St. Thomas offers online modules, mini-courses and other learning resources as a commitment to making a more accessible and welcoming St. Thomas for all. This article highlights options available for students, staff, faculty, and administrators.
Why Learn Digital Accessibility?
Digital accessibility means that all people, including people with disabilities and those using assistive technology, have effective access to digital content, technology applications, and electronic information technology (EIT) based communications.
- Digital accessibility aligns with our St. Thomas mission and convictions; our "Working for the Common Good" mission refers to everyone in our community. How is everyone in our community doing at accessing digital information and technologies in equitable and meaningful ways? Let's all gain awareness of how to do this well in our community for one another!
- Digital accessibility is practical; we spend time creating ideas, learning materials, and communications that we want well understand. Making our materials as accessible as possible is common sense!
- Digital accessibility is the law. Expanding our digital access at St. Thomas supports compliance with federal and state laws including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and and the MN Human Rights Act.
We have a Digital Accessibility policy (Sept 1, 2025)!
The best way to bring the policy to life is by learning about core digital accessibility skills and practices. The following resources are ways to learn these core accessibility skills and practices!
Talk to A Person, Set Up a Consultation
Most of this article includes how to sign up for either self-paced learning sessions or facilitated sessions. However, we also have options to set up an in person or Zoom appointment, drop in to work with a staff or trained student employee, or submit questions in a ticket.
Visit the Digital Accessibility Learning Lab (St. Paul Library OSF LIB LL20B)
We now have a space on our St. Paul campus (OSF Library) devoted to learning support about digital accessibility. This is one of the conference rooms in the large STELAR classroom, with both a PC and Mac for trying out certain software including screen readers, Zoom text, Adobe Acrobat, and accessibility tools in Canvas.
The lab space will be open most week days, with hours posted in a OneStThomas article at the start of each semester. To be assured of a time to meet with a person, please contact the Digital Accessibility Service Team (DAST) and share if you just want to come use equipment or make sure to consult with a team member. Listing the topics of interest in the ticket will help us staff your needs correctly!
Send a Ticket to Meet with Someone or Get A Quick Answer
Some of your learning about accessibility is best addressed by meeting with someone on our team. Our Digital Accessibility Service Team (DAST) has team members with a range of skills around digital accessibility. Sign up by completing this DAST Ticket. Describe what you need for support (and your timeline), so that we can get you connected with the appropriate team member.
Digital Accessibility Skills Series
Develop skills to create digital content and communications that are more accessible for all people (including people with visible or invisible disabilities and users of assistive technology).
- This learning series includes the option to earn digital badge credentials. Digital badges are electronic, clickable images that document knowledge and skills that you gain in an online module or mini-course. Employers, prospective employers, and professional network groups can click on your badges for details on what you did to earn that badge.
- These badges are sponsored by ITS and the Digital Accessibility Service Team (DAST).
Digital Accessibility Basics and Learning Hub
The Digital Accessibility Basics and Learning Hub (self-enroll link) badge helps you start to apply digital accessibility practices in your student, work, and community life. Digital accessibility skills are marketable skills that can be attached to any career that in some way involves creating digital documents and/or using technology!
- This self-paced online badge takes about one hour.
- This Canvas course is also an ongoing learning/resource hub to be notified about other digital accessibility resources.
Digital Accessibility Ambassador Cohort (or sign up for single sessions)
The Digital Accessibility Ambassador Cohort series is an Intermediate level learning experience spread out over a semester (combination of Zoom sessions and Canvas activities).
Sign up for an upcoming cohort series, or learn more about single sessions.
- Learn ways to apply digital accessibility cores deeper into your practice, create a final project, and help others learn DA (“be an ambassador”)
- Flexible options- you can also complete over several semesters or join single sessions (new summer 2025 for greater flexibility).
Assistive Technology Basics and AT Uplifting Assistive Technology (Intermediate level)
Enroll in the Assistive Technology Basics badge module (one hour module) to learn more about Assistive Technology such as screen readers, speech-to-text software, closed captioning, adaptive keyboards, mobility equipment, magnifiers, certain Artificial Intelligence (AI), and more.
After completing the first badge, go deeper into your learning (modules 2-7) and earn the intermediate level badge called Uplifting Assistive Technology. Use this self-enroll link for both AT badges.
Developing for Accessibility Badge Course (intermediate level)
The Developing for Accessibility Badge Course explores best practices and techniques to improve the Accessibility of the code you write. This mini-course teaches Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), how to make your HTML and CSS accessible, resources to reference when developing accessible solutions, and methods for testing what you created. This course is for anyone who finds themselves occasionally or frequently working with HTML source during the creation of web content such as web pages, templates, and posts as well as developers creating web components. This badge course is especially for anyone at St. Thomas developing web content. Please complete the DA Basics badge prior to this developer course.: Self-enroll in Developing for Accessibility.
More Resources
- The Digital Accessibility Service Team (DAST) helps with media, technology tools, files, course sites, and consultations. Type in words into the search bar to find accessibility topics or interest, or select Service Help to get additional help on an accessibility need.
- Our OneStThomas Digital Accessibility Site offers resources to help you better find what you are looking for.
- Students contact Disability Resources for student accommodations information and support. Employees with disabilities who have accommodation needs, contact the HR Benefits team.