Welcome to July's edition of USM Accessibility in Action! This month, we're celebrating USM excellence and helping you strengthen one of the most fundamental accessibility skills: writing meaningful alt text.
Celebrating USM Excellence: Two Blackboard Catalyst Awards
We're excited to celebrate two University System of Maryland institutions recognized with 2026 Blackboard Catalyst Awards for their outstanding leadership in accessibility and professional development.
Coppin State University won the Innovation in Accessibility Award for the Innovation, Development, Education, and Assessment (IDEA) Team. Coppin's IDEA Team exemplifies institutional leadership in accessibility by transforming inclusive design into a sustained campus practice through strategic use of Blackboard Ultra and Ally. Rather than approaching accessibility as a compliance obligation, the team embedded it into everyday teaching and learning, equipping faculty to create accessible, engaging learning environments as a standard expectation. Through sustained professional development and cross-campus collaboration, the team built a proactive and durable culture of accessibility. By extending this work into ADA Title II readiness, the IDEA Team has established a scalable, high-impact model that removes barriers, strengthens student success, and sets a compelling benchmark for accessibility leadership in higher education.
UMBC received the Training and Professional Development Award for the Course Roadmap to Equity (CoRE) initiative. This phased digital accessibility program builds lasting faculty competency through live professional development and a structured self-paced microcredential in Blackboard. Recognizing accessibility as both a legal obligation and an equity imperative, UMBC designed CoRE to meet faculty where they are, offering flexible pathways for varying schedules and expertise levels. In Fall 2025, 350+ faculty and staff attended live workshops and used Blackboard Ally to generate accessibility reports. Institutional Ally accessibility scores rose from 66.5% to 78.7%—a 12.2 point gain. Results directly informed the CoRE microcredential program with multiple pathways and achievements, recognizing faculty commitment to equitable course design.
These awards reflect the innovative, equity-centered work happening across USM and they show what’s possible when accessibility becomes a shared institutional priority. Congratulations to both teams!
Register Now: Ready, Set, Accessible Fall Course Prep Day
Monday, August 3, 2026 | 9:30 AM-12:30 PM ET | Zoom
Start the fall semester with course materials that are more accessible, usable, and inclusive for all learners. This half-day virtual event is designed to help faculty take practical, manageable steps to improve the accessibility of their courses before classes begin.
Across three focused sessions, participants will learn how to:
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Evaluate course resources for accessibility
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Redesign assignments with accessibility in mind
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Design learning experiences that support students with a range of sensory, cognitive, technological, and learning needs
Whether you're updating an existing course, preparing new materials, or looking for a realistic place to begin, this day will offer concrete strategies, examples, and tools you can apply right away. Faculty are invited to attend one session or participate in the full half-day event.
July Challenge: Alt Text in Action
This month, practice writing meaningful alternative text for images in your materials. To help you master this skill, we recommend exploring this comprehensive Guide to Writing Meaningful Alt Text from Section508.gov.
Quick Tips for Success:
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Focus on Meaning, Not Appearance: Instead of describing what an image looks like (e.g., "A person in a suit"), describe the information it conveys (e.g., "Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.").
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Include Text Word-for-Word: If an image contains text (like an event flyer), that text must be included in the alt text so screen reader users don't miss vital details.
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Context is Key: A photo of a building might need different alt text in a History course than it does in an Architecture course. Ask yourself: What would a user miss if this image didn't load?
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Don't Repeat Yourself: If the surrounding paragraph already explains the chart's data, your alt text can be brief. Just ensure it still identifies the image’s purpose so screen reader users know what the object is.
The Challenge: Choose 3–5 images in your own materials and update their alt text using these principles. You’ll likely find that clarifying your images for accessibility actually makes your core concepts clearer for everyone! Post your insights on LinkedIn using #USMAccessibility so we can all learn from each other.
Get Involved
Whether you’re ready to lead, want to share an accessibility success story, or are looking for practical guidance, we want to hear from you.
Register for Ready, Set, Accessible Fall Course Prep Day
Share or Nominate an Accessibility Win
Visit the USM Digital Accessibility Hub
Repost from the USM Kirwan Center for Academic Innovation and the USM Digital Accessibility Work Group.