Thursday, May 15, 2025
Take your awareness of digital accessibility a step further by completing the OLC Accessibility Badge
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people (16% of the world’s population, or 1 in 6 of us) have some form of disability, and the rates of disability are increasing due to population aging and increases in chronic health conditions (WHO, 2023).
Thursday, May 15, 2025 marks the 14th anniversary of Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). This day aims to raise awareness about digital accessibility and inclusion, highlighting the importance of ensuring digital products and platforms are accessible to people with disabilities. GAAD emphasizes the need for universal design principles, encouraging developers, designers, educators, and organizations worldwide to remove barriers in technology and digital content, creating an inclusive environment that benefits everyone.
There are many different ways that you can celebrate GAAD this year, including attending a virtual event, sharing your commitment to accessibility on social media using the #GAAD hashtag, educating your team about inclusive practices, contributing directly to a digital accessibility effort (such as captioning a video), and by checking out the compiled OLC resources below. By getting involved, you can help contribute to creating a more equitable and accessible digital environment for all users.
Leveraging AI for Accessible & Inclusive Learning: Practical Strategies for Diverse Learners
May 28, 2025 | 1pm EST
Join us for an interactive webinar designed to equip educators with practical AI tools and strategies to enhance accessibility and equity. Explore how AI can transform educational content through automated alt text, captioning, and transcription, and support inclusive assessments with rubric creation and personalized feedback. Engage with real-world examples and hands-on demonstrations, learn to identify and mitigate biases, and leave with actionable strategies and resources to immediately foster inclusivity in your course design.
Take your awareness of digital accessibility a step further by completing the OLC Accessibility badge, or join OLC for an upcoming accessibility workshop this summer:
Instructional Designers’ Perceptions of Accessible and Inclusive Online Course Design – Results of this study indicated that instructional designers play a critical role in advocating and advancing initiatives related to designing accessible and inclusive online learning experiences.
The Use of Generative AI to Support Inclusivity and Design Deliberation for Online Instruction – This paper explores how generative AI can streamline content generation processes, enhance adaptability to individual learner needs, and improve feedback mechanisms, ultimately fostering more engaging and inclusive learning experiences.
Signs of Serendipitous Universal Design for Learning in Online Courses – This study suggests that sensemaking could ease instructor transitions from serendipitously implementing strategies aligned with UDL to deliberately designing a course using a robust understanding of UDL as a framework.
Teaching Accessibly and Teaching Accessibility: The Key to Equitable Education – Explores why both teaching accessibly and teaching accessibility matter and how they work together to create a more inclusive education.
Rethinking the Student Experience – Through a personal journey with Cushing’s Disease, the author highlights insights gained into the importance of empathy, accessibility, and proactive support for students with disabilities.
Top Recommendations to Increase the Accessibility & Inclusiveness of Your Presentation – Effective practices and strategies that presenters and educators can utilize to create more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible presentation environments.
OLC Facilitator Spotlight: Wendy MacColl – In this edition of our Facilitator Spotlight Series, Wendy MacColl shares strategies and takeaways for those just starting out on their accessibility journey or setting strategies that scale.
OLC Accelerate showcases groundbreaking research and highly effective practices in online and digital learning across K-12, higher education, and corporate L&D. This event is designed to empower and support leaders, instructional designers, educators, and training professionals by offering a wide range of sessions and activities.
Online Learning Consortium
6 Liberty Square #2309
Boston, MA 02109
617.716.1414