Syllabus Statements
Communicating with students on the availability of Ally’s alternative formats will be an ongoing effort throughout each semester, but beginning with the syllabus is an excellent starting point that maximizes exposure. Some institutions may already have a specific accessibility statement instructors are required to include in their syllabi, so this may or may not be pertinent to you and your institution. Please use these statement samples how you see fit.
The syllabus statements below are organized into two different, albeit connected topics. The first is a more general accessibility statement that speaks to the instructor’s overarching commitment to accessibility in their courses. The second statement example is exclusively focused on Ally’s alternative formats.
General Accessibility Statement
I am devoted to creating a learning environment that is inclusive and accessible by design. If there are any barriers to your success, involvement, and engagement in this class, please contact me so that together, we can explore creative solutions. I encourage students with disabilities to contact the Accessibility Services Office at [insert website] to arrange for an appointment, on-campus at <insert campus address>, <insert campus phone number>, or by email <insert email address>. If you have already been granted accommodations, please contact me so that we can work together to develop a plan that works for you and your learning preferences or needs.
Ally
<Insert Institution Name has a license for Ally, a digital accessibility tool designed to help make more accessible and inclusive learning content. Embedded directly in [insert name of LMS here, i.e. Blackboard, Canvas, etc.], Ally provides alternative formats of digital course content to all students, regardless of disability status or official accommodations. For example, a student could download a syllabus (originally formatted as a Microsoft Word document) as an audio file, translated version, or digital publishing file to be read with an eReader program. Other alternative formats made available to students are OCR’d PDFs, Tagged PDFs, HTML, Braille Ready File format, Microsoft Immersive Reader, and BeeLine Reader. Students do not need to ask for permission or disclose in order to access the alternative formats, they are readily available for all who wish to use them.
To access alternative formats, select the alternative format icon then choose from the list of alternative format options most suitable to your needs.
