Accessible course materials help ensure that all students—including those using screen readers, captions, or other assistive technologies—can access and understand course content. Digital accessibility also improves usability for students studying on mobile devices, reviewing recordings, or accessing materials across different environments.

UH itself emphasizes that accessible digital content allows more people to participate fully in university programs and services. Learn more about the importance of accessibility at UH.

Accessibility Checklist Before Posting Materials

Use this quick checklist before sharing course materials with students.

✔ Images include alt text (in slides, documents, PDFs, or Canvas pages).
✔ Documents use built-in heading styles instead of bold text alone.
✔ Slide titles are clear and unique to help students navigate presentations.
✔ Color and contrast are used clearly, and color is not the only way information is conveyed.
✔ Tables include header rows or columns so screen readers can interpret the data.
✔ Links use descriptive text (for example, “View the syllabus” instead of “click here”).
✔ PDFs are searchable and not scanned images of text.
✔ Videos and recorded lectures include captions.
✔ Important charts, graphs, or diagrams are briefly explained when presenting them in lectures or recordings

These steps help ensure that all students- including those using screen readers, captions, or other assistive technologies-can access and understand your course materials.

What should faculty do when creating course materials?

Faculty accessibility workflow steps: Create → Check → Share → Improve Example: Create (Add alt text, headings, clear structure) ⬇ Check (Use accessibility checkers) ⬇ Share (Post accessible materials in Canvas) ⬇ Improve (Update materials gradually)

1. Create Accessible Materials

Start by building accessibility into the materials you create.

Examples:

Add alt text to images in slides and documents
Use heading styles in Word or Google Docs
Use clear slide titles
Avoid scanned PDFs

Goal: Make content easier for everyone to read and navigate.

2. Check Accessibility

Use built-in tools to identify common accessibility issues.

Helpful tools:

Microsoft Accessibility Checker (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)
Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker (PDFs)
Canvas Ally (course files in Canvas)

These tools highlight common problems and suggest fixes.

3. Share Content with Students

Once materials are checked, share them through course platforms such as:

Canvas
Zoom recordings
Course websites
Digital documents

Accessible materials ensure that students using screen readers, captions, or other assistive technologies can access the content.

4. Improve Over Time

Accessibility does not have to happen all at once.

A practical approach:

Start with new course materials
Improve frequently used documents
Update materials as you revise your course

Small improvements over time can significantly improve the accessibility of course content.

Common accessibility issues in course materials

Some common barriers include:

• Images without descriptions
• PDFs that are scanned images of text
• Videos without captions
• Documents without headings
• Links labeled “click here” instead of meaningful text

Fixing these issues helps ensure students using assistive technology can navigate and understand the material.

Start Here

If you are new to accessibility, begin with these five steps:

✔ Add alt text to images
✔ Caption videos
✔ Use heading styles in documents
✔ Avoid scanned PDFs
✔ Archive Duplicate, Unused, and Outdated Content.

These steps address many common accessibility barriers.

Tools to check accessibility

For Word, PowerPoint, or Excel

Microsoft Accessibility Checker:

Built into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Provides actionable suggestions for headings, alt text, color contrast, and more.
Access via Review > Check Accessibility in Office apps.

For PDFs

Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker: Scans PDFs for most issues (manual checks still needed for reading order and color contrast). NOTE: Make the source document accessible first (e.g., in Word or InDesign) before exporting to PDF—it saves significant time. If the source file isn’t available, Acrobat can export the PDF to Word, Excel, or PowerPoint (File > Export To), making accessibility fixes easier in the source format.

For Canvas content

Ally (Canvas): Rates accessibility and suggests fixes for LMS content.

For Image alt text generation:

ASU Image Accessibility Creator: AI-powered alt text generator for images.
Microsoft Accessibility Checker: Flags missing alt text in Office documents.
Canvas Ally: Highlights missing alt text in LMS content.

For Websites:

Automated tools such as Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome) and the WAVE Evaluation Tool (browser extension) can help identify common accessibility issues.
SiteImprove is a tool used across the UH System to support website development and maintenance. It scans websites and provides accessibility feedback to web content managers. Equal Opportunity Services (EOS) offers training, Siteimprove monitoring, and guidance on alt text, captions, PDF remediation, and accessibility best practices.
Manual checks are essential for issues such as logical reading order and color contrast that automated tools may miss.

Explore recommended tools on the UH Digital Accessibility Resources page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the limitations of automated accessibility checkers?

Automated tools may not detect all issues, such as reading order, color contrast, or OCR accuracy in scanned documents. Manual review is always necessary for comprehensive compliance.

What policies and standards apply to digital accessibility at UH?

The University of Houston follows federal and state accessibility requirements, including Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. These standards help ensure that digital content can be accessed and used by people with disabilities. For more information, review the UH Digital Accessibility Policy. UH Digital Accessibility Policy.

What types of digital resources are covered?

In teaching, this commonly includes Canvas pages, slides, PDFs, recorded lectures, quizzes, and documents shared with students.

More broadly, accessibility expectations apply to many types of digital content and technology used in university programs and services, including:

Websites and web-based applications
Mobile applications
Email and other electronic communications
Video conferencing, streaming, and multimedia
Instructional materials and course content in learning management systems
Electronic documents and software applications

Designing these resources with accessibility in mind helps ensure that all users—including those using assistive technologies such as screen readers or captions—can access and use the information effectively.

What counts as digital course content?

In teaching, this typically includes materials such as Canvas pages, slides, PDFs, recorded lectures, quizzes, and documents shared with students.

How do I prioritize which documents or pages to remediate?

Start with:

Accommodation requests and legal requirements (ADA/Section 504). Learn more about effective communication under the ADA.
High-impact content (public-facing pages, course materials). See DOJ Title II web rule summary.
Severe issues (untagged PDFs, scanned PDFs without OCR) and documents where source files are available.
Then address strategic or compliance-related materials and lower-impact content.

For more guidance, see:

What are the most critical accessibility errors?

Severe: Untagged PDFs; scanned PDFs without OCR.

Major: Missing headings, poor color contrast, missing table headers, missing alt text, images of text, non-meaningful hyperlinks, and unstructured lists.

Minor: Missing document title or language.

Definitions are in the Accessibility Glossary.

Where can I find answers to common accessibility questions?

Read the UH Digital Accessibility FAQ.

What if I can’t reach a perfect accessibility score?

Progress over time is encouraged. If full remediation isn’t possible, provide an accessible alternative and document your efforts.

Should You Include Alt Text for Pictures with Captions?

Yes, images with captions almost always need alt text. Captions provide context for everyone, while alt text enables screen readers to understand the image's content. They serve different purposes: alt text is a brief description of the image itself (the "what"), whereas captions often provide the "who, why, and where,"

Best Practice: Always provide a brief alt text description that focuses on what is in the image, distinct from the caption, suggest the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and CSU Northridge

If I record my lecture and explain the images out loud, do I still need to add alt text to my slides?

Recording your lecture and describing images is a great accessibility practice because it helps students understand charts, photos, and diagrams through narration. However, alt text is still important in the slides themselves. Some students may access the slides without watching the recording, download them for review, or use screen readers to navigate the content. Alt text ensures that students with visual impairments can understand the visuals even when audio explanations are unavailable.

In short, narration helps during the recording, while alt text ensures the slides remain accessible in other situations. Using both helps make sure all students can access the information in the way that works best for them.

Understanding PowerPoint Accessibility: The University of Colorado Digital Accessibility Program recommends that presenters verbally describe visual content, but also provide captions for recorded presentations and ensure slides follow accessibility practices.

Need help?

Visit the UH Digital Accessibility Home or the Resources page.
For accessibility-related questions and one-on-one assistance, contact the UH System campus-designated Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC)
The NSM Instructional Technologies & Design Support team can assist with: • Canvas accessibility • Document accessibility • Captioning guidance • Accessibility tools. Contact: nsmit@central.uh.edu

Additional resources

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