Overview

In collaboration with the State Board of Community and Technical Colleges, our instructional design and accessibility teams help develop a series of micro-courses focused on developing concrete skills to improve accessibility.

The micro-courses are housed in one Canvas course which is composed of multiple micro-courses (modules). Each micro-course focuses on a particular topic and/or software program.

Everyone is required to complete the first two micro-courses: Understanding Accessibility & Accessible Design Concepts in order to gain access to the other micro-courses.

Important Enrollment Information:
As of March 2025 all faculty and staff have been automatically enrolled in the micro-courses.

You can find the course shell on your Canvas Dashboard labeled “Accessibility Micro-Courses". If it is not visible, please check all courses list, and email eLearning if assistance is needed.

Courses

The following eight micro-courses are available via this program:

Understanding Accessibility (Required Pre-requisite): This module addresses the difference between access and accommodation, disabilities and barriers, an introduction to assistive technology, and a brief discussion of the laws and policies in WA State that address accessibility in higher ed. It is required that you complete this module in order to access the other modules of the training course.
Accessibility Design Concepts (Required Pre-requisite): This module addresses how certain formatting decisions impact accessibility. The lesson is program-agnostic and focuses more on why certain formatting tools support accessibility and less about how to use them (the how-to lessons are covered in the Skills courses). It is required that you complete this module in order to access the other modules of the training course.
Universal Design: This is a beginner level module in the Accessibility Skills series. The module addresses the concept of universal design, examples in the physical and digital world, strategies for applying Universal Design principles, and core principles of Universal Design for Learning.
Accessible Word Documents: This module addresses accessibility tools in MS Word, determining what level of accessibility is in a Word document (using the automated checker and manual checks), creating an accessible document, and remediating an inaccessible document.
Accessible PowerPoints: This module addresses accessibility tools in MS PPT, determining what level of accessibility is in a PPT slide deck (using the automated checker and manual checks), creating an accessible PPT, and remediating an inaccessible PPT.
Canvas Accessibility: This module addresses accessibility tools in Canvas that support accessible page design as well as tools to support Universal Design and accommodation requests.
Accessible Emails: This module addresses best practices for authoring accessible emails and workarounds when accessibility tools are not available.
Accessible PDFs: This module addresses converting scanned documents to real, searchable text, checking and modifying heading tags, checking images for alt text, and adding alt text if necessary.

Note: It is strongly recommended that you complete Accessible Word Documents prior to completing Accessible Emails and Accessible PDFs.

Recommended Courses For Faculty

Faculty are encouraged to earn the certificate by taking 6 of the following courses. However, it is recommended that you take all eight courses if possible.

Understanding Accessibility (Required Pre-requisite)
Accessibility Design Concepts (Required Pre-requisite)
Universal Design
Accessible Word Documents
Accessible PowerPoints
Canvas Accessibility
Accessible Emails
Accessible PDFs

Recommended Courses For Staff

Staff are encouraged to earn the certificate (6 courses) by taking the following courses. However, it is recommended that staff take all eight courses if possible.

Understanding Accessibility (Required Pre-requisite)
Accessibility Design Concepts (Required Pre-requisite)
Accessible Word Documents
Accessible PowerPoints
Accessible Emails
Accessible PDFs

Submitting Your Certificates

After each micro-course (module), you will earn a certificate. We need to track everyone's training and ask that you save your certificates as separate files and upload each file to our Accessibility Micro-Course Certificates Submission Form. Complete instructions on where to view your badges, how to save these as certificate files, and renaming them for upload are found inside the submission form. As a shortcut you'll want to ensure:

Setup a badgr.io Account
Convert your badge as a certificate - ensuring to choose an option that has your name and date of completion included.
Print the certificate as a PDF
Name the file with identifying information like the topic and your name (PDFs - Bowersox-Johnson-Kevin)

Stipends

Faculty who complete the certification, and uploaded into the Certification Portal, by June 1, 2025, will receive a $200 stipend on a first come, first serve basis.

We have 100 guaranteed stipends available to support your professional development through Spring 2025.

We encourage you to take full advantage of this opportunity to enhance accessibility across our curriculum while earning professional recognition and a stipend. Should you have any questions or require additional support, please do not hesitate to reach out.