General Problems/Barriers:
The transition to an online learning environment has been met with the challenges of making virtual content accessible to all McMaster students, including Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. The goal of accessibility differs from accommodation, which involves giving individual treatments to enable certain individuals to fit into certain environments. The goal of accessibility is to allow everyone to have comfortable and equal access to the same resources without the need for individual fixes [1].
Despite following the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and requiring recorded material - such as lectures, a recorded talk, or a video with audio - to be captioned [1], differently-abled students may still have difficulty accessing this content with the same proficiency (to the same extent) as other students. This is especially true for recorded lectures where the captioning is automated, and thus not always accurate. Echo360 for example, the software that McMaster endorses for lecture capturing, is only 90-95% accurate [1]. The university hasn’t made manually written or non-automated captions necessary and has thus put the responsibility on the student requiring 100% accurate captioning to contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) [1]. Most students can’t expect manually revised automated captions on video without the help of SAS because this resource is limited and its implementation is at the department’s discretion [1]. This puts Deaf and hard of hearing individuals at an automatic disadvantage because they aren’t receiving the same content as readily as other students. Moreover, since course delivery is at the department’s discretion, not all courses are equally as accessible [1]. Many course coordinators post content in inaccessible formats (i.e. not compatible with the assistive technologies that students may use), like PDFs, and many don’t enable closed captioning during the live lecture component of the course, on platforms like Zoom.
These points are highlighted to draw attention to the importance of removing any outstanding barriers that can affect the learning opportunities of a student, so to create an equitable, and accessible workspace for all [2].
Current University Policies Specific to McMaster:
Currently, McMaster has implemented numerous policies to aid the transition from in-person to online schooling. All academic recorded material, including lecture videos, talks, and videos with audio, are required to be captioned using available software by the AODA accessibility guidelines [1]. However, instructors are not required to generate captions beyond what is automatically created by the hosting or streaming service of choice [1]. Software captioning has an accuracy of approximately 90-95%, and therefore, there will be inaccuracies [1]. However, students who require 100% captioning may contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) and Library Accessibility Services (LAS) to ensure access to accurate content [3]. Moreover, modules outlining accessible practices have helped instructors adapt to the virtual platforms. Forward with FLEXibility, for instance, offers teaching and learning resources on accessibility and inclusion [4]. Avenue 2 Learn, Microsoft Teams, and ECHO 360 have all created similar guidelines specific to their platform [5]. Simple practices such as uploading content in accessible format (i.e., Microsoft Word) and using readable font sizes (i.e., 12-18 pt) can have immense benefits [6]. Finally, to accommodate unusual circumstances that may hinder a student’s ability to seek accessibility services, SAS has removed the deadline for accommodation requests, requiring only that the request be made three days prior to the course work of discussion [1]. Overall, McMaster has taken various steps to ensure accessible education to all of McMaster. While there is much space for improvement, we are certainly heading toward the right direction.
Bibliography:
[1] McMaster University. (2020). COVID Response. Accessibility Hub. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://accessibility.mcmaster.ca/covid-19-response/
[2] Council of Ontario Universities. (n.d.). Understanding Barriers to Accessibility. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://accessiblecampus.ca/understanding-accessibility/what-are-the-barriers/
[3] McMaster University. (2020). Library Accessibility Services. Library. Retrieved November 9,
2020, from https://library.mcmaster.ca/spaces/las
[4] McMaster University. (2020). Accessible Education Training for Instructional Staff. Accessibility Hub. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://accessibility.mcmaster.ca/training/accessible-education-training-for-instructional-staff/
[5] Desire2Learn. (2020). Accessibility Compliance. Desire2Learn. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://www.d2l.com/accessibility/standards/
[6] McMaster University. (2020). Alternative Formats. Accessibility Hub. Retrieved November 9, 2020, from https://accessibility.mcmaster.ca/digital-accessibility/alternative-formats/