Digital Accessibility Grants

Who May Submit Proposals

Proposals may be submitted by individuals (faculty, staff) who provide instruction that enhances educational development. Eligible applicants must have, or plan to have, a course site (website or Canvas) and must apply the grant funds toward a course scheduled for Fall 2025. 

Limit on Number of Proposals per Organization 

There are no limits or restrictions on the number of proposals submitted by a campus department or organization. 

Limit on Number of Proposals per Applicant

An eligible applicant may only submit one Digital Accessibility Grant proposal per year during this pilot phase.

• Complete the application form in full.
  • Be prepared to answer questions about your course and list all parties responsible for content updates. View all application form questions in advance using the Application Preview. 

Proposals will be reviewed by a designated review team or panel, consisting of members from CAEN, OCCE and other Digital Accessibility representatives from across Michigan Engineering. 

Reviewers will evaluate proposals based on the following criteria:

• The application is complete.
• Impact & Reach – the review committee may look up course details to determine courses with varied reach, as well as consider answers to optional questions outlined on the application form.

Notification of the Award 

A Digital Accessibility Grant representative will notify award recipients between March-April, 2025. 

Award Conditions 

Upon receipt of grant funds, award recipients and their digital accessibility project teams will: 

• Complete four formal accessibility checks of their course content throughout the process and make updates based on the report to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)2.1 AA and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements. Accessibility checks will occur at the following Intervals:
  • Pre-revision/before the course 
  • Start of the course 
  • Midterm/during the course 
  • End-of-course 
• Complete provided training.
  • Training is expected to take approximately 2-4 hours asynchronously on Canvas, with optional check-in support available.
• Share insights, challenges and advice related to the process.
• Keep the course in compliance for Fall 2025 with the goal of maintaining compliance in the future. 

Reporting Requirements 

During the pilot, all grant recipients will be expected to complete a pre-course and post-course survey in Fall 2025 outlining their experiences in digital accessibility revision, the accessibility status of their digital content, and reflections on the process of making content more digitally accessible. 

February 3, 2025 – Grant applications open

March 10, 2025 – Final applications due

March-April 2025 – Award recipients notified

Spring and Summer 2025 –

• Recipients undergo training (2-4 hours asynchronously via Canvas)
• Complete the initial course accessibility check 
• Work to make course content accessible including potentially hiring a student employee to make course improvements

August 2025 – Prior to the start of the course:

• Run another course accessibility check to compare to initial data
• Complete a pre-semester survey on process and report details 

October-November 2025 – At mid-point of the semester

• Run another course accessibility check to compare to prior data

December 2025 – At the end of the course:

• Run another course accessibility check
• Complete post-semester survey on process and report details