Professional Development Opportunities in Digital Accessibility
Digital Accessibility
New Title II ADA Regulations — Self-Paced Micro-Credential Courses
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice released new Title II regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), strengthening requirements for digital accessibility in education.
Colleges and universities are now expected to ensure that websites, course materials, and learning platforms are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Compliance deadlines are approaching in April 2026.
To support faculty and staff in meeting these requirements, the Innovation, Development, Education and Assessment(I.D.E.A) team will offer self-paced micro-credential courses starting September 2025.
Participants who complete any Digital Accessibility course or workshop will earn:
Digital Badge documenting ADA Title II–aligned professional development
Certificate with verified Professional Development (PD) hours
📚 Digital Accessibility Micro-Credentials (Self-Paced Online Courses)
Open enrollment: Jan 1, 2026-August 30, 2026
Faculty and staff can complete one, two, or all three self-paced courses.
Register for the Self-Paced Courses
These courses are designed to build on each other, so if you plan to complete all three, we recommend taking them in the following sequence:
Digital Accessibility Foundations
Digital Accessibility Planning
Digital Accessibility Application
Self Paced Micro-Credential Course Descriptions
1. Digital Accessibility Foundations
Badge Outcome: Build essential knowledge of accessibility in digital spaces.
Learn web and document accessibility principles, Universal Design for Learning (UDL) concepts, and how accessibility benefits all learners.
Skills & Knowledge Gained:
Identify how individuals with disabilities interact with digital environments
Understand core accessibility guidelines (WCAG, ADA)
Apply UDL concepts in digital teaching and content creation
Recognize accessible course material components
Locate and use accessibility resources
2. Digital Accessibility Planning
Badge Outcome: Develop actionable plans to improve accessibility in your courses or department.
Gain strategies to identify barriers, prioritize changes, and implement improvements.
Skills & Knowledge Gained:
Conduct accessibility audits of materials or workflows
Create a practical action plan
Facilitate accessibility-focused conversations
Prioritize resources and changes needed
Establish an accessibility-forward culture
3. Digital Accessibility Application
Badge Outcome: Apply advanced accessibility strategies to real course content.
Get hands-on experience remediating documents, creating accessible multimedia, and improving course structures in Blackboard Ultra.
Skills & Knowledge Gained:
Remediate Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files for accessibility
Create accessible course and communication materials
Apply captioning and transcription strategies
Use tools like WAVE and Anthology Ally for evaluation
Share accessibility improvements within your department
Spring Cleaning Training Opportunities:
January 8–9
As part of the University System of Maryland’s (USM) systemwide Digital Accessibility Spring Cleaning initiative, Coppin State University will offer a series of local training and support sessions for faculty and staff during January 8–9.
These Coppin-based sessions are designed to complement the systemwide Kirwan Center offerings by providing hands-on, institution-specific guidance to help faculty remediate digital content efficiently and confidently.
Coordinated with USM Systemwide Sessions
The Coppin Spring Cleaning schedule has been intentionally designed to avoid conflicts with the Kirwan Center’s systemwide training sessions, while still aligning with the shared goals of the USM Digital Accessibility Spring Cleaning initiative.
Faculty are encouraged to attend both systemwide and Coppin-based sessions to maximize learning—combining broader accessibility concepts with Coppin-specific tools, workflows, and support.
Coppin Spring Cleaning Training Sessions
The Coppin State University Spring Cleaning sessions focus on practical, immediately applicable accessibility skills, including:
The Six Essential Steps for Digital Accessibility
Understanding and using Blackboard Ally reports and feedback
Accessibility and remediation tools in Microsoft Office 365
Practical remediation workflows for common instructional materials
Fix-Your-Content Open Hours
Thursday, January 8
Session 1: Six Essential Steps for Digital Accessibility
Time: 9:00–9:50 AM
Format: Virtual Join the meeting now
Audience: Faculty & staff (all content creators)
Focus :Practical overview of the Six Essential Steps
Session 2: Reading the Ally Report & Using Feedback Effectively
Time: 11:15 AM–12:00 PM
Format: Virtual Join the meeting now
Audience: Blackboard instructors, instructional staff
Focus :
How to read Ally scores correctly (what they do and don’t mean)
Understanding priority issues vs cosmetic issues
Using Ally’s instructor feedback panel
When not to chase a “perfect” score
Session 3: Fix-Your-Content Open Hours (Block 1)
Time: 1:30–2:30 PM
Format: Virtual (Join the meeting now) and Face-to-Face (STC 347)
What happens : Bring a document, slide deck, or course file, walk through fixes together
Focus on:
Headings
Alt text
Contrast
Tables
Ally flags
Session 4: Fix-Your-Content Open Hours (Block 2)
Time 5:00-6:00 PM
Format: Virtual drop-in: Join the meeting now
Bring a document, slide deck, or course file
Walk through fixes together
Focus
Ally-flagged files
Course cleanup before Spring semester
One-on-one troubleshooting
Friday, January 9
Session 1: Office 365 Accessibility & Remediation Tools
Time: 10:00–11:00 AM
Format: Virtual Join meeting now
Audience: Anyone creating documents or presentations
Focus :
Word:
Styles & headings
Accessibility Checker
Tables & lists
PowerPoint:
Reading order
Alt text
Color contrast
Session 2: Practical Remediation Tools & Workflows
Time: 2:00–3:00 PM
Format: Virtual Join meeting now
Audience: Faculty, staff, designers, admins
Focus :When Ally & Office are not enough
Overview of:
PDF remediation workflows
Captioning & transcripts
Contrast tools
“Fix vs replace vs remove” decision-making
Session 3: Fix-Your-Content Open Hours (Block 3 – Final)
Time: 3:15–6:00 PM
Format: Virtual (Join meeting now) and Face-to-face (STC 347)
Drop in any time for one-to-one assistance
Focus
Final cleanup
Last-minute Spring readiness
Get Support / Contact the Accessibility Team
Need help making your course content fully accessible? We’re here to support you.
Whether you're revising a syllabus, adding captions, or checking Ally scores in your LMS, our team offers one-on-one consultations to guide you through every step.
As the State of Mobile App Accessibility Report (ArcTouch, 2025) reminds us,
“A partially accessible experience is a broken experience.”
📧 Email us at tlt@coppin.edu
📞 Call (410) 951-2643
📍 Visit the Science & Technology Center, Suite 400
🕒 Monday–Friday, 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Let’s work together to create content that’s inclusive, effective, and accessible from the start.
Explore Kirwan Center Opportunities
Check out these Digital Accessibility professional development opportunities and mini-grants from the William E. Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation, available to all faculty and staff across the University System of Maryland (USM).
These system-wide programs include:
Workshops, fellowships, and training on creating “born accessible” digital learning experiences
Collaboration with colleagues from all USM institutions
USM Remediation Sprints Schedule
Using the Digital Accessibility 6 Essential Steps, created by our colleagues at University of Maryland, College Park, we will host monthly remediation sprints where we tackle one essential step of digital accessibility each month. These sprints, hosted on Zoom, will include a short overview of the essential steps and then active work time to remediate your own documents.
Our Digital Accessibility Work Group campus representatives will offer additional sessions throughout the month.
Below is the remediation sprint schedule for 2025-2026:
Monday, January 12, 2-3 pm: Tables and Data Sprint, Register for the Sprint
Monday, February 9, 2-3 pm: Multimedia Sprint, Register for the Sprint
Monday, March 9, 2-3 pm: Sprint to Finish, Register for the Sprint
You can take advantage of these Kirwan Center opportunities in addition to the professional development sessions we offer here at Coppin.
USM Digital Accessibility Spring Cleaning
The USM Digital Accessibility Spring Cleaning is coming soon! Join us January 8-9 to make your digital content accessible.
Before the spring semester begins, take some time to assess and remediate your course materials and workplace documents. Whether you're a faculty member preparing courses or a staff member managing shared resources, Spring Cleaning offers the perfect opportunity to ensure your digital content is accessible to everyone.
What The USM Is Offering:
System-wide webinars via Zoom—open to all Maryland faculty and staff
Campus-specific workshops tailored to your institution's tools
Drop-in office hours for personalized support both days
Self-paced resources available anytime
Celebration session to share successes and stay motivated
System-wide Events Schedule:
📅 Thursday, January 8
10:00-10:45 AM ET: Let's Get Cleaning! (Welcome & Overview) | Register
11:00 AM-12:00 PM ET: Digital Accessibility 101 | Register
11:00 AM-2:00 PM ET: Drop-In Zoom Office Hours (no registration required) | Join Here
3:00-4:00 PM ET: Digital Accessibility in STEM: Practical Fixes for Spring | Register
3:00-4:00 PM ET: Digital Accessibility in Arts & Music: Practical Fixes for Spring | Register
4:15-5:00 PM ET: Rethinking PDFs: The Accessibility Shortcut You Need | Register
📅 Friday, January 9
9:00-10:00 AM ET: Accessibility Audit & Action Planning | Register
10:30-11:30 AM ET: Document Remediation Lab | Register
12:00-1:30 PM ET: Sparkle On: Celebrating Our Wins & Next Steps | Register
1:30-3:30 PM ET: Drop-In Zoom Office Hours (no registration required) | Join Here
Plus: Campus-specific virtual and in-person workshops—View the complete schedule with campus events.
Can't Attend Live?
Access our self-paced Spring Cleaning guide with step-by-step resources for remediating your content on your own timeline.
Beyond Course Content:
This event isn't just for course materials! Whether you're in an academic department, student affairs, admin and finance, a student organization, or another part of campus, you can apply accessibility principles to presentations, shared drives, templates, reports, and any other digital materials you create or share.
Resources:
USM Accessibility In Action Monthly Newsletter
What’s New with Title II: Digital Accessibility Essentials for Academic Programs (YouTube video)
Chronicle of Higher Education article on Title II and What it Means for Higher Education
Interested in learning more about UDL?
👉 Take a look at an example of a UDL designed online course. The course is self-paced, free and if you chose to complete it, you can will receive a Professional Development Certificate from CAST.