Creating an Accessible Classroom
CLASS offers this general guide to faculty as a starting point to consider different aspects of course design that might unconsciously introduce barriers for students with disabilities. All disabilities exist on a spectrum, and accommodation needs vary from student to student. We encourage faculty to be proactive about creating accessible classrooms and acknowledge that students’ accommodations will still require individualized consideration. Please contact with any questions.
Audio-Visual Content
Audio Descriptions
Audio-visual content should contain voiced descriptions of all essential visual elements. To ensure access to essential visual elements in an assigned video or other multimedia, consider selecting content with audio descriptions or providing access to a description of the visual elements in class or after class.
Captions
All audio-visual content (e.g. videos, podcasts) should have accurate, human-edited captions or a linked transcript. Please prioritize third-party content with accurate captions and consider replacing un-captioned videos with captioned alternatives that still meet your learning objectives. Some video platforms provide auto captions, but these captions may be inaccurate and may not meet your students’ access needs. Please consult with students with captioning accommodations before relying on auto captions.
Any audio-visual content that you produce for your class should be captioned. Wake Forest provides tools like Kaltura that allow you to easily add captions to your video. The Technology Accessibility team in Information Systems provides a Course Captioning Grant to help Wake Forest faculty proactively caption their videos.
If you need to caption course videos to meet a student accommodation request, please contact for additional support.
Class Handouts and Slides
Font Choice
All class materials, regardless of format, should feature fonts that allow access and readability for the broadest audience. Choose simple font types for your classroom materials. When possible, update hard copy classroom materials that may feature inaccessible fonts or other inaccessible style choices.
Small font sizes can create a barrier for some students and will cause strain while reading for all students. If you cannot provide your class materials in a larger font, consider providing a digital copy that students can enlarge. Some students may require enlarged font for physical class materials, and it is typically best practice to consult with students individually to determine what font size meets their access needs.
Visual Contrast
All digital and physical class materials should have strong color contrast. Best practice for color contrast is to select dark fonts on a light background or vice versa. Avoid busy or textured backgrounds if you intend to include text in the foreground.
In addition to strong visual contrast, you should avoid using color as the primary method to communicate meaning. For example, if you include a bar chart on a handout or on a test, do not exclusively identify the bars by their colors in the question.
Review Technology Accessibility’s resources on visual contrast and use of color for additional support, including links to popular online contrast checkers. Consult with the student and if you have questions about an accommodation request.
Textbooks
When selecting required textbooks for your class, prioritize books that are available in multiple formats from the publisher (print, digital, audio). For textbooks with multiple editions, choose the most recent edition when possible: the most recent edition often has the most up-to-date accessibility features.
For books or articles assigned in your class, check if ZSR Library has a digital version of the book or the article in their extensive collections. Many ebooks are available for partial or full download through ZSR, which allows students to use the files with their reading technology of choice. Journal articles are also often available in accessible, digital formats through ZSR, and you can link directly to the article in its respective database to take advantage of any accessibility updates to the journal’s catalog.
Additional Resources:
Planning for an Accessible Classroom
Planning for an Accessible Classroom for Visual & Hearing Disabilities