Live accessibility training sessions in May

In support of the University’s efforts to improve digital accessibility in course content, there are several live training sessions taking place in May, hosted by the Teaching Transformation & Development Academy. 

Visit the full event page for information on other sessions hosted by TTaDA throughout the year. Past sessions are also available to watch on-demand. 

Further information and guidance on the topic of digital accessibility can be found on the Accessible UND page. 

Upcoming digital accessibility events in May

Note: Additional accessibility-related events later in May can be found on the full event page.

Making Simple Images Accessible
Monday, May 4, 1 – 2 p.m.
First in a series of two sessions, this introductory workshop offers an overview of alternative text (alt-text) and its role in making images accessible to screen readers and assistive technology. Participants will learn the definition of alt-text and be introduced to best practices for creating effective alt-text, focusing on techniques for crafting clear, concise, and accurate descriptions. This session also includes a demonstration on adding alt-text to images in Blackboard Ultra and Microsoft Office.

Accessible Email Practices in Microsoft Outlook
Tuesday, May 5, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Discover how to make your communications more accessible with Microsoft Outlook’s built-in accessibility features. Learn practical tips to improve accessibility in everyday email communication, benefiting both senders and recipients at the University of North Dakota.

Social Media Accessibility
Tuesday, May 5, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Designed for UND campus social media account holders/managers, this session covers how to create inclusive, accessible content that meets DOJ requirements and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards (effective April 2027). Learn best practices for adding accurate video captions, writing effective alt text, and ensuring proper color contrast and readable font sizes. Walk away with practical tools to make your content accessible across all platforms.

Getting Started in Adobe Acrobat: PDF Accessibility
Thursday, May 7, 12 – 1 p.m.
Adobe Acrobat offers several tools to help make PDFs more accessible, but knowing where to begin can be challenging. In this introductory workshop, you will learn how to configure Adobe Acrobat’s interface for accessibility, use the Accessibility Checker to identify common accessibility issues, and explore the “Big Three” problem areas in PDF remediation—tags, reading order, and metadata. This session will also include a brief overview of Acrobat’s auto-tagging feature, highlighting its limitations and explaining why manual remediation is often necessary. You will leave with practical next steps and a list of curated resources to continue building your PDF accessibility skills.

Blackboard Ultra: Ally – Course Accessibility
Thursday, May 7, 2 – 3 p.m.
This session will demonstrate using Ally for Accessibility within a Blackboard Ultra course. How do you know if your Blackboard course materials are accessible? How do you fix it if they are not? Learn more about Blackboard Ally in Ultra to determine the accessibility of your content and tips for designing your content for all learners. Discussions will include effectively adding descriptions to images, creating accessible Word documents, as well as manipulating specific content in your course to strive toward accessibility for all. The second half of the workshop will include time for assistance in making documents accessible, so have your documents ready.

Excel Accessibility Essentials
Thursday, May 14, 10 – 11 a.m.
Not sure where to start with making your Excel documents accessible? This workshop focuses on accessibility—not basic Excel functionality. Follow a guided walkthrough of a sample workbook with some common accessibility errors. Learn how to identify and fix these issues using practical tools and best practices in Excel.

Course Design in a Changing Landscape: Alignment, Accessibility, and AI
Tuesday, May 19, 1 – 4 p.m.
Wednesday, May 20, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Thursday, May 21, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.
With the new federal accessibility requirements under Title II of the ADA and the growing presence of generative AI in teaching and learning, intentional course design and quality assurance is more important than ever. This two-and-a-half-day workshop will focus on designing high-quality courses grounded in alignment, accessibility, and evidence-based teaching practices. Faculty will engage in course mapping to align learning outcomes, assessments, and instructional activities while exploring ways to design accessible documents, multimedia, and course materials that support all learners. The sessions will emphasize practical tools and approaches faculty can use to strengthen access and usability across their courses from the start rather than retrofitting materials later. Faculty will also explore approaches for integrating AI tools thoughtfully, designing AI assessments, and developing clear, course-level AI policies that communicate expectations to students. Dedicated sessions will guide participants through drafting or refining AI policy statements and assignment guidelines that promote transparency, academic integrity, and responsible use while maintaining academic rigor. Participants will leave the two-and-a-half-day workshop with a refined course map, accessibility strategies, and an actionable plan for AI-informed teaching.