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Course Dates

Module 1
- Opens: March 3
Module 2
- Opens: March 10
Module 3
- Opens: March 17
Module 4
- Opens: March 24
Module 5 (bonus module)
- Opens: March 31
Closing Date
- Closes: May 28 @ 11:59 p.m. MT

Course Design

Time-Released Modules

This course consists of four Modules (and one bonus Module), delivered one Module at a time, for five consecutive weeks. There are between two (2) and four (4) hours of course activities each week. Some participants will be able to finish each week's course activities in less time than this, while others will require more time. Participants are encouraged to complete each Module's Quizzes and Exam by the end of the week to stay on track. Once a Module is opened, you will continue to have access to it until the Closing Date, sixty (60) days after the first Module opens, excluding weekends and U.S. public holidays.

Independent Study

This independent-study course is designed for an adult learner. Each participant must have the ability to:

Read and follow written and verbal instructions.
Manage her or his time in order to complete the course within the allotted time.
Proactively communicate with the facilitator any issues that will impact his or her ability to complete the course.

Software Requirements

All software should be updated to the most current version available.

Operating Systems

This course requires either of the following operating systems/versions:

Windows
- Windows 7 and newer
Mac
- Mac OSX 10.6 and newer

Browser

Canvas Catalog supports the following browsers/versions:

Chrome
- Chrome 130 and 131
Firefox
- Firefox 133 and 134 (Extended Releases are not supported)
Microsoft Edge
- Edge 129 and 130 (Windows only)
Safari
- Safari 17 and 18 (Macintosh only)

Please note: Canvas Catalog does not support Microsoft Explorer.

Applications

This course requires the following applications/versions:

Microsoft Office 365
- Word and PowerPoint
- Excel*
Adobe Acrobat Professional DC

* Required to complete the optional Module 5.

Course Resources

There are four types of Course Resources:

Canvas Support
Terms
Software Developer Resources
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2)

Canvas Support

Technical support for this course is provided by the Instructure, the developer of Canvas Catalog through:

Canvas Guides: Find answers to common questions.
Chat with Canvas Support: Live chat with Canvas Support!
Canvas Support Hotline: +1-833-713-1203

Terms

Here are some high-level terms that will be used throughout the course. These terms are narrowed to the scope of this course, and may not apply to other contexts.

assistive technology: hardware and/or software that acts as a user agent, or along with a mainstream user agent, to provide functionality to meet the requirements of users with disabilities that go beyond those offered by mainstream user agents.
document: a Word or PowerPoint file, or a PDF created from a Word or PowerPoint file.
image: a generic term for all types of non-text content (pictures, graphics, charts, etc.).
operating system: software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs (Windows or Mac for this course).
PDF (Portable Document Format): a file format used to present and exchange documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating system.
PDFMaker: a plug-in for creating PDFs that is automatically installed into Word and PowerPoint by Adobe Acrobat Professional.
screen reading software (screen reader): a software application that converts digital information into synthesized speech.
screenshot: a digital image captured from a computer monitor.
source (native) document: a Microsoft file in one of two proprietary formats: .docx for Word, and .pptx for PowerPoint.
structure: information in a document that is used by assistive technologies to present content correctly and/or give users the ability to customize the presentation.
user interface: the visual and programming elements that allow a user to interact with software running on a computer system.

Software Developer Resources

You may find it helpful to review some of the resources for creating accessible documents that Microsoft and Adobe have developed. The following pages provide links to webpages and videos related to topics that are covered in this course, organized by operating system:

WCAG 2

WCAG 2 is the de facto "standard" for procurement requirements, discrimination complaints, and accessibility lawsuits. These guidelines are an important tool for measuring and understanding the accessibility of electronic documents.

The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2) are organized into four Principles:

Perceivable - Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
Operable - User interface components and navigation must be operable.
Understandable - Information and the operation of user interface must be understood by all users.
Robust: - Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

There are 13 Guidelines that are organized under these four Principles. In Section 1 of Module 1, in the Overview of Document Accessibility: Part 2 video you will learn about tests called Success Criteria.

Certificate of Completion

Participants that meet the following criteria will earn a Certificate of Completion:

All Section Quiz scores are 100%.
All Module Exam scores are 80% or higher.

Earned Certificates

After the first four weeks of the course, participants that have earned a certificate will see the Grades item "Certificate of Completion Status" assignment marked as "Earned." This status will be updated weekly.

To Request a Certificate of Completion

Participants that have earned a certificate can request it by submitting the Course Certificate Request quiz.

Issue Dates for Requested Certificates

Earned certificates will be issued on two dates:

April 4
May 30

Certificates will NOT be issued between April 5 and May 29, or after May 30.

Enroll inMarch 2025 | Accessible Documents