Accessibility Training Opportunities

• Date Offered: April 8, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
• Speaker: Lindsey Sharp
• Contact: Lindsey Sharp (lmsharp@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required:

Register for the April 8 Workshop, Make Your Canvas Courses Accessible

Workshop Description:

Canvas websites must be accessible for all students, but don't panic! This hands-on workshop will cover what to look for and several tools to help you find and fix issues.

In this training session, you'll learn how to:

• Use the text editor to create a navigable page structure
• Write effective alt text for images and charts
• Ensure readable color contrast
• Design accessible tables and links.
• Use Canvas accessibility tools, including checkers to find and fix common issues
• Use tools in Illinois Media Space caption videos. We'll also cover how to use a number of accessibility checkers to find and fix common issues.

By the end of this session, you'll have the confidence you need to create Canvas course sites that meet State and Federal accessibility standards

• Date: April 22, 2025, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speaker: Ann Fredricksen and Bob Dignan
• Registration: Registration is required: Register for Integrating Audio Description into Presentations and Videos.
• Contact: Ann Fredricksen (ajfredr1@illinois.edu)

Workshop Description:

This hands-on workshop will help you integrate Audio Description (AD) into your workflow, making visual content accessible from the start rather than as a post-production fix. You'll learn to replace vague cues like "As you can see here" with rich, meaningful descriptions that enhance accessibility and reduce technical hurdles.

By the end of this workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Identify the fundamentals of audio description practice
• Write and voice visual aid descriptions in your discipline
• Optimize presentation preparation and workflows to reduce and eliminate audio description

IMPORTANT: 

• If you present visuals during teaching/presenting (most often a PowerPoint with images), please bring a sample presentation. We'll leverage small groups to apply concepts and offer feedback.
• If your context is more video/media production, bring a representative sample of that work.
• If you do not have a sample presentation, we'll guide you in our workshop on alternatives to facilitate your participation.

Full Workshop Description

Audio Description (AD) is a practice of using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey visuals; benefitting people who are blind or have low vision. The visual is made verbal. Producing descriptions after presentations are recorded, or after videos are finalized, incurs many technical hurdles and educational limitations. Conversely, if material is presented with AD included (a variation known as "integrated description"), several post-production and video dissemination steps are assuaged alongside additional benefits! In this workshop, we'll build skills in writing and integrating description into your existing workflows; turning your inadvertently inaccessible "As you can see here," into a description rich with context and significance.

• Date Offered: April 29, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
• Speakers: Lindsey Sharp, Nancy Hightower, Sydney Flowers, and Priya Pradeep
• Contact: Lindsey Sharp (lmsharp@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the April 29 Workshop, Checking Documents for Accessibility

Workshop Description:

Documents must be proactively accessible for all students. This hands-on workshop will cover what to look for and several tools to help you find and fix issues. You'll learn how to scan multiple document types for accessibility issues and remediate them.

• Date Offered: May 6, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson and Nancy Hightower
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the May 6 Workshop, Make Your MS Word Documents Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Word documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in Word and then jump right into practice.

You'll learn how to:

• Use the Styles tool to create a clean, navigable document structure
• Write effective alt text for images and charts, ensure readable color contrast and design accessible tables and links
• Use the MS Word Accessibility Checker to find and fix common issues

By the end of this session, you'll be ready to create inclusive documents for all.

• Dates Offered: March 27, 1:00 - 2:00 PM and May 27, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson, Rayna Bell, and Nancy Hightower
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the March 27 Workshop, Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible
Register for the May 27 Workshop, Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your PowerPoint presentations accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PowerPoint and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

• Create clear, accessible slide content
• Utilize accessible visuals
• Structure slides for logical navigation, making sure your multimedia content is inclusive
• Use PowerPoint's built-in Accessibility Assistant to find and fix common issues

By the end of this workshop, you'll be crafting inclusive presentations that captivate your audience.

• Dates Offered: March 25, 2:00 - 3:00 PM and June 3, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speaker: Lori Lane and Marc Thompson
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the March 25 Workshop, Make Your Excel Spreadsheets Accessible
Register for the June 3 Workshop, Make Your Excel Spreadsheets Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets accessible for everyone! In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in Excel and then jump right into practice.

You'll learn how to:

• Create tables in Excel that are accessible using techniques like freezing column and row labels
• Name cells and cell ranges to help screen reader users
• Work with visual space to enhance readability
• Work with charts, graphs, and color in Excel
• Use the Excel Accessibility Assistant to find and fix common issues

By the end of this session, you'll be on your way to creating inclusive spreadsheets that meet State and Federal accessibility standards.

• Date Offered: April 15, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson and Jenny Schwartzberg
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the April 15 Workshop, Using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Tool

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed on using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide to make Canvas pages more accessible for everyone! In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with an overview of the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide, how it functions, what the various errors, alerts, structural elements, and features mean, and how to fix these issues on a Canvas page. Then we'll jump into some hands-on practice using the Canvas Accessibility Guide to evaluate the accessibility of Canvas pages and remediate basic accessibility issues. We'll discuss the limitations of the tool and what still needs to be checked manually using basic digital accessibility principles.

By the end of this workshop, you'll understand how to fix Canvas pages using the Pope Tech Canvas Accessibility Guide tool and be well on the way to creating inclusive Canvas pages that meet State and Federal accessibility standards.

• Dates Offered: March 4, 2:00 - 3:00 PM and May 13, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson and Lori Lane
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the March 4 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 1
Register for the May 13 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 1

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on the basics of making your PDF documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PDF and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

• Create a PDF from an accessible Word document
• Use Acrobat Pro to identify the basic architecture of that PDF, such as adjusting the reading order and tab order, using the table editor and adding alternative text description to images 

By the end of this workshop, you'll be on your way to creating PDF documents that are more inclusive.

Important: To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). U of I, UIS, and UIC faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U of I Webstore.

• Dates Offered: March 11, 2:00 - 3:00 PM and May 20, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Lori Lane and Marc Thompson
• Registration: Registration is required.
• Contact: Lori Lane (lorilane@illinois.edu)

Register for the March 11 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 2
Register for the May 20 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 2

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your PDF documents accessible for everyone on campus. We'll cover common accessibility challenges in PDF and use practical solutions. You'll learn how to:

• Use Acrobat Accessibility Checker to identify issues
• Repair the PDF and make it accessible
• Determine when to send complex PDFs to a remediation specialist

You'll be on your way to creating inclusive and accessible PDF documents and meeting State and Federal accessibility standards.

Important: To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). U of I, UIS, and UIC faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U of I Webstore.

• Date Offered: April 17, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
• Speakers: Julie Baker and Riana Beachy-Hasenick
• Registration: Registration is required.
• Contact: Julie Baker(juliemb@illinois.edu)

Register for the April 17 Workshop, Make Your Moodle Courses Accessible

Workshop Description:

In this hands-on workshop, we will cover the key strategies for designing accessible course content in Moodle. Participants will learn how to create accessible headings, tables, lists, and hyperlinks, as well as how to write alt text for images, generate and edit video captions, and incorporate other elements that will help students navigate courses and access information more easily. We'll also discuss the advantages (and limitations) of using Moodle's accessibility checker and screen reader helper. Participants will leave this workshop with the knowledge and resources to create Moodle sites that meet state and federal accessibility standards.

• Date Offered: April 1, 10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
• Speakers:Melanie Grove and Marc Thompson
• Registration: Registration is required.
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)

Register for the April 1 Workshop, Introduction to Quality Matters @ Illinois

Workshop Description:

Looking to enhance your online course design? Join us for an engaging session where you'll discover how Quality Matters (QM) can help you transform your online and hybrid courses. QM provides a rich set of tools and resources to guide you through improving online course quality and optimizing students' learning experiences.

In this brief workshop, you'll learn about:

• The benefits of UIUC's institutional membership with Quality Matters.
• How to set up your QM account to tap into exclusive resources.
• How to access a wealth of curated research on online course quality, exclusive professional development opportunities, and the fully annotated Quality Matters rubric.