Accessibility and Inclusivity Guidelines: Creating Continuing Education for AUDs and SLPs
Providers should create inclusive learning experiences that empower everyone to fully engage, regardless of their abilities. Designing your continuing educational content to be accessible from the start will help you reach a wider audience, comply with legal standards, and create a more equitable experience for all learners.
The Standards for ASHA CE Providers and ASHA CE Policies stress the importance of both educational design and accessibility (Standard 5).
Providers must ensure that educational design
- facilitates the translation of new knowledge, skills, and competencies into practice;
- considers learners’ strengths and needs; and
- is learner-centered, engaging, and inclusive.
The following information will help you create accessible and inclusive courses:
Organizations must have a process for identifying and responding to learner needs and accommodations. This ensures that learners’ needs are met throughout the course (ASHA CE Accommodations Policy). If your organization already has guidelines or regulations in place, you can align your implementation with those existing practices.
Resources
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- Federal Plain Language Guidelines (Plain Language Action and Information Network [PLAIN])
- Health Equity and Inclusion Framework (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health [CAMH])
- Conversation in Bias on Presentations (ASHA)
- Resources for Universal Design:
- The Center for Universal Design in Education (University of Washington)
- Universal Design for Learning Framework (CAST)
Why This Matters
When we make courses accessible and inclusive, we create equitable and enriching learning experiences that empower everyone to engage fully in these opportunities.
