This is a short post to tell others about a free resource I came across recently. Quality Matters (QM) is a non-profit organization that provides rubrics and certifications for online and blended courses. While taking an online class from QM, I learned QM maintains the Accessibility and Usability Resource Site (AURS).
Volunteer moderators run the AURS. Most moderators are instructional designers; all are accessibility experts. Covered topics include:
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Alternative text
Video captions and audio descriptions
Hyperlinks
Accessible Microsoft Office products
Readability (color choice and contrast)
Accessible PDFs
Accessible design in learning management systems
Cognitive accessibility, and
Inclusive teaching practices.
The AURS is on Canvas, which is the platform for QM’s professional development courses. Information is presented using SoftChalk, a content authoring system. The site contains documents, videos, and links to other resources organized by topic. Moderators also answer users’ questions on topic-based discussion boards.
Although the AURS is free, to access it, you must first sign up for