Digital Accessibility

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Accessibility ensures everyone, including people with disabilities, can access and use your digital content. It’s required by law and is a core value at UH. Learn more about the importance of accessibility at UH.

UH follows federal and state accessibility laws, including Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA. Review the UH Digital Accessibility Policy.

For Websites:

• Automated tools such as Google Lighthouse (built into Chrome) and the WAVE Evaluation Tool (browser extension) can help identify common accessibility issues.

• Manual checks are essential for issues such as logical reading order and color contrast that automated tools may miss.

For Documents:

• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker: Scans PDFs for most issues (manual checks still needed for reading order and color contrast).

• 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.

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

For Image Accessibility:

• 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.

Explore recommended tools on the UH Digital Accessibility Resources page. 

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.

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:

• https://uhsystem.edu/resources/digital-accessibility/policy/

• https://uhsystem.edu/resources/digital-accessibility/resources/

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.

Read the UH Digital Accessibility FAQ.

1. Visit the UH Digital Accessibility Home or the Resources page.

2. For accessibility-related questions and one-on-one assistance, contact the UH System campus-designated Electronic and Information Resources Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC)

3. Faculty can reach out to the NSM Instructional Technologies & Design Support team directly for help with their Canvas courses.

4. Additional resources: 

   • Canvas Accessibility Course for Instructors in Canvas.

   • Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible.

   • Self-Guided Accessibility Learning.

   • Creating Accessible Course Materials.

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