Digital Accessibility in Action: A Hands-on Course

Spring 2019  -  Sign Up Here

IT is pleased to offer a learning opportunity this spring in providing equal access to information for all users of all abilities. We hope you will join us to deepen your understanding of accessibility as it relates to documents, web pages, and media.

This course will take advantage of a new offering available to Amherst employees: online courses in digital accessibility through DeQue University. This three-part course includes two face-to-face workshop sessions spaced four weeks apart. In the time between these sessions, participants will review the DeQue online resources and complete a digital-accessibility-related project relevant to their department, all with the support and guidance of ATS staff.

We expect that the individualized and experiential nature of this course will make it useful even to those of you who have attended previous training sessions. In order to benefit most from this course, it’s important to attend both face-to-face sessions.

This course is presented by Academic Technology Services and will be led by Dr. Shivaji Kumar, Amherst’s new IT Accessibility Specialist. The expected time to complete this course is approximately 3 to 4 hours over a four week span.

Schedule & Sessions

Workshop 1 of 2: In Person

Thursday, March 21st, 10 -11 a.m. (this session currently full)
-or-
Friday, March 22nd, 10 - 11 a.m.

An experiential introduction to digital accessibility and orientation to DeQue resources. Participants will identify a specific goal or project they would like to pursue.

Online Phase: Independent, Supported Work

March 25- 29: Participants review DeQue university online materials, with a focus on document and web accessibility
April 1-10: Participants pursue their identified project or goal, with option for individual consultations with ATS staff.

Workshop 2 of 2: In Person

Wednesday, April 10th, 10 - 11 a.m.
-or-
Friday, April 12th, 10 - 11 a.m.

We will take a deeper dive into specific elements of digital accessibility, guided by the suggestions and experience of participants. By the end of this session, participants would have applied at least one strategy to enhance digital accessibility in their professional work. Participants will share their progress and/or challenges around their goals or projects, and identify next steps and supports needed.

Sign Up Here or contact Shivaji Kumar with any questions, thanks!