Build your digital accessibility knowledge with free UC webinars
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Changes to federal accessibility regulations are taking effect soon. To help colleagues prepare, the UCOP Digital Innovation & Technology team is hosting a multi-session webinar series, Practical Accessibility: Basics You Can Apply Today.
Geared toward beginners and non-specialists, the webinars offer practical guidance on improving the accessibility of everyday digital content through basic techniques and built-in tools you can start using right away.
Upcoming webinars
Select each link to register for each session; listings reflect Pacific Time. Please note that these courses are limited to UC staff, and you must register with your UC email address.
Documents and PDFs
March 6, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Instructor: Brian McNeilly, web accessibility specialist, UCOP
This hands-on session will begin with an introduction to accessibility, including types of disabilities and the assistive technologies people may use to access digital content. We’ll then move on to designing Word and PDF documents from the ground up with accessibility in mind, focusing on structural elements, image descriptions, tags and reading order. Finally, we’ll cover how to conduct automated scans for assessing completed documents.
Video and Zoom
March 19, 3 – 4 p.m.
Instructor: Brian McNeilly
Videos and virtual meetings require specialized accessibility considerations. In this session, you’ll learn how to ensure your audio/visual content, including live meetings, is as accessible as possible. We’ll cover accessibility requirements for videos, such as when audio descriptions are needed and what to include; captions, including editing or uploading captions after events; and Zoom accessibility features.
Accessibility for the Canvas LMS in an Hour
March 25, 2 – 3 p.m.
Instructor: Rolin Moe, associate vice provost, UC Online
This design-focused webinar can guide anyone building or teaching online courses in the UC LMS system to create accessible courses without becoming a legal expert or developer. You’ll learn how accessibility shows up in everyday decisions like page structure, documents, media, navigation and assessments, and how small, intentional changes can make a big difference for learners. While accessibility regulations are evolving, this session focuses on what works now: clear design, inclusive practices and strategies you can apply immediately in the tools you already use. Learn to recognize, test for and resolve common accessibility errors to maintain inclusive course design over time.
Presentations and Visual Aids
April 2, 12 – 1 p.m.
Instructor: Brian McNeilly
The common presentation structure of static documents with live presentations creates accessibility challenges. In this session, we’ll cover visual adjustments to make presentations more accessible, the use of animations for accessibility and what to include on the screen, versus verbally, to enhance overall accessibility.
For questions about these events, contact Brian McNally.