Faculty and Staff Resources

Digital Accessibility

We know that accessible digital content is important to you. We are working on creating our own materials, so be sure to check back here often for updates. If you are new to digital accessibility, start with the basics below. If you're ready for more advanced resources, you can explore the options on the left side of this page. 

Syllabus Statement

An accessibility statement is a required item on any syllabus and is considered an essential element of Hope College course syllabi by the Provost's Office. It can be as simple as:

If you have questions about access or are a student needing accommodations for a disability, please contact me. I will ask that you connect with Disability and Accessibility Resources if you haven't already.

Captions

Anticipate the need for captions. Recorded video can be captioned with software programs, manually or by using third party vendors such as rev.com. Some platforms or software use artificial intelligence (a.i.) to produce live captions. A great place to start learning about the options available to you is CIT's Online Teaching Tools or reaching out to them directly. For some students, a.i. captions are not enough to ensure access. If this is the case, we will help you make sure your course material is accessible.

Accessible Documents

 This topic is complicated, but we don't want you to feel overwhelmed by it! Small changes to how you create documents will provide access to course materials for all students. The University of Minnesota's AccessibleU has seven core skills to help you get started. If you are interested in learning more, check out the resources below or visit our page on document accessibility.

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Creating Accessible Course Content (Hawkes Learning)
• Formatting an Accessible Syllabus (YouTube) (University of Minnesota)

WHY ACCESSIBILITY?

Accessibility is about being proactive. Hope is legally required to ensure that our physical spaces, electronic content and learning environments are accessible for students with disabilities. With a little more thought and planning during the beginning stages, we can create accessible and inclusive experiences from the outset rather than attempt to retrofit a program, event or course when a student runs into a barrier.

WHAT ARE REASONABLE ACCOMMODATIONS?

When we are not able to create inherently accessible environments, reasonable accommodations can be provided to mitigate barriers. Reasonable accommodations refer to modifications or adjustments to the materials, tasks, methods or environment that allows students equal access to academic content, programs and student life. 

FACULTY RIGHTS

• Maintain the academic integrity of your course(s). If you believe an approved accommodation impacts the academic integrity of your course, please contact us. You can also review the Dispute Resolution process in the Faculty Guide. 
• Require students to demonstrate mastery of essential knowledge and competencies of course content.
• Expect the same behavior standards are met by each student in your course.
• Request academic accommodation verification from DAR of students’ eligibility for any requested accommodations. DAR is the only office designated to review disability documentation and determine eligibility for appropriate accommodations.
• Expect the student to initiate accommodation requests.
• Expect DAR staff to administer exams in a secure and monitored environment.

FACULTY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Maintain confidentiality.
• Identify and establish essential functions, skills, abilities, and knowledge of your course content, and use this information to evaluate all students in your course.
• Provide accommodations only to students who are registered with Disability and Accessibility Resources (DAR). It is not your responsibility to provide accommodations to students who are not registered with DAR.
• Refer students to DAR who have self-disclosed about a disability but may not be registered and could benefit from services.
• Administer accommodations as approved by DAR. Contact DAR to discuss any concerns about an approved accommodation. 
• If students believe accommodations are not meeting disability-related needs, refer them back to DAR.
• Use a syllabus statement and class announcements to invite students to discuss their learning needs.
• Fill out test request forms.
• Be sure course materials are accessible. Contact DAR if you have questions about captioning, transcripts or creating accessible documents. 

STUDENT CONFIDENTIALITY

• Disability-related information shared by students should be treated and protected as confidential medical information. This includes verbal communication, email and printed information. 
• Faculty do not have the right to ask students if they have a disability.
• For those students with documented disabilities, faculty do not have the right to ask about the nature of the disability. However, if students choose to disclose their disability, this information should be treated confidentially.