Digital Accessibility Online Learning

Please take a moment to gauge your level of familiarity and comfort with designing accessible digital content by answering the Pre Survey questions. You will answer using an Agreement Scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. To take the actual survey, visit Digital Accessibility Pre Survey [External Link]. 

This brief Check for Understanding [External Link] is designed to help you reflect on the four principles of the POUR Framework: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. The questions ask you to identify key ideas from the video and consider how these principles can be applied when creating or sharing digital content. The short-answer reflection gives you an opportunity to connect the framework to your own work and identify one small, practical accessibility improvement you can make.

The Accessible Digital Content Guide [External Link] is a supplemental resource designed to support your understanding and use of the 9 Accessibility Basics. The guide provides practical explanations, examples, and checklists to help you create digital content that is clearer, more inclusive, and easier for all users to access. It can be used as a reference when creating or reviewing materials such as documents, presentations, webpages, newsletters, videos, and classroom posts. As you explore each accessibility basic, use the guide to deepen your understanding, check your work, and make small, intentional improvements that support usability for students, families, staff, and the broader community.

Please take a moment to gauge your level of familiarity and comfort with designing accessible digital content by answering the Post Survey questions. You will answer using an Agreement Scale ranging from Strongly Disagree to Strongly Agree. To take the actual survey, visit Digital Accessibility Post Survey [External Link]. 

Julie Rains is the Instructional Innovation Program Consultant for Rochester Community Schools, where she has worked for over 17 years. A Rochester Community Schools alumna and parent of two children in the district, Julie brings a deeply personal and professional commitment to the RCS community. She has experience teaching kindergarten through twelfth grade and has worked in both special education and general education settings. Julie is dedicated to fostering meaningful, inclusive learning opportunities and positive relationships with students, educators, and colleagues. In addition to facilitating professional learning at the district, county, and state levels, Julie has facilitated adult learning opportunities for over a decade through Project Zero, a research organization at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A lifelong learner and avid reader, Julie is currently a doctoral candidate at Oakland University. She also holds an Education Specialist degree in Educational Leadership from Oakland University, as well as B.S. and M.A. degrees from Michigan State University in Language Arts, Learning Disabilities, and Emotional Impairment.