Teaching Accessibility Fundamental Concepts & Skills

The members of Teach Access have identified a set of Fundamental Concepts and Skills necessary to understand and implement inclusive design and development of technology for people with diverse abilities, including people with disabilities.

We are in the process of updating the Fundamental Concepts & Skills document and expect it to be released in Spring 2025.

Teaching Accessibility Fundamental Concepts & Skills document

Fundamental Concepts & Skills

The Fundamental Concepts & Skills document was prepared at the request of numerous faculty to guide the infusion of these topics into mainstream courses in design, computer science, engineering, human-computer interaction, user experience, industrial design, usability, ergonomics, and related fields. Resources for teaching these materials are widely available, and a curated collection will be posted in the Teach Access Resource Center.

1. Understanding Disability

Provide students with an understanding of ability from a functional approach and the impact of disability in daily living activities. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• Common types of disabilities
• Current demographics
• Understanding ability from a functional approach
• The impact of disability in daily living activities
• Temporary, permanent, and situational limitations

2. Societal Context and Historical Perspectives

Provide students with an understanding of the societal, historical, and civil rights contexts of disability and accessibility. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• Identity and cultural norms
• Accessibility as a civil right
• ADA history & basic rules
• Section 508 history and basic rules
• Landmark legal cases
• Pending regulations and implementations
• WC3 and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

3. Common Assistive Technologies (AT)

Provide students with an understanding of Assistive Technologies (AT), their use, and their intersection with accessibility. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• Types of AT (screen reader, captioning, switches, magnifiers, braille display, etc.)
• Evolution from specialty AT to mainstream AT (example: smartphones)
• Profound impact of mainstream technologies (speech recognition, language translation tools, autonomous cars, etc.)
• Simple tips to get students introduced to using AT
• Using AT

4. User Interface Facilitators and Barriers (with examples)

Provide students with an understanding of User Interface (UI) facilitators and barriers. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• Accessibility design thinking (Usability + Accessibility = User delight)
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
• Touch/tactile screens
• Gesture input
• Video and rich media
• Speech to text / speech commands
• Providing accessible instructions and support
• Training on AT and accessibility features

5. Best Practices for Product Development

Familiarize students with accessibility standards and best practices for inclusive product development. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• Accessibility as a design principle and not a feature
• Accessible design as part of universal design
• User research and design principles (requirements gathering, Designing and conducting inclusive user studies, user feedback)
• Development cycle integration
• Validation and user testing
• Communication out (documentation, marketing, and customer support)
• Communication up (ROI, impact analysis)

6. Applied Techniques

Provide students guidance on applying accessibility principles to specific scenarios, disciplines and contexts, and on accessibility as a profession. Some suggested topics within this category include:

• UI elements & properties (label, focus, tab order)
• Semantic code (headings, landmarks, buttons)
• Accessibility APIs and frameworks (iOS, Android, ARIA)
• Languages and platforms that support accessibility
• Testing tools
• Use cases
• Information architecture
• POUR principles