Accessibility of Remote Teaching Tools

As MIT moves courses to an online format, our team is here to provide MIT staff, faculty and students with online resources to help ensure that students with disabilities can access course materials, and that they can fully participate in their classes.  

Document creation and conversion

Need to convert pre-existing documents into accessible formats, create audio files, and convert static documents to editable text? SensusAccess is a self-service document conversion tool available to all MIT students, staff, and faculty.

• SensusAccess (MIT Disability and Access Services)
• Creating Accessible Course Materials (MIT Disability and Access Services)

Accessible Document Information

Adobe Acrobat Pro

• Perform an Accessibility Check in Adobe Acrobat (Adobe)
• Create and Verify PDF Accessibility (Adobe)

Microsoft Word

• Microsoft Word: Creating Accessible Documents (WebAIM)

Google Docs

• Make your document or presentation more accessible (Google)
• Mark Up Headings in Google Docs (YouTube Video by Luis Perez)

Pages

• Creating accessible documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Pages (Apple Support)

Slide Decks and Accessibility

Powerpoint

• PowerPoint Accessibility (WebAIM)
• Making Presentations Accessible for All (W3C)
• Use the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office Products (YouTube Video by Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities )
• Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities (Microsoft)

Keynote

• Creating accessible documents, spreadsheets, or presentations with Keynote (Apple Support)

Google Slides

• How to create an accessible Google Slide Deck (University of Minnesota)
• Automatic captions in Google Slides (Google).
  Note: Automatic captions are not an appropriate substitute for human captioners when it comes to providing access to D/deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

Online Conferencing Tools

Zoom

• Getting Started with Closed Captioning
• Closed Captioning with Zoom Rooms
• Automatic Transcription of Zoom Meetings

WebEx

• Webex Web App Accessibility Features
• IS&T Knowledge Base article on Webex Meeting Recording and Transcription

Polling and Response Tools

In addition to utilizing chat functions in remote conferencing platforms like Zoom, you may be using additional tools that allow you to ask questions and get responses from students.

Poll Everywhere

Poll Everywhere Accessibility Standards has thoughtfully incorporated accessibility into their design. If you use Poll Everywhere as part of a presentation, read aloud the question and response options in addition to showing them in writing, and share the link to the poll in the web conference chat.

Google Forms

Google Forms (University of Minnesota)

Chat and Communication Tools

• Piazza Lite is a more accessible version of the Piazza tool
• Keyboard accessibility in Slack

All inquiries are welcome at accessibility@mit.edu.