Digital for all

As our world has become increasingly digital, many spaces – including education – have been made more accessible and inclusive.

This is a key focus of UM’s digital strategy as the university makes advances towards creating a digital environment that is responsive and accessible to learners, instructors  and support staff of all abilities.

When we make accessibility the universal approach, everyone benefits – regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

Consider: a non-native English speaker who uses captions to understand video content, or a user with unstable internet who connects via on low-bandwidth websites, or a busy employee who saves time using Copilot to organize their meeting notes.

Digital tools offer some of the most intuitive ways to improve equitable access. Here are some of ones currently available to UM students and employees.

Learning without barriers

Available to all current students, Student Accessibility Services should be the first point of contact for any student with a disability.

They offer accommodation plans tailored to each student, but some of the common requests involve exams, note taking and assistive technologies. This is where digital tools can play an invaluable role, giving students free access to software and apps that can help them succeed in the classroom.

For example, a student who is not a visual learner or has a reading disability could benefit from audio formats of textbooks or reading software to support comprehension, attention and focus.

Artificial intelligence (AI), when used appropriately, can also be a useful tool to help students stay organized and prepare for tests. Some of the apps recommended by the SAS are JamWorks, Quizlet, and OneNote, which can include AI-assisted notetaking capabilities, customized accessibility profiles (e.g. for ADHD or vision impaired users), and the secured capacity to summarize lectures and create action plans from them.

Teaching for all learners

The Centre for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning supports faculty with integrating accessible practices into courses. Yuja-Panorama is a multi-faceted tool available to all employees. This tool can analyze current course material, generate reports that flag accessibility concerns and make recommendations to improve them.

For those looking to refine their approach or build accessibility into new materials, The Centre offers hands-on training using UM Learn and other UM-supported tools to develop content with accessible design principles in mind. These workshops happen regularly and are led by staff trained in universal design – a learning philosophy that aims to reduce barriers so all students can engage in meaningful learning. Faculty can also request individual support through accessible course design coaching.

Communicating equitably

In our daily work at the university, all of us will communicate and share information with others and there are a variety of tools available to help us do this in ways that are accessible to everyone.

All employees have access to M365 which includes apps with speech-to-text features for dictating and transcribing, virtual assistance with organizing meeting notes and creating accessible documents. Training on these tools is offered regularly through Learning and Organizational Development.

For those who share information on the university’s website or intranet, there are resources outlining best practices for formatting content, including images and links, in accessible ways.

SiteImprove is a website monitoring tool that UM content authors can use on a regular basis to identify and update their site to meet accessibility standards. Since it was adopted by the university in 2024, umanitoba.ca has increased its accessibility score by 37 per cent.

This article is part of the university’s ongoing efforts to develop our shared UM digital future, as part of the university’s digital strategy. Those interested in learning more about digital technology in the education environment can check out the following resources:   

Workshops at The Centre
Manitoba Flexible Learning Hub 
LOD Courses: practical, hands-on training for M365, accessibility tools and more.  
Digital Community of Practice: a forum to promote best practices and build common capabilities across UM in digital technology.  
Power Platform Community of Practice: a place for citizen developers using Microsoft’s Power Platform suite of tools to come together and share ideas, projects, and best practices.