Digital Accessibility Hub

• ADA-Accessible Syllabus

  • This document is pre-formatted to follow the WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines for document development (as much as any document created in Google Docs can). 

  • Copy this document and edit it to add your content to create a relatively accessible document. 

  • In the future, we will have the Grackle Accessibility Checker for the Google Suite to help you create accessible materials using Google.

• Checklist for Creating Accessible Course Materials

  • This checklist currently reviews document and slideshow guidelines as described in WCAG 2.1, AA.

  • We're working on the Canvas and PDF requirements and will review the data table requirements as we continue to update the document. 

Fall 2026 Presentations & Workshops

• Julie Perino's Digital Accessibility Principles: From POUR to Practice Academic Affairs Presentation. All materials, including a video of the presentation, are within the linked Google Drive folder and shared with the Transy Community.

• Digital Accessibility Workshop #1: The First Things to Fix–Document Formatting:

  • Make your own Google Doc copy of the Workbook.

  • Watch the workshop recording.

  • Read the transcript of the recording.

• Forthcoming: Digital Accessibility Workshop #2: Accessibility Checkers

Document Level Checkers

• Microsoft Suite Checker

• Adobe Acrobat Pro PDF Checker

• Grackle for Google Suite (add-on from the Marketplace)

  • Docs

  • Slides

  • Sheets

Canvas Checkers

• UDOIT for Canvas

  • Introduction video on how to use UDOIT

  • UDOIT User Guide, featuring walkthroughs, videos, and other instructional content.

• Built-in Canvas checker for Individual pages

• Built-in Canvas course-wide checker

Website Checkers

• WAVE tool

  • WAVE assesses websites for WCAG 2.1 AA structural features and explains issues.

  • For Google Sites, this tool works best as a browser add-on to review the published site, but you can also enter URLs on their website to check them.

Color Checkers

• WebAIM Color Contrast Checker

• WebAIM Link Color Contrast Checker 

Microsoft Word (Use the desktop version, not the Web version)

Ensure Word documents are accessible by using built-in heading styles (Heading 1 (H1), Heading 2 (H2), etc.). Heading styles help Assistive Technologies like screen readers navigate through documents by adding metadata to your content. This metadata is added “in the background” and is only visible to screen readers.

• Word documents will also need a “Document Title” added in the Document Properties menu, which is separate from H1.  

• Add alt text to all images, charts, and tables (see below for more details).  

• Run the Accessibility Checker in Word (under the Review tab) before sharing documents. 

• Hyperlinks. Use self-describing and meaningful names for hyperlinks. For example, use “Quality Matters website” rather than the long URL www.qualitymatters.org  

  • Avoid using ‘click here’ or similar language. 

  • Underlined text is only used for hyperlinks 

• Please visit Microsoft Office’s Accessibility resources for additional details. 

Microsoft PowerPoint (Use the desktop version, not the browser version)

• Use high-contrast color schemes (e.g., black text on white background); see the Color Contrast tutorial below. 

• Avoid using color alone to convey meaning—use labels or patterns.

• Include alt text for all visuals and ensure reading order is logical.  

• Ensure that all slides have unique title names.

• Use the Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint to catch common issues (under the Review tab). 

• Please visit Microsoft’s PowerPoint Accessibility resources for additional details. 

PDFs

Among the most common file types used in online courses, PDFs are typically among the most complicated to make accessible for Assistive Technology Users. For best results, an Adobe Acrobat Pro license is required. Please contact IT if you don't have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Recommendations

1. Download the most recent version of a PDF that you want to share, as it should be better formatted for assistive technology use. 

   1. You may want to check the database or journal website to see what formatting standards they use.

2. Apply a +1 style of thinking. If you include a PDF resource, provide a hyperlink to the source material or some other way of accessing that information.

   1. We now have UDOIT for Canvas, which you can use to create alternative PDF formats, including converting them to HTML Canvas pages. This can really help assistive technology users engage with the content.

3. PDFs can help students with slow internet bandwidth because they can download the file on campus.

4.  Screen readers can typically perceive only information that is programmed as text. Often, PDFs, especially those scanned from physical materials, are scanned as images of text rather than raw text.  

5. Remediation of a PDF is typically time-consuming and frustrating, even with the Accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat Pro. 

When possible, use a source document in Microsoft Word or a Canvas page instead of a PDF. If that isn't viable, remember that providing more than one way to access the information makes it accessible to all of your students.

Alt Text

Use your word processor's built-in tools to add alt text to all images, charts, and tables. Because alt. text needs to provide information as well as orientation, best practices include: 

• Keep it short, usually 1-2 sentences. Don’t overthink it.

• Focus on why you chose the image, not every little detail.

• No need to say “image of” or “picture of.”

• But do say if it’s a logo, illustration, painting, or cartoon.

• Don’t duplicate text that’s adjacent in the document or website.

• End the alt text sentence with a period.

• Think about the image's meaning in its context to determine if it is

  • Decorative: not needing any description.

  • Informative: conveying a simple concept or information that can be expressed in a short phrase or sentence of alt. text.

  • Functional (like a button link): initiating an action when interacted with. If so, the alt. text should describe the action that will be initiated (the purpose of the image), rather than a description of the image.

  • Images of text: making textual information more visually interesting. The alt. text should repeat the exact language of the image without describing the visual flourishes.

  • Complex: requires more than 2-3 sentences of explanation and therefore needs a longer description for visually disabled audience members. The alternative text should provide a brief explanation of the image and instructions on how to find the long description. For more information on how to create an image description, visit W3C’s tutorial on Complex Images. 

Color Contrast Ratio & Font

• You can check the color contrast ratio by utilizing WebAIM’s color contrast checker. 

  • WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, as in documents and webpages. 

  • WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for large text, as in presentation slides.

• Color contrast checker tutorial. 

• Large Text: Large-scale text and images of large-scale text have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 (at least 14 pt. font) 

Videos

• Always use closed captions for any video content you share in class or online. 

• Ensure captions are accurate, synchronized, and include non-speech elements (e.g., [music], [laughter]). 

• Verify that synchronized captions are provided for live videos with audio. Example: a movie shown in class would have captions that sync with the audio. 

• You can upload videos and audio to Canvas Studio, and it can automatically generate captions (for videos) and transcripts. Captions should still be manually checked for accuracy 

Audio Descriptions

Provide audio descriptions for all prerecorded video content. An audio description is narration that provides information about key visual elements in a video. For example, an important thematic element of a video appears on the screen in text, such as “eerie music starts up.” 

Resources

1. University of Minnesota: Video and Audio 

2. Student Uses and Perceptions of Closed Captions and Transcripts, Oregon State University

Visual Arts

• Alternative Text for Images: Adding alternative text can be challenging depending on context. If students are expected to recognize the image (e.g., the Eiffel Tower), avoid giving away the answer. Use descriptive but non-revealing text, such as: “A towering lattice of wrought iron in Paris.”

• Complex Images: For detailed visuals, include an image description within the surrounding content. If the image is fully described in the text, mark it as decorative.

• Motion in Visual Art: When artwork includes motion, provide a companion document that explains the movement so individuals with visual impairments can understand what is happening.

Music

• Audio Clips with Dialogue: Add accurate captions for spoken content.

• Audio Clips with Music Only: Provide a textual description of key musical elements. For example: “Entire orchestra crescendos, then drops out immediately. After a brief pause, a solo flute begins a light, quick melody.”

• Additional Resources:

  • University of North Texas Guide: Digital Accessibility for Music Courses

  • University of North Texas Guide: Describing Musical Examples with Text and Alt Text

Theater

• Scripts and Materials: Ensure all shared digital files (Word, PDF, etc.) meet accessibility standards outlined in this checklist.

• Video Content: Provide accurate captions for all video materials.

Provide Multiple Formats

• When possible, offer materials in more than one format (e.g., PDF + Word or PowerPoint). 

• Multiple formats allow students to choose how they engage with content based on their needs and preferences.