Accessibility Guidelines and Resources

We want to ensure that all of our web audiences can read digital materials across all our websites. As a community member who oversees, manages, or edits a websites, you can help us ensure a welcoming environment for all audiences, including those with disabilities.

Creating Accessible Materials

Everyone perceives and interacts differently with digital content. Those who see, hear, move, or think differently deserve the opportunity to engage with digital content. All digital content on the our websites should be accessible to all users. All digital content should be “friendly” to screen readers and should provide captions.

Below are helpful guidelines and resources we follow to create accessible digital content.

Standards to Follow

• Images should have alternative text (also known as “alt text”).
• Graphics or pie chart images must have alternative, text-only-formatted files available to download.
• Tables must include table headers and summary descriptions of the content included in the tables.
• Links must have advisory or tooltip text (a brief, informative message that appears when a user interacts with the text) and, in addition to a color associated with the link, should be underlined or italicized.
• Heading styles must follow logical order. Example: Header 1 (H1) should be followed by Header 2 (H2); H2 by H3; an so forth.
• Digital content must be navigational through the use of a keyboard and readable through screen readers.
• Digital content must use the proper color contrast between text and backgrounds for those with low vision.
• Images should not be used for text.
• Videos must have captions and transcripts available.
• Digital forms should include instruction and labeling, and users should be able to navigate through keyboard functions.

Resources

Microsoft Word

• Creating an Accessible Office Document (Microsoft)
  • Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker
  • Make your Word documents accessible
• Microsoft Word (WebAIM, or Web Accessibility in Mind)

Adobe Acrobat PDF

• Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)
• PDF Accessibility (WebAIM)
• Download Reader

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible (Microsoft)
• PowerPoint Accessibility (WebAIM)
• How to Create Accessible PowerPoints (Perkins School for the Blind)

Google Drive

• Using Google Docs for Optical Recognition (OCR) (Missouri State University)
• Creating Accessible Google Drive Documents (Michigan State University)

Accessible Videos

• Creating Accessible Videos (University of Washington)
• Checklist for Creating Accessible Videos (Bureau of Internet Accessibility)

Additional Resources

• CheatSheets (National Center on Disability and Access to Education): one page-accessibility resources for Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, Adobe, Youtube, etc.
• Technology Blog (Perkins School for the Blind)
• Bureau of Internet Accessibility
• Accessibility Basics by Usability.Gov
• Understanding the Faculty Role in Digital Accessibility
• The Faculty Room
• CAST: Boston-based nonprofit education research and development organization that works to expand earning opportunities for all individuals through universal design for learning.

Tools

• Screen Reader Simulation (WebAIM)
• WAVE Browser Extensions – Accessibility Tool (WebAIM)
• Grackle Docs: add-on to check for accessibility issues with Google Docs, Sheets, etc.