instead, they are taking a more reactive approach. When a student with an accommodation enrolls in a course then accessibility features are implemented. There is a need for universities to be more proactive and create accessible documents and video/audio materials. #accessibility