Digital Accessibility Institute
Learn how to create accessible digital content across multiple formats—including Word, PowerPoint, PDFs, video, and more—at NIU’s first Digital Accessibility Institute. Designed for university faculty, staff, and graduate assistants, the Institute offers a flexible series of online and in‑person sessions that focus on practical strategies, real‑world examples, and time‑saving tips you can apply right away.
Choose from sessions that fit your roles and interests—whether you design course materials, share information on websites, collaborate with colleagues, or create public‑facing documents. Attend one session, build momentum across several, or engage with the full Institute experience.
Join us as we strengthen our shared commitment to inclusive teaching, learning, and communication—and take meaningful steps toward enhancing the experience of all NIU students, colleagues, and community members.
Sessions
Register for one, two, or many sessions based on your interest and availability. Sessions are online unless otherwise indicated.
Tuesday, May 12
This opening session of the Digital Accessibility Institute sets the stage by exploring why digital accessibility matters now more than ever. We will discuss the impact of inaccessible content, introduce the changes to Title II regulations, and provide an overview of what it means for digital materials to be truly accessible.
Ensure everyone can fully engage with the documents you share, whether in a course, on a website, or directly with colleagues. In this hands‑on workshop, you’ll explore practical strategies for making Word documents accessible to a wide range of users, including those who rely on assistive technology such as screen readers. You’ll learn how to use Word’s built‑in Accessibility Checker effectively and apply best practices for formatting and document design. By the end of the session, you’ll be better prepared to create accessible files that support inclusive communication in teaching, collaboration, and public‑facing work.
Note: This session is in-person.
Do you have a specific accessibility question you would like to discuss with someone? Meet the Accessibility Ambassadors! The ambassadors are a team of experienced and knowledgeable faculty and staff who are available to provide individual guidance and advice as you develop or update content. Simply drop-in during the in-person office hours or schedule a virtual meeting. No registration required.
Location: Founders Memorial Library, Room 393
Blackboard Ally is a powerful tool for providing your students with more accessible content. NIU is full of diverse students with unique learning abilities, and Ally allows students more choice in a format that works best for them. In this workshop, you will learn to use feedback from Blackboard Ally to improve their courses' accessibility.
PDFs are commonly used as course materials, but too often they create hidden barriers for students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies (note that PDFs are no longer permitted on NIU websites). While they can be difficult to make accessible, a few fixes can make a big difference. In this workshop led by an accessibility expert from Adobe, we’ll explore practical steps you can take to improve the accessibility of PDFs in your courses. You’ll learn how to check if your PDFs are readable, add tags, adjust reading order, and include headings and alt text.
“Can you share your slides?” It’s often the most common question at the end of any presentation—but sharing slides effectively means ensuring everyone can actually use them. In this hands‑on workshop, you’ll explore practical strategies for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations for a wide range of users, including those who rely on assistive technology such as screen readers. You’ll learn how to use PowerPoint’s built‑in Accessibility Checker and apply best practices for slide layout, visual design, and content structure. By the end of the session, you’ll be better prepared to share clear, accessible slides that support inclusive communication in teaching, collaboration, and public‑facing work.
Small design choices can unintentionally create big barriers. This 30-minute lightning session highlights the most significant digital accessibility pitfalls and explains why they matter. Participants will learn how to recognize these issues quickly and walk away with practical tips for avoiding them
Wednesday, May 13
This session, Dr. Natalie Andzik introduces common types of assistive technology and explores how they are used to access digital information, such as course materials and websites. You will gain insight into why file accessibility is essential for effective use of these tools and how inaccessible documents can create real barriers.
The course syllabus is an essential component of your course and should be precise, clear and accessible. A syllabus is often the first means of communication between you and all your students. In this hands-on workshop, you will work to improve the accessibility of your own syllabus, learning valuable skills in the process.
Do you have a specific accessibility question you would like to discuss with someone? Meet the Accessibility Ambassadors! The ambassadors are a team of experienced and knowledgeable faculty and staff who are available to provide individual guidance and advice as you develop or update content. Simply drop-in during the in-person office hours or schedule a virtual meeting. No registration required.
Location: Founders Memorial Library, Room 393
Alternative text is essential for making visual content accessible to users of assistive technology—but writing good alt text requires more than just describing what you see. In this workshop, participants will learn how to write meaningful, context‑appropriate alt text for a variety of visuals, including photographs, charts, graphs, and diagrams. Through examples and practice, you’ll explore how purpose and audience shape alt text decisions and when more detailed descriptions are needed.
Captions and transcripts are essential for making videos and other multimedia accessible to a broad audience, including deaf and hard‑of‑hearing users, multilingual learners, and anyone accessing content in sound‑limited environments. In this workshop, you will learn why accurate captions matter, common captioning pitfalls, and practical strategies for captioning videos and multimedia content effectively.
PDFs are commonly used as course materials, but too often they create hidden barriers for students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies (note that PDFs are no longer permitted on NIU websites). While they can be difficult to make accessible, a few fixes can make a big difference. In this workshop led by an accessibility expert from Adobe, we’ll explore practical steps you can take to improve the accessibility of PDFs in your courses. You’ll learn how to check if your PDFs are readable, add tags, adjust reading order, and include headings and alt text.
Accessibility starts long before a tool or platform is implemented. This 30-minute lightning session introduces key accessibility considerations for selecting software, digital tools, and vendor‑provided content. You will learn essential questions to ask vendors and practical guidance to help ensure that purchased products can be used by everyone—from day one.
Thursday, May 14
Join Sarah Garner, J.D., NIU's Ethics and Compliance Officer, to learn more about Title II accessibility regulations and how recent updates have reshaped expectations for digital content and services. Participants will learn what Title II requires, what has changed, and why these changes matter for everyday work across NIU. The session clarifies key terms, timelines, and responsibilities, offering practical context to help organizations and individuals better understand their role in creating accessible digital experiences.
Ensure everyone can fully engage with the documents you share, whether in a course, on a website, or directly with colleagues. In this hands‑on workshop, you’ll explore practical strategies for making Word documents accessible to a wide range of users, including those who rely on assistive technology such as screen readers. You’ll learn how to use Word’s built‑in Accessibility Checker effectively and apply best practices for formatting and document design. By the end of the session, you’ll be better prepared to create accessible files that support inclusive communication in teaching, collaboration, and public‑facing work.
Do you have a specific accessibility question you would like to discuss with someone? Meet the Accessibility Ambassadors! The ambassadors are a team of experienced and knowledgeable faculty and staff who are available to provide individual guidance and advice as you develop or update content. Simply drop-in during the in-person office hours or schedule a virtual meeting No registration required.
Location: Founders Memorial Library, Room 393
Ensuring accessible course materials isn’t just about remediating existing files—it’s also about choosing materials that are accessible from the start. In this session, you will learn how you can leverage University Library collections to replace inaccessible content with inclusive, high-quality alternatives. Learn about accessible digital resources such as eReserves, Open Educational Resources (OER), streaming video, eBooks, and instructional tutorials, and how the Library can support your accessibility and course design goals.
“Can you share your slides?” It’s often the most common question at the end of any presentation—but sharing slides effectively means ensuring everyone can actually use them. In this hands‑on workshop, you’ll explore practical strategies for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations for a wide range of users, including those who rely on assistive technology such as screen readers. You’ll learn how to use PowerPoint’s built‑in Accessibility Checker and apply best practices for slide layout, visual design, and content structure. By the end of the session, you’ll be better prepared to share clear, accessible slides that support inclusive communication in teaching, collaboration, and public‑facing work.
Note: This session is in-person.
Every learner brings a unique identity, background, and ways of engaging with knowledge. This virtual workshop introduces faculty to the newly updated Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 framework—CAST’s evidence-based educational approach to removing barriers in learning. Grounded in the principle of designing for learner variability from the outset, the workshop equips faculty to create learning environments that optimize germane cognitive load, deepen students’ motivation, and cultivate long‑term strategic learning skills. Explore the three core principles of Engagement, Representation, and Action & Expression, and discover how UDL 3.0’s new focus on learner agency can transform your course design.
Recognition for Participation
Those who participate in at least seven sessions during the Institute will be recognized with a certificate of participation.
Registration Information
Register separately for each session using the links above. The Institute is open to NIU faculty, instructors, graduate teaching assistants, and SPS and Civil Service staff.