Accessibility Culture: Using Quality Matters to Support a Campus Culture of Accessibility

Our university has approached accessibility as a something that should be part of the campus culture.  Quality Matter course reviews provide an opportunity to use Quality Matters Rubric Standard 8 as a means of solidifying the concept of accessibility being something that is part of the fabric of campus rather than something that only occurs when asked or required to do so.  The university began using Quality Matters course reviews approximately two years ago. Shortly before we began using Quality Matters, the university developed the Accessible Technology Initiative and system level administration created policies that requires all currently used and newly purchased technology to be accessible.  Quality Matters course reviews provided a means by which our instructional designers could encourage and require faculty to utilize accessibility best practices. It also provided a means for working with faculty to teach them about accessibility and how to make their courses accessible. We’ve found that most faculty are willing to make their courses accessible they just did not know how to do so.  The Quality Matters Rubric General Standard 8 helps to facilitate that faculty development process.