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Syllabus and Accessibility Tips for Faculty

By August 22, 2025No Comments

Summary

Back-to-school planning is a key opportunity to ensure your syllabus supports all learners. This blog shares accessible, flexible strategies that faculty can use to design more inclusive classrooms.

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Your Syllabus Is More Than Just a Document

A syllabus does more than list dates and deadlines. It is a road map, an invitation to engage, and a contract between faculty and students. When created with accessibility in mind, it helps all students, especially disabled students, understand expectations, access support, and fully participate from the start.

As you prepare for the semester, look for small ways to build flexibility into your course design. These changes can improve outcomes for everyone, not just those with formal accommodations.

Improving Accessibility Outside the Classroom

Beyond the classroom, policies and communication matter. These actions make your course more accessible:

1

Provide multiple office hour options.

Not everyone can attend office hours in person. Including virtual options ensures students with mobility, transportation, or health challenges can connect with you.
2

Check that textbooks and readings are accessible.

Digital formats should work with screen readers. If your course relies on visuals, provide image descriptions and captions.
3

Ask others to review your syllabus.

Ask a colleague or student to review your syllabus for accessibility. A second set of eyes may reveal assumptions or gaps you did not notice.
4

Encourage accessibility in student-created materials.

Give guidance on how to add captions, write alt text, and use tools that make shared videos, slides, or documents accessible.

Designing Accessible In-Class Experiences

In the classroom, accessibility starts with clarity, flexibility, and structure. Consider these strategies:

1

Offer late assignment options.

Life happens. Letting students use two “grace days” across the semester can reduce anxiety and support students managing chronic health conditions, caregiving, or other responsibilities.
2

Allow revisions after feedback.

Giving students the opportunity to revise major assignments encourages deeper learning and supports students who may need more time to demonstrate mastery.
3

Give choices for how to complete assignments.

Let students apply what they learn to topics they care about. Flexibility supports different learning styles and encourages deeper engagement.
4

Share examples and templates.

Clear expectations reduce confusion and support students with cognitive disabilities or those new to college-level work.
5

Make group work accessible.

Structure group assignments with clear roles and options for how to contribute. This helps students with varied communication styles participate fully.

Accessibility is not a solo effort. 

Our findings from the upcoming National Disability Center’s Faculty Accessibility Measure indicate that disabled faculty have more positive views of accessibility strategies, etc than their non-disabled peers. Learning from both disabled students and faculty/staff can be a valuable resource for anyone thinking about their classroom strategies. This includes asking for help with the syllabus.

Accessible teaching starts on day one. And your syllabus is a great place to begin.

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