Let’s enhance meeting productivity for all attendees! Whether you are hosting a departmental meeting, conducting a 1:1 check-in, or moderating a large-scale event,  the organization and execution of that meeting impacts everyone’s ability to engage meaningfully. Attendees with hearing or vision impairments, audio processing differences, or utilizing assistive technology will benefit if you can reduce barriers that impact their ability to participate. 

Here are 3 tips to ensure your synchronous meetings are accessible. Applicable to both in-person meetings and virtual sessions, these tips focus on UMBC’s primary platforms: Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex.

1. Coordinate and Share Materials

All information should be easy to perceive and navigate throughout the entire meeting.

• Pre-Meeting: Provide agendas and supporting files at least 24 hours beforehand to accommodate screen reader users and those who desire or require ample time to prepare.  Use your calendar description to include or share text-based agendas and favor structured documents over PDFs.

• During the Meeting: Ensure text is at least 18 pt (sans serif) for clarity across devices. Narrate visual elements -- like describing specific data points on a chart -- rather than just reading text. Encourage participants to share their screens during collaborative work, if appropriate, for improved compatibility with assistive software.

• Post-Meeting: Provide notes in structured formats rather than long-form, dense and possibly inaccessible emails. Review and fix errors in automated transcripts or captions before distributing recordings. Clearly define and label all deadlines and action items.

2. Use Real-Time Captioning

Providing a visual representation of speech is a fundamental accommodation.

Providing real-time captions allows a diverse range of participants to engage in the meeting meaningfully. While live text displays are essential for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, they also offer vital support for non-native speakers, those in high-noise environments, and attendees who utilize visual reinforcement to process information more effectively.

• Google Meet: Toggle the Captions feature in settings for immediate text display.

• Microsoft Teams: Enable live captions via Language and speech in the ellipsis menu.

• Webex: Use the Accessibility or Closed captions options. 

3. Enhance Audio Quality

Using clear audio helps generate reliable transcripts.

• Prioritize Quality: Use a headset or external microphone instead of built-in speakers for better speech recognition and transcription accuracy. Follow microphone etiquette by muting yourself when not speaking to reduce noise that will hinder captioning.

• Control Speaking Order: Speak clearly and at a moderate pace, ensuring only one person speaks at a time. Overlapping speech confuses transcription engines and makes it difficult for participants using hearing aids to follow.

• Optimize Your Space: In hyflex environments, utilize the installed room microphones and speakers rather than your laptop’s built-in audio. These integrated systems are designed to pick up voices from across the room, ensuring that remote participants can clearly hear in-person contributions. Remember to face the audience to provide essential visual cues for lip-readers.

Accessible meetings take a little more time and intention to plan, yet you can create and facilitate a more equitable meeting where everyone can engage and contribute their full potential.

Social media is one of the most powerful tools departments use to share news, celebrate achievements, and build community. It’s also one of the most consistently inaccessible corners of institutional communication. The good news is that most major platforms now have built-in accessibility features, and the habits that make social media accessible also tend to make it more engaging for everyone.

Note: The availability of some accessibility features depends on whether you are using the mobile application or a desktop/browser.

1. Write Alt Text for Every Image You Post

Alt text on social media works the same way it does everywhere else: it describes an image to someone who cannot see it. Write a descriptive sentence about what the image shows and why you’re posting it. 

Most major platforms now support alt text -- you just have to use it. 

• On Facebook: When composing a post with an image, click the three dots (…) on the photo and select “Edit alt text.” 

• On Instagram: Before posting, tap “Advanced settings” at the bottom of the caption screen and select “Write alt text.”

• On LinkedIn: After uploading an image, look for the “Alt text” option before publishing.

• On X: Tap the image after uploading and select “Add description” before posting.

Note: If a platform doesn't support native alt text (like TikTok), write a brief visual description directly at the bottom of your post caption.

2. Caption Your Videos

Video content without captions excludes users who are deaf or hard of hearing, and also anyone watching without sound, which is a significant portion of social media users. Most platforms generate auto-captions.

• On Instagram and Facebook: Auto-captions are generated for Reels and videos. 

• On LinkedIn: You can generate captions, but uploading a caption file (SRT format) when posting a video will be the most accurate.

• On YouTube: Auto-captions are available, and can be corrected via YouTube Studio.

Consider burning captions directly into the short-form videos (e.g., TikTok-style content) before posting, so they appear for all platforms. Regardless of how you add captions to your social media videos, they should be accurate for your audience.

3. Provide Essential Text Outside of Images

Graphic design tools make it easy to create visually striking images with text overlaid for event announcements, quotes, and infographic-style posts. But text embedded in an image cannot be read by a screen reader, cannot be resized by users with low vision, and is not searchable.

• If your graphic includes essential information (event name, date, location, deadline), repeat that information in the post caption or body text so users with screen readers will have access to the same information.

• Use high-contrast text on image graphics. Light text on a light background or dark text on a dark background is hard to read for everyone, not just screen reader users. If you use a color contrast checker, aim for a ratio of at least 4:5:1.

4. Use CamelCase for Hashtags

Screen readers rely on capital letters to distinguish individual words. Without capital letters, hashtags are read aloud by screen readers as a single string of text: #digitalaccess becomes “digitalaccess” becomes one undifferentiated word. CamelCase (capitalizing the first letter of each word in a hashtag) allows screen readers to identify and announce each word separately.

• Write #DigitalAccessibility instead of #digitalaccessibility.

• Screen readers translate “umbc” to “uhm-buck” when they read out loud. If you want accuracy, use hyphens between the letters: “U-M-B-C”

This is a small habit that makes hashtags more readable for everyone -- including sighted users scanning a post.

5. Write and Format for an Inclusive Audience

Consider all of your audience when preparing and publishing your social media posts. 

• Keep emojis to the end of your posts rather than bullet points or in the middle of your sentence. Screen readers will read aloud the exact text description, which will break up the flow of your post.

• Avoid using external font generators to create styled text on platforms like Instagram and X. Words written in these fonts cannot be read by screen readers, and many are difficult to read by visual users as well.

• Write with clear and simple language, and avoid unnecessary jargon and idioms to support users with cognitive or language-processing disabilities.

• When adding links to posts and bios, include context and clear labels so your readers know where the link leads. For example, “Learn more about our summer accessibility training series” or “Request support” instead of a short URL.

Social media accessibility is an ongoing practice, not a one-time fix. Building these habits into your regular posting workflow means every post you share is reaching your full audience.

---

Tips and strategies adapted from “Accessible Social Media” training (2026), prepared by the Maryland Assistive Technology Program, and "Social Media Accessibility Guidelines" (n.d.), prepared by UMBC's University Communications & Marketing team.

Email is one of the most universal communication tools we have at UMBC, and one of the most commonly overlooked places where accessibility breaks down. Whether you’re sending a department update, a meeting invitation, or a campus-wide announcement, the way you format your email affects whether every recipient can actually read and understand it. For users who use screen readers, have low vision, or rely on assistive technology, a poorly formatted email isn’t just inconvenient -- it’s a barrier. The good news: accessible emails are also clearer, better organized, and easier for everyone to read.

These tips apply to Gmail, UMBC’s primary email platform, but the principles carry across any email client.

1. Write a Descriptive, Meaningful Subject Line

Your subject line is the first thing a screen reader announces. Vague subject lines like “FYI,” “Update,” or “Important” don’t tell the recipient what to expect or how urgently to act.

• Be specific: “Staff Meeting Agenda – Thursday, July 10” is more useful than “Agenda.”

• Skip the emoji in subject lines. Screen readers read the emoji name aloud (e.g., “check mark button” and this can bury your actual message.

• Avoid all caps. Screen readers may spell out letters individually, and all caps are harder to read visually. 

• Front-load the most important information: “Action Required: Submit Your Training Confirmation by Friday.”

2. Keep Your Structure Simple and Scannable

Long blocks of unbroken text are hard for everyone to read, and especially difficult for screen reader users who need to navigate content linearly. Use structure to make your emails easier to process.

• Use short paragraphs. One idea per paragraph is a good rule of thumb.

• Use real lists (Gmail’s bulleted or numbered list buttons in the formatting toolbar) rather than typing dashes or asterisks manually.

• If your email covers multiple topics, use Gmail’s bold text to create visual section breaks, but use it sparingly so emphasis stays meaningful.

• Avoid using tables for layout in email. Table rendering is inconsistent across email clients, and tables can be confusing for screen reader users.

3. Make Your Links Descriptive

Links in emails are frequently formatted as raw URLs or vague phrases. Both create problems for screen reader users, who often navigate emails by jumping between links.

• Instead of “Click Here” or “Please register using this link: [long link]” you should write: “Register for the July accessibility workshop.” Then embed the link to the descriptive phrase. 

  • In Gmail: Highlight the text you want to link, press Ctrl+K (or Cmd+K on Mac), and paste the URL. The visible text, not the URL, becomes the link.

• Avoid linking entire sentences. Link only the meaningful phrase.

4. Use Color and Formatting Thoughtfully

Color can add visual emphasis, but it should never be the only way you communicate information. Recipients with color blindness or low vision may not perceive color differences the way you intend.

• Don’t rely on color alone to indicate importance. Pair color with bold, italics, or explicit language (“Note:” or “Reminder:”).

• Ensure text color has sufficient contrast against the background. Gmail’s default black text on white background is already contrast-compliant. Avoid overriding it with light gray or other low-contrast colors.

• Use bold and italics for emphasis sparingly. Excessive formatting is as hard to read as none.

5. Add Alt Text to Images in Gmail

If you include images in your email -- for example, logos, banners, charts, or photos -- they need alternative text so recipients using screen readers understand what the image conveys.

• In Gmail: Insert an image, then click it and select “Edit alt text.”

• Write a brief description of what the image communicates, not just what it looks like.

• If the image is purely decorative (a banner or divider), consider whether it’s necessary to use it at all. Decorative images in email can slow load times and add clutter.

• Never embed essential information, especially text like event information, only in an image. If the image doesn’t load or can’t be read, that information disappears.

6. Send Attachments That Are Actually Accessible

An email can be well-formatted, while the file attached to it is not. Before attaching a document, take a moment to confirm it will work for every recipient.

• Run the Accessibility Checker in Word or PowerPoint (Review > Check Accessibility) before attaching. It flags missing alt text, poor color contrast, and other common issues.

• For PDFs, export from the source file rather than scanning a paper document. Scanned PDFs are images of text, not readable text, and are inaccessible to screen readers by default.

• Check that your document has a logical structure: real headings, readable lists, and meaningful link text. The same principles that apply to your email apply to what you attach to it.

When in doubt, put the information in the email body instead. The most accessible attachment is one that doesn’t need to exist.

7. Test Before You Send

Before sending a high-stakes email to a large group, take 60 seconds to review it with accessibility in mind:

• Read your subject line out loud. Is it clear without any surrounding context?

• Read your link text out loud. Does each link tell you where it goes?

• Try removing all color from your email mentally. Does it still make sense?

• If you’ve included an image, check that it has alt text.

Accessible email takes only a little more time to write, and makes a significant difference for the colleagues and community members who receive it.

If you've ever run an Ally course accessibility report and found a long list of untagged PDFs, you know the feeling: the problem is clear, but the path forward is time-consuming. Tagging PDFs for accessibility is one of the most technically demanding parts of document remediation -- and it's often where momentum stalls.

UMBC has been selected to participate in Ally's Auto-tagging Early Adopter Program, which means instructors now have access to a new feature designed to do that heavy lifting automatically. Ally can generate a tag structure for untagged PDFs directly in Blackboard -- and importantly, you review and approve those changes before anything is applied to your file.

Image: Ally interface showing auto-generated PDF tag verification. 

Early Adopter Frequently Asked Questions

1. Can instructors review changes before they are applied? Yes. Instructors will be able to review the automatically generated tag structure and must approve the changes before they are applied to the document. They will also have the option of downloading the original file before the changes are applied. 
2. Is tagging applied at the individual tag level or document level? Approval is applied at the document level. Once reviewed and confirmed, the tagging is applied to the entire document -- not selectively by tag/item. 
3. Can individual tags be edited or approved separately? No, the approval process is applied at the document level, not individual tags. 
4. What happens to the original PDF after tagging? A new, remediated version replaces the original file in Blackboard, and that updated version is what students will access and download.
5. Can I batch auto‑tag multiple PDFs at once? No, auto‑tagging is focused on individual documents to align with the instructor workflow and ensure each file can be reviewed and finalized before changes are applied. 
6. How accurate is the auto-tagging process? Testing shows high levels of quality and accuracy, but like all tools, human review remains an important part of the process as we expect edge cases to pop up based on the variety of PDFs available today. 
7. Does Auto Tagging fix other PDF issues? No, Auto-Tagging will not address all PDF issues like image description, tables, and color contrast. Ally can remediate certain things in your PDF such as setting the language, setting a title, and applying OCR for smaller PDFs.

As an early adopter, UMBC receives access to this feature ahead of the broader community, and our feedback will help shape how it develops. A couple of things to know as you try it out:

• If you encounter any issues or bugs in the feature, please submit a ticket to the Online Learning queue so our team can forward it to Blackboard support. 
• If you’d like to share general feedback or comments at any time, you can use the Ally Auto-tagging PDFs Feature Quick Feedback survey form — fill it out as many times as you need. Just remember that technical issues or bugs MUST go through a ticket.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
  • What's new in Ultra? |Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• UMBC Digital Accessibility| Ally FAQs | Ally Demo | Ally Report (VPN required)
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity |Keep On Teaching |Student Technology Resources

Links are everywhere -- in syllabi, announcements, email, assignments, websites, and Blackboard pages. They’re one of the most useful tools for connecting students to resources and one of the most commonly overlooked accessibility issues. For anyone using screen readers, a link is read aloud exactly as it appears: “click here” or “hxxps // web(dot)com/long-string-of-characters” -- this communicates nothing.

Accessible link text is a small fix with a big payoff for everyone. Let’s explore five tips to improve how providing accessible links can make a huge difference to everyone.

1. Make Every Link Self-Describing

Accessible link text should make sense out of context. Screen reader users often navigate a page by jumping from link to link, without reading the surrounding text. That means each link needs to stand on its own.

• Instead of: “To access the library database, click here.”
  Write: “Access the UMBC Library database.”

Why this matters: “click here” provides no context. Telling someone what happens when the link is clicked and where the link will take them helps them know where they're going.

• Instead of: “The reading for this week is available here.”
  Write: “Download this week’s reading: Smith (2022) on urban planning (PDF).”

Why this matters: Providing clear information about the reading, including the author, year, and file format, helps students know exactly what they are accessing when they click the link.

Here’s a useful test for you to try: Read only the text of your links with no surrounding context. Do you know where it leads? If not, then you need to make sure you provide clear descriptions.

2. Avoid These Common Accessibility Pitfalls

A few link habits are so common that they can feel natural, but each one creates a barrier for anyone using assistive technology.

• As we just explored, it’s critical to avoid using “Click here” -- not all users navigate with a mouse, and it tells users nothing about the destination.

• Create unique link text for different destinations -- it’s important not to use the same words for different links (e.g., two different readings both labeled “Weekly reading”).

• Avoid full web page addresses as link text. A full web page address read aloud character-by-character is inaccessible and confusing. Imagine what it sounds like to hear 150+ letters, numbers, and/or symbols read, one by one, because your link has that many characters.

3. Indicate When a Link Opens a File or New Window

Screen reader and keyboard users benefit from knowing what will happen when they click a link, especially if it downloads a file or opens a new tab. Include a brief note in the link text itself.

• “Download the rubric (Word doc)”

• “View the course policy (PDF)”

• “Watch the intro video on YouTube (opens in new tab)”

This helps everyone plan their workflow, not just those using screen readers.

4. Keep Link Text Concise But Complete

Longer isn’t always better. Link text should be long enough to be descriptive, but short enough to be efficient.

• Aim for 4-10 words for most links.

• Skip filler phrases like “please visit” or “feel free to.”

• Don’t link entire paragraphs. Link a meaningful phrase within the sentence instead.

It’s also important to avoid using “Read more” or “Learn more” -- more about what? If you must use these phrases, tell us what we’re reading or learning more about.

5. Check Your Links in Silktide or Ally

Silktide and Ally will evaluate link accessibility. In your Blackboard course or organization, Ally will check Ultra Documents and uploaded files. Silktide will flag very obvious issues (links that just say "click here," for instance), but it won't flag anything else, so you still need to manually evaluate all of your page links.

If your report flags link issues, here’s how to address them:

• In Sites or Blackboard Ultra, edit the content item and update the link text directly in the rich text editor.

• In uploaded Word or PDF files, fix the link text in the original file and re-upload.

• In your syllabus, use Word’s Accessibility Checker (Review → Check Accessibility) to flag link text issues before uploading.

Link accessibility is one of the fastest fixes in your email, website, document, or course -- and it makes a noticeable difference for everyone who depends on clear navigation to find what they need.

Imagine a student learning Spanish who relies on a screen reader to access course materials. They open a PDF of a restaurant menu and instead of hearing the items and prices their classmates are discussing, the screen reader attempts to read the Spanish text using English phonetics, turning “huevos rancheros” into something unrecognizable. The lesson doesn’t just become harder. It becomes inaccessible.

Scenarios like this are why digital accessibility in a language department is more than a compliance checkbox. It’s a pedagogy question. And it’s why the Department of Modern Languages, Linguistics & Intercultural Communication (MLLI) at UMBC has become one of the most compelling examples of what it looks like when a department decides to take accessibility seriously, not as a one-time project, but as a sustained commitment.

An Invitation to Look Inward

In 2019, UMBC began using Ally, an accessibility tool built into Blackboard, UMBC’s learning management system, to scan course materials and score them on accessibility. Ally looks at everything instructors upload: PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, images. It flags issues like missing alt text, unreadable scanned documents, and inaccessible table structures, and it gives instructors direct feedback on what to fix and how.

Since Spring 2025, faculty from across the MLLI department engaged with accessibility training in meaningful numbers. More than 30 unique MLLI faculty participated in workshops offered by the Instructional Technology team, ranging from broader campus offerings on creating accessible content to comprehensive accessibility camps.

“Our department has always engaged intentionally with instructional technology because accessibility is central to how we teach languages, linguistics, and intercultural communication.” ~ Dr. Golubeva 

When MLLI Chair Dr. Irina Golubeva invited the team to bring a tailored Digital Accessibility 101 session to the department, it opened a conversation that has continued ever since. The session wasn’t a generic overview. It was built around MLLI’s own data, their actual Ally scores, their specific file types, and their unique challenges. Dr. Golubeva shares in more detail the needs they are addressing: 

“Working across multiple writing systems and alphabets, we are constantly attending to how students encounter content in different forms. The consultation and Ally data helped us connect those long-standing practices with a data-informed approach -- and reinforced our understanding that accessibility is not just a compliance issue, but an indispensable component of inclusive pedagogy.”  ~ Dr. Golubeva

Why Language Courses Present Unique Accessibility Challenges

Most discussions of course accessibility center on standard document issues: missing headings, untagged PDFs, images without descriptions. Those challenges are real in every discipline. But MLLI faces a layer of complexity that few other departments share.

Language courses depend heavily on images as pedagogical tools -- vocabulary flashcards, cultural artifacts, maps of regions where a language is spoken, menus and signs that appear in the target language. For these images, a generic description like “a restaurant menu” is technically compliant but pedagogically useless. A student who cannot see the image doesn’t just need to know what it is; they need to engage with it the way their sighted peers do. That’s the difference between standard accessibility alt text (“a kitchen with a stove, sink, and fridge”) and what the team started calling pedagogical alt text (“a room in a house where meals are cooked, used to identify household nouns”).

Then there’s the language tagging problem. PDFs and Word documents contain metadata that tells screen readers which language to use when reading text aloud. When a document in Russian isn’t tagged as Russian, the screen reader defaults to English phonetics -- mangling the very sounds a student is trying to learn. For a department teaching Spanish, French, Arabic, Japanese, and other languages, ensuring the right language tag is set isn’t a technicality. It’s a learning outcome.

“A course task turned into asking students to craft alternative text for images used in some of our courses, taking the image's purpose into account,” said Maria Manni, Spanish Area Coordinator. “The useful, community-engaged purpose of the task -- to students who are learning how to use descriptive language in Spanish -- elevates the experience from boring to meaningful, and it generates a better sense of caring about accuracy.” What started as an accessibility task became a language lesson, and a reminder that the constraints a discipline faces can sometimes point toward authentic pedagogical experience for learners.

What the Data Shows

UMBC uses Ally's institutional data to track accessibility scores across departments and terms. Scores reflect two things: an overall score that blends all course content together, and a files score that looks specifically at uploaded documents and images -- that is, the materials faculty create and curate. Because Blackboard's built-in content creation tools are already designed to be accessible, the files score is a meaningful indicator of faculty effort and, more importantly, of what students actually encounter.

For MLLI, the trend is clear and encouraging. On UMBC's overall accessibility score, the department climbed from 80.7% in Spring 2025 to 86.2% in Spring 2026, meeting the institution's Strive for 85 target. But the more telling story is in the files score, which measures the documents and images most directly in an instructor's hands. That score rose from 52.0% in Spring 2025 to 66.6% in Spring 2026, a 14.6-point gain across 131 active courses serving 2,548 students.

That kind of shift doesn't happen by accident. It's the result of faculty making different choices about how they describe an image, format a document, or tag a file -- one course at a time.

The Work Continues

Progress doesn't mean finished. MLLI's ongoing focus is on two areas that represent the most remaining opportunity: images and PDFs. Images are plentiful in language instruction, and writing meaningful descriptions at the pedagogical level the discipline demands takes thought and time. It's the difference between noting that a menu exists and helping a student engage with it the way everyone else in the room can. PDFs remain the dominant file format in many courses, and ensuring that scanned documents are text-readable and that all files carry the correct language tag continues to be active work.

How can you get involved?

If you’re an instructor curious about your own course’s accessibility score, Ally’s course report is available directly in Blackboard -- look for the Ally Accessibility Report under Books & Course Tools. If your department is interested in a tailored session like the one MLLI received, reach out to the Instructional Technology team to schedule a conversation.

For more information, see the following resources:

• umbc.edu/go/allydemo

• umbc.edu/go/allytraining 

• umbc.edu/go/allyfaqs

• umbc.edu/go/allyreport (requires UMBC VPN to view from off-campus)

• UMBC Digital Accessibility

• USM Digital Accessibility Hub

Accessible math content ensures that all students can fully engage with your course material. Yet mathematical notation remains one of the most common accessibility barriers in STEM courses. The good news is that practical, accessible content creation practices exist, and many of them work directly within tools instructors are likely already using.

Created in collaboration with Mathematics and Statistics faculty, especially Associate Professor Justin Webster; Michael Canale, Assistant Director, Student Disability Services; and DoIT’s Instructional Technology team, UMBC's Accessible Math resource outlines specific tools and workflows to help you create and share accessible mathematical content with Blackboard, Mathpix, Overleaf, and LaTeX. 

Blackboard: Create Accessible Math from the Start

If you are building new course materials and want to ensure accessibility from the beginning, Blackboard Ultra offers several built-in options for creating accessible math content. Add math content wherever you access the rich text editor in your course.

Mathpix: Accessible Handwritten and Printed Math

Not all math content starts as a digital file. Many instructors have handwritten notes, scanned problem sets, or older PDFs. When creating accessible content from scratch is not possible, Mathpix is an AI-powered tool that addresses exactly this challenge. 

Mathpix recognizes handwritten and printed mathematical expressions in images and converts them to LaTeX or MathML — making it particularly useful for digitizing handwritten notes, lecture materials, or older course documents.

LaTeX and Overleaf — Accessible Documents from Source

LaTeX is the standard typesetting system across many STEM disciplines. PDFs compiled from LaTeX may lack the structural tags (headings, reading order, alt text for figures) that assistive technologies rely on. Producing an accessible PDF from LaTeX requires intentional choices about LaTeX packages and compilation settings.

Overleaf is one cloud-based LaTeX editor widely used in STEM fields for creating research papers, problem sets, and course notes. With the right setup, documents authored in Overleaf can be output as tagged, accessible PDFs. If you’re not an Overleaf user, LaTeX can be updated in your LaTeX tool of choice by using available LaTeX resources.

Choosing the Right Approach

Not sure which tool or workflow fits your situation? Here is a quick reference from the Accessible Math support site:

• Create math content, including simple LaTeX, in Blackboard
• Convert handwritten notes to an accessible format
• Convert a PDF with math content to an accessible format
• Create accessible LaTeX content, including complex LaTeX

Get Started Today

Accessible math does not require rebuilding all of your course materials at once. Pick the scenario that matches where you are right now and take one step forward:

• If you use Blackboard: Open the Rich Text Editor in your next course document or assessment and use the Math Editor tool or rich text editor instead of inserting an equation as an image
• If you have handwritten notes: Request Mathpix access and try converting one set of notes to HTML
• If you work in LaTeX: Request Overleaf Premium access and review UMBC's accessible LaTeX template or begin reviewing LaTeX formatting guides for accessible PDFs

Full Resource: UMBC Accessible Math 

The tools, workflows, and video tutorials referenced in this article are available in one place:

Accessible Math — UMBC Faculty Resources

This site includes instructions, video walkthroughs (UMBC sign-in required), links to request access to Mathpix and Overleaf Premium, and additional guidance for each tool covered here. Bookmark it as your go-to reference for accessible math content creation.

Questions about accessibility at UMBC? Visit the UMBC Office of Accessibility and Disability Services website for additional resources and support.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
  • What's new in Ultra? |Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• UMBC Digital Accessibility| Ally FAQs | Ally Demo | Ally Report (VPN required)
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity |Keep On Teaching |Student Technology Resources

What does digital accessibility look like in practice -- and how can busy faculty make meaningful progress without redesigning their entire course?

Professor Nancy Kusmaul -- outgoing Faculty Senate President and incoming Chair and Associate Dean of the School of Social Work -- offers a perspective grounded in everyday teaching. 

Rather than describing accessibility as an added task, she emphasizes that it often builds on what faculty are already doing. Small adjustments - checking a document or considering how course materials are shared - can make a meaningful difference to students. Her advice to colleagues? Start small and stay consistent.

“The best first step is to just take it a little bit at a time.”

Kusmaul encourages faculty to focus on manageable actions -- reviewing one week’s material, running one accessibility checker, or making incremental changes as the semester progresses. This approach not only reduces feeling overwhelmed, it can build sustainable habits over time. She also underscores an important shift in mindset: accessibility is not about perfection.

“What can you do today to make your content a little bit more accessible than it was yesterday?”

Perhaps most importantly, Kusmaul reminds us why this work matters. Accessible course materials support not only students who request accommodation, it also helps those who may never ask -- removing barriers before they impact learning.

How can you get involved?

If you’re an instructor curious about your course’s accessibility score, Ally’s course report is available directly in Blackboard - look for the Ally Accessibility Report under Books & Course Tools. 

For more information, see the following resources:

• umbc.edu/go/allydemo
• umbc.edu/go/allytraining 
• umbc.edu/go/allyfaqs
• umbc.edu/go/allyreport (requiresUMBC VPN to view from off-campus)
• UMBC Digital Accessibility
• USM Digital Accessibility Hub

As announced last month, UMBC is working toward a campus-wide goal of highly accessible courses by the end of 2026. To help, DoIT recommends that faculty identify accessibility gaps in prior versions of the same course, and make meaningful improvements before the Fall 2026 term begins.

Improve Existing Courses with Ally 

Fall 2026 Blackboard course shells will be available in late July. If you’ve taught a course before, you have a head start. UMBC’s Blackboard Ally tool has already scanned your previous course content and generated accessibility scores. As such, you can:

• Review your Ally Course Accessibility Report to identify which materials need improvement
• Remediate low-scoring content using Ally’s recommendations
• Update your course accessibility score toward UMBC’s “Strive for 85” goal
• Copy improved content into your fresh Fall 2026 course shell

This approach allows you to build on your existing work while creating a more accessible experience for your fall students.

Get Support Along the Way

You don’t have to tackle accessibility alone. UMBC is committed to helping you succeed:

• Attend CoRE Digital Accessibility Summer Camp (June 3 or June 10)
• Enroll in CoRE Foundations training: This flexible, self-paced Blackboard course teaches practical tools for digital accessibility and can even lead to a microcredential recognizing your expertise.
• Review Ally FAQs: Visit umbc.edu/go/allyfaqs for answers to common questions.
• Request a consult with Instructional Technology staff.

Your efforts contribute to UMBC’s institutional goal of achieving an 85% or better Ally score across all courses by the end of 2026.

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
  • What's new in Ultra? | Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow the Instructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• UMBC Digital Accessibility| Ally FAQs | Ally Demo | Ally Report (VPN required)
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity |Keep On Teaching |Student Technology Resources

UMBC instructors are invited to "enroll" in the self-paced, online Course Roadmap to Equity (CoRE) Foundations training, which provides practical tools to achieve the ‘Strive for 85’ digital accessibility goal -- an overall Ally course score of 85% or better by the end of 2026. 

In March 2026, UMBC’s Digital Accessibility Steering Committee launched Strive for 85 -- an institutional goal to achieve an overall Ally course accessibility score of 85% or better across all Blackboard courses by the end of 2026. This initiative represents a commitment to digital accessibility and inclusive excellence in course design. CoRE Foundations gives instructors practical tools to apply accessibility improvements in their own courses to make progress toward that goal.

How it Works

CoRE Foundations is flexible and self-paced. Begin with Module 1 (Strive for 85), then choose additional modules based on the type of content you teach. You can also earn an optional microcredential, recognizing your expertise in implementing digital accessibility best practices.

Getting Started

CoRE Foundations is available now on Blackboard. Instructors may self-enroll in CoRE Foundations to get started today. Department chairs may submit an RT request to have Instructional Technology enroll their faculty.

Join UMBC's campus-wide commitment to inclusive excellence!

Connect with Instructional Technology

As always, if you have any questions about teaching, learning, and technology at UMBC, please consider the following options:

• Check our extensive FAQ collection 
  • What's new in Ultra? | Known Issues 
• Open a ticket via RT
• Follow theInstructional Technology & DoIT myUMBC groups
• Request a consult with instructional technology staff
• UMBC Digital Accessibility| Ally FAQs | Ally Demo | Ally Report (VPN required)
• PIVOT | Academic Continuity |Keep On Teaching |Student Technology Resources