What I have said
I teach colleagues how to make accessible content, run hands-on course design sessions for faculty, and speak at educational technology events in BC. Recordings are linked where they exist.
Conference and sector talks
Most of these were at the Educational Technology Users Group (ETUG), which holds two workshops a year on current topics in educational technology, instructional design, and teaching and learning. Newest first.
Accessibility Why
A short demonstration of how common assistive technology can and can't work with inaccessible content: cryptic links, colours that can't be told apart, and hard-to-read text. The point is that poor design doesn't create minor inconveniences for a small group of users; it shuts people out.
Mapping Digital Literacy
Myself and two colleagues presented an AI agent that maps learning material to the BC Digital Literacy Framework, and a tool that turns the result into a consistent visual stamp. Participants who had already mapped their courses by hand wished they'd had it sooner, and the discussion turned to customizing the stamp and keeping it accessible. More about the tools: Digital Literacy Framework Mapper and stamp generator.
Digital Accessibility On-demand
An introduction to Digital Accessibility On-demand, an open book that sends authors straight to the instructions they need for PowerPoint, Word, and Brightspace content. The BCcampus Pressbooks server was down during the session, so instead of a demonstration I introduced the book's open licence and recruited collaborators to add chapters for Canvas, Moodle, and Blackboard.
Accessibility Bites: Accessible Video
A workshop on making video accessible, which you can follow along with or work through on your own.
- Accessibility Bites: Accessible Video (event page and recording)
- Follow-along activities
- The whole Accessibility Bites series
The Art of Storytelling: Personas and Anonymized Examples to Teach Accessibility
Langara's accessibility workshops use anonymized examples of real accessibility barriers that Langara students have run into. Concrete examples show workshop participants the effect their content has. This session walked through how I build those examples and demonstrated some common barriers.
Watch the recording
Accessibility Stories
Three examples of inaccessible material that Langara students encountered, used to show common accessibility pitfalls and better practices.
Accessibility of AI Interfaces
Results from testing AI chat interfaces with assistive technology. The full write-up is Accessibility of AI Interfaces.
Supporting Accessibility Improvements: An intentional and staggered approach
Reading Lists: A welcome addition to our LMS
LMS Accessibility Orientation
Langara's Assistive Technologist Project: An Un-siloed Approach to Improving Digital Literacy Across the Institution
Accessibility workshops
I designed Langara's accessibility workshops for employees: I developed the content and materials and present the sessions. I've delivered them twice a year to groups of 6 to 15 faculty and staff, and I record and caption the sessions so people can watch them later.
- Create an accessible Word document
- How to create accessible PowerPoints (recording, 1:14:29)
- Improve the accessibility of existing PowerPoint slides
- Unintentional barriers to learning
Faculty course design sessions
With colleagues in Educational Technology, I co-facilitate hands-on sessions where faculty build or improve their Brightspace courses, from a short series to a full-day sprint.
- Build Brightspace Better (series)
- Brightspace Foundations Sprint: Build Your Course Framework Fast!
- Build Brightspace Better Sprint: Enhance Your Course in One Day! (full day)
Guest lectures
Library Accessibility and Assistive Technology
A recurring guest lecture for students in this credit course. The instructor has invited me back in consecutive years.