Student Digital Accessibility Resources

At UMBC, we are committed to fostering an inclusive digital environment for all. As members of our university community, students play a vital role in upholding this commitment by creating accessible digital content.

When you create content for your courses (e.g., discussions, presentations, documents, multimedia projects), for official UMBC social media accounts or websites, as part of a hired or volunteer position, or within the myUMBC platform, please ensure it is accessible. For example:

  • Uploading slides for presentations to a shared community, like a discussion board
  • Posting a video you made for a class project
  • Creating and posting to social media for student organizations
  • Creating and sharing flyers and graphics for events
  • Creating and sharing PDFs, documents, and infographics on myUMBC or department websites for a hired role
  • Writing and posting announcements as a TA or grader when supporting an instructor in a class

Ensuring accessibility includes, but is not limited to:

  • Using clear, descriptive text for web links (e.g., avoid “click here”)
  • Providing alt-text and long descriptions for images
  • Providing captions or transcripts for videos and audio
  • Structuring documents with headings and proper formatting
  • Selecting high-contrast colors and readable fonts

By taking these steps, you help ensure that all members of our diverse community, including those who use assistive technologies, can fully engage with and benefit from the information you share. This site is your student go-to guide for learning digital accessibility best practices, identifying helpful tools, and getting the support you need to navigate UMBC’s digital content with ease.

Report an Accessibility Concern

Quick Reference

FAQs

The following Blackboard Help articles review key aspects of accessible navigation in Blackboard, including navigation with assistive technology.

Ally gives you the flexibility to choose how you access your course materials.

Review Ally features

You can reduce the motion of animations in Blackboard. The setting can be turned on from your device:

  • iOS: Go to Accessibility. Select Motion, then select Reduce motion (on).
  • Android: Go to Settings. Select Accessibility, then select Remove animations (on).
  • Windows: Go to Settings. Select Accessibility, then select Visual effects. Select Animation effects (off).
  • Mac OS: Go to System Settings. Select Accessibility, then select Display. Select Reduce motion (on).

Once turned on, Blackboard animations, such as panels, reduce in non-essential motion.

Audio materials like podcasts, recorded lectures, or interviews can be a great way to learn, but they should always be accessible to everyone. Here’s what you need to know when using audio content at UMBC:

A transcript is a written version of what was said in an audio recording. It includes the words, who said them, and important sounds like [music playing] or [laughter]. Transcripts are useful if:

  • You prefer reading or skimming instead of listening

  • You’re in a noisy or quiet space where you can’t play audio

  • You need help with focus, memory, or processing spoken information

  • English isn’t your first language

If a transcript is missing from something you’re assigned or asked to review, it’s okay to ask your instructor for one.

Sometimes audio content refers to visuals, like “check out this chart” or “look at the slide.” If you can’t see what’s being described, that’s a problem. Good content should include an audio description or a written explanation of what’s being shown. If it doesn’t, ask for help to make sure you’re not missing important information.