Everyday Accessibility
Features built for people with disabilities have a funny habit of becoming everyone’s favorite features. Take captions, for instance. I will absolutely binge an entire season of Ted Lasso with captions on, not because I’m hard of hearing, but because I refuse to miss a single pun. Originally, captions were designed for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. Now they’re the unofficial house style for anyone watching TV in a quiet room, a loud gym, or a public space where narrating one of Ted’s dad jokes out loud might raise questions.
Or take talking to your phone. Every time you ask Siri to set a timer instead of typing it in like some kind of neanderthal, you’re using tech that was originally built for people with mobility disabilities as an alternative to keyboards and pointing devices. Turns out “hands-free” appeals to more than just accessibility; it also appeals to people whose hands are full of groceries, toddlers, or kittens.
To me the pattern is becoming clear: design for the people who need it most, and it ends up serving everyone. North Carolina State University educators originally defined Universal Design as ”a design concept that recognizes, respects, values and attempts to accommodate the broadest possible spectrum of human ability in the design of all products, environments and information systems.” The original Seven Principles of Universal Design were developed by NCSU educators for physical spaces. These principles were later adapted for use in education and are now known as Universal Design for Learning (UDL). So, what does this mean for your Canvas course site?
Think of digital accessibility like elevators and curb cuts. They were built with specific needs in mind, but now benefit parents with strollers, travelers with rolling suitcases, and anyone who’s ever been grateful not to haul a box up a flight of stairs. Accessible course materials work the same way: they don’t just support students with disabilities, they give all learners more flexible, inclusive ways to engage with your content.
Here’s a simple place to start: use clear headings and structured layouts when building pages in Canvas. Headings and structure help screen readers navigate your content, and they also might help every student skim for what they need before a deadline (you know we’ve all been there).
Prioritizing digital accessibility isn’t just about meeting legal standards and institutional policy, though it does that too. It’s a statement about equity, academic excellence, and student success. It’s proactive inclusion that raises the bar for everyone.
And practically speaking? Removing barriers tends to make things faster and smoother for all users.
Accessible design isn’t a detour from good design. It usually is good design.