APA CE Course Guidelines and Procedures

The Accessibility Professionals Association (APA) is committed to providing quality Continuing Education (CE) to advance the accessibility industry. APA has established the following guidelines and procedures for CE offerings to ensure the highest standards. These guidelines will be regularly reviewed and updated as needed.

APA’s Commitment:

1. APA shall not discriminate in the delivery of CE on the basis of race or ethnicity, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, or disability.
2. APA shall not misrepresent the credentials of presenters, assistants, or personnel and shall inform those involved in the educational activities of the name and professional credentials of persons providing services.
3. APA shall reference the source when using other persons’ ideas, research, courses, or products in any written, oral, or media presentation or summary.
4. APA shall ensure that information collected from course participants shall be secure from unauthorized use.
5. CE Agencies: APA shall submit all CE courses to APAC, AIA, ICC, and ACTCP for approval. As membership needs evolve, APA may seek approval from additional CE organizations to offer a wider range of courses and better serve our diverse membership.
6. CE Credit Reporting and Certificates of Completion: Within five business days of course completion, APA will provide course attendees with a certificate of completion and report attendance when appropriate.
7. Record Keeping and Document Retention: APA will keep active files and records of all approved courses and participant attendance information for a minimum of three years. Course Administration items that must be kept on file include course registration information (approved course registration forms), participant lists (course attendance forms or logs), course materials or handouts, and instructor information (biography and contact information).
8. APA shall provide each CE presenter with the guidelines found in the section entitled “Presentation Requirements.”
9. Presenter payment: As a nonprofit organization with a limited budget, APA is currently unable to offer speaker fees. However, we value the contributions of all presenters and will revisit this policy as the organization grows. The keynote speaker for our annual conference is an exception to this policy.

Presentation Requirements:

1. Speakers must comply with quality assurance guidelines provided to presenters.
2. For every CE hour, a course must consist of at least 50 minutes of presentation time.
3. Course content must be unbiased, not promoting or marketing a Provider’s products or services. A Provider’s products or services may only be discussed once the credit portion of the course is completed.
4. Course materials (such as PowerPoints, handouts, slides, and samples) used during the credit portion of the course may not include any proprietary information and must pertain to the educational content of the presentation. All PowerPoints must contain the APA mandatory slides, and the company logo and the company’s product or service information may only be included on the slides indicated in the mandatory slides.
5. Each course should be created by qualified subject matter experts and presented by individuals with appropriate knowledge of the subject matter.
6. Each course must have a clear purpose and a minimum of four (4) clearly stated and measurable learning objectives.
7. Course materials must be visible and reasonably accessible, including in terms of font, font size, contrast, and any other visuals.
8. All information shared must be accurate, evidence-based, and aligned with current best practices in accessibility.
9. Content should align with the goals of APA and be directly related to accessibility and professional development within the industry.
10. All content should be original or properly cited if referencing other sources. Avoid any form of plagiarism.
11. APA will periodically review and update these guidelines to align with industry standards and participant feedback. Presenters are responsible for staying informed about any changes to these guidelines.
12. Confidential information about any individual or organization must not be shared without explicit permission.
13. Enable live closed captions during the webinar. APA will provide support for this feature if needed.
14. Ensure that any supplementary materials (e.g., PDFs, slides) are accessible (e.g., screen reader-friendly, tagged PDFs). Guidelines for PPTs are found below.
15. Presenters are required to acknowledge their understanding of these guidelines before the webinar.
16. By adhering to these guidelines, presenters help APA deliver high-quality, accessible, and engaging educational content.
17. Speakers should join the webinar at least 15 minutes early to test audio, video, screen-sharing capabilities, and any interactive tools.
18. Speak clearly and at a moderate pace to accommodate all listeners, including those using assistive technologies.
19. Use plain language and avoid jargon to ensure that content is accessible to all participants.

PPT Guidelines for Webinars:

Accessibility: All digital content must be accessible to persons with visual impairments. You can find the PowerPoint Accessibility Checker on the Review tab by clicking Check Accessibility. A side panel will open in PPT with suggestions for improving accessibility. You can also use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2. All images must have alt text.
Font: Use Arial or Calibri.
Font Size: Use at least 18-point font, consistently applied throughout.
Text Alignment: Left align all text.
Line Spacing: Use 1.5 line spacing.
Content Style: Use succinct phrases instead of full sentences. Avoid unnecessary punctuation and paragraphs.
Headings: Ensure headlines and subheads at each level have consistent sizing and typeface.
Margins: Maintain at least one-inch margins.
Color Contrast: If you insert your own content slides, use dark-colored lettering on a light background or vice versa. Ensure sufficient contrast for accessibility. We recommend using a free online tool like Colour Contrast Analyzer to test your color choices.
Logo: Company logo may be included on the copyright slide only.