Updated Title II Rule for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Why It Matters for Public Health, Healthcare, and Public Safety Workforces

On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Title II of the ADA mandates that state and local governments ensure their services, programs, and activities are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

This change is highly relevant to the settings where public health, healthcare, and public safety professionals work and the services we provide. This post gives an overview of Title II, why it matters for our workforces, and highlights important compliance dates.

EducationalLeah RomanOctober 20, 2025Public health, Instructional Design, NHEW, accessibilityComment

Hot Off The Press: Emerging Priorities in Public Health Education and Training 2025

I’m happy to share my next installment of “Hot Off The Press”, a blog feature where I share emerging research, publications, and standards that are relevant to making effective and accessible public health courses.

This month, I am highlighting a new article from the journal Pedagogy in Health Promotion called “Is Public Health Education and Training Adequately Responding (or Not) to Emerging Priorities?” (Kemper Seeley, Robinson, Severinsen, and Coombe, 2024).

I discuss the highlights and my key takeaways.

Hot Off The PressLeah RomanJuly 8, 2025Public health, Training, Instructional Design, e-LearningComment

Know Better, Do Better. How I Audit My Own E-learning Materials.

It can be overwhelming to go back and review your own webpages, online courses, toolkits, and handouts. The more we learn and get better, the more we realize our mistakes in previous learning products.

But it’s important to model, “Know Better, Do Better.”

I want that for myself and I want that for my clients. No judgement. Just improvement.

Today, I’m sharing the process I used to audit and improve a graphic on my website that compares the roles and responsibilities of e-learning instructional designers and developers.

Educational, RPH ServicesLeah RomanJune 10, 2025e-Learning, Instructional Design, AuditComment

Why I Removed GIFs From My E-Learning Instructional Design Portfolio

Earlier this year, I conducted an accessibility audit on my own instructional design portfolio. I initially created the online content a few years ago, and like many people, I thought the inclusion of Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)s would be fun and engaging for visitors.

However, when I revisited the portfolio with an accessibility lens, I had multiple concerns about the GIFs and removed them. Visit today’s post to learn why!

RPH Services, EducationalLeah RomanMay 13, 2025Public health, e-Learning, Instructional Design, Portfolio, accessibilityComment

The Tools You’ll Find on My Desk for an Instructional Design Accessibility Audit

I recently completed an instructional design accessibility audit for one of my clients. This type of audit assesses how well online educational resources line up with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2, which makes content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities.

As I dove into the project, I laughed at the growing pile of reference tools and documents on my desk. So, I thought it would be fun to share my “Go To” resources!

RPH ServicesLeah RomanMarch 12, 2025accessibility, Instructional Design, e-Learning, Public healthComment

Three Tips for Writing Effective Alt Text in your Online Learning Content

A few weeks ago I posted about Alternative Text (Alt Text) on LinkedIn. I included a poll where I asked my connections and followers: “How well do you/your organization use Alt Text in your online learning and communication efforts?”

One hundred percent of respondents told me that they do not consistently use Alt Text.

So I thought this would be a great topic for a blog post!

EducationalLeah RomanFebruary 11, 2025Public health, Instructional Design, e-Learning, accessibilityComment