A document in a digital format does not mean it is inherently accessible. Documents, such as PDFs, scanned PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and exams need to be constructed or remediated in such a way that assistive technology (magnification software and Text-to-Speech software) applications can render the content perceivable and usable by the student. Please refer to our Presentations and Trainings for more information.
Many applications have a built-in accessibility checker; however, these checkers only uncover about 40% of accessibility issues. We recommend first using an automated checker and then following up with a manual check of the materials.
To thoroughly review the accessibility of materials you must do a manual check of accessibility. A manual check includes using Text-to-Speech software (Screen Reader) and only using the keyboard to navigate the materials. If the software is not reading the material as it visually appears on the material and/or you cannot navigate and interact with just the keyboard, then the material is considered inaccessible.
A logical semantic heading structure. Screen readers (Text-to-Speech) use headings as a quick navigational method to allow the user to "skim" or "scan" content solely by the headings list to locate areas of interest within the document.
Images within content should have alternative text descriptions (alt-text) that explain/describe the image and its context within the document or that indicate that the image is decorative.
Charts and graphs should have alternative (alt) text attributes and/or captions. Consider providing data tables that, if properly constructed, can be more easily accessible by users of assistive technology, particularly if the chart/graph displays complex information.
Color or shapes should not be the sole indicators of information in any part of the content. Other mediums, such as text or checkmarks example should also be used. A legend should be used if any shapes are being used.
Text/foreground color and background color should provide sufficient contrast to be easily readable. It should follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Level AA Conformance.
Assistive Technology cannot read Bold, Italic, or Underlined.
Font size should be large enough to be easily read, usually at least 12 point. Unless the student has accommodation for larger font.
Content should allow magnification up to 200% without text overlap or concealment of controls. (Assistive technology such as ZoomText can magnify up to 36x; however, even without the use of specialized applications, content should meet the 200% magnification requirement.) This usually applies to HTML content as applications normally account for magnification.
If a document was created by scanning a hardcopy, the resulting PDF must be made accessible through OCR (Optical Character Recognition), properly tagged, and have alt text that describes all images.
Exporting a PowerPoint to an accessible PDF can help Screen Readers more easily perceive and interact with the content because it removes editing tools that can hinder assistive technology to interact with the content.
Tables should have defined header rows and be fully navigable with Text-to-Speech software and a keyboard alone.
Link names should be meaningful out of context. Avoid using link names such as "Click Here," "For More Information", the full URL, etc.
Just as organizing content information using headings can provide a means for assistive technology to effectively skim documents, users of assistive technology can also elect to display all the links included in a document or webpage to navigate quickly to specific areas of interest.
List structure should be used wherever a logical list is present, and nowhere else. Don't merely create something that looks like a list by starting each paragraph with a bullet character. Likewise, don't apply list structure to elements that do not logically form a list.
Using online articles or outside websites should be checked for accessibility before utilizing them for course content. If the article is not accessible, then the article, blog, etc. should be copied into an accessible document while giving proper credit to the source
All videos, including recorded or created by outside sources, must have accurate captions. You can utilize MyMedia or YouTube for automated captions, but they must be checked and corrected for accuracy
