Faculty ACCESS Hub

+Extras: Additional Considerations

What are +extras?

These are additional accessibility considerations that fall outside of links, images, structure, and tables—but are just as essential. They ensure that documents, presentations, PDFs, and Canvas pages are usable by all students, including those with sensory, cognitive, or physical disabilities.

Set a Document Title

Why set the document's title?

WCAG 2.4.2 – Page Titled: A descriptive title helps users know the document’s purpose quickly. Screen reader users rely on the document title to identify the content.

How to fix in Word

Click the File tab.
From the menu on the left, select Info.
Click Properties and select Advanced Properties.
Fill in the Title field.
Click OK.

Screenshot of Word's document properties window showing title property.

Set the Language

WCAG 3.1.1 – Language of Page: Setting the correct language helps screen readers pronounce words accurately. This is especially important in multilingual documents.

How to fix in Word

Go to the Review tab.
Locate the Language section.
Click Language, then select Language Preferences.
In the Word Options dialog, you can:
- Add a new language: Select "Add a language" and choose from the available languages.
- Set a default language: Choose your desired language and click "Set as Default".
- Remove a language: Select the language and click "Remove".
Click OK to save your changes.
You may be prompted to restart Word for the changes to take effect.

Screenshot showing how to set language preferencs in Miclrosoft Word under the Review tab.

High Color Contrast

Adequate color contrast is crucial for readability. A low contrast ratio can make text difficult or impossible to read, particularly for those with conditions like color blindness or low vision.

The Canvas, Ally, and Microsoft Accessibility Checkers help identify potential color contrast issues by flagging text that has insufficient contrast against its background. This is done by evaluating the color values of text and background, and flagging instances where the contrast ratio falls below a certain threshold. Users can then review these flagged instances and make adjustments to improve readability for individuals with visual impairments.

WCAG 1.4.3 – Contrast (Minimum): Use high contrast between text and background. Word’s built-in accessibility checker can help flag low-contrast elements.

How to fix in Word

Go to the Review tab.
Locate the Accessibility section.
Click “Check Accessibility.”
Review the Inspection Results.
- Locate any issues labled "hard to read text contrastt.”
- Follow the guidance provided on how to fix the issue. This often includes suggested adjustments to the text or background colors.
While the Accessibility Checker is helpful, it's important to remember that it may not catch all contrast issues, particularly those involving text within images or gradients. Therefore, a manual review of the document is still recommended.

Provide Transcripts for Audio

WCAG 1.2.1 – Audio-only: Word-for-word transcripts benefit deaf or hard-of-hearing users and support learning flexibility for everyone. s

🎧 Screenshot Tutorial: Creating a Transcript for an Audio File in Canvas Using Panopto

✅ Step 1: Upload the Audio File to Panopto

Go to your Canvas course.
Click Panopto Video in the left navigation menu.
Click the Create button and choose Upload Media.
Select your audio file (e.g., .mp3, .wav) and upload it.

📷 Screenshot 1 placeholder: Canvas > Panopto Video > Create > Upload Media

✅ Step 2: Wait for Auto-Captions to Process

Panopto will automatically generate AI-based captions. This may take several minutes depending on the length of the audio.

📷 Screenshot 2 placeholder: Uploaded audio file in Panopto library with status bar showing “processing captions”

✅ Step 3: Open the Panopto Editor

Hover over your audio file.
Click the Edit (pencil icon).

📷 Screenshot 3 placeholder: Panopto video/audio tile with “Edit” button highlighted

✅ Step 4: Review and Edit the Captions

In the Editor, click on the Captions tab on the left.
Click into each line to:
- Fix spelling or punctuation
- Add speaker labels (e.g., “Host:”, “Student:”)
- Insert missing or unclear words

📷 Screenshot 4 placeholder: Caption editor panel with captions being edited

✅ Step 5: Download the Transcript

In the same Editor view, click the gear icon next to the Captions tab.
Select “Download file (.txt)” to save a plain-text transcript.

📷 Screenshot 5 placeholder: Download Captions dropdown with “.txt” selected

✅ Step 6: Add the Transcript to Your Canvas Page

Open the Canvas page or announcement where your audio is linked.
Click Edit.
Paste the transcript text below the audio player.
Add a heading like Transcript and format for readability.

📷 Screenshot 6 placeholder: Canvas Rich Content Editor showing pasted transcript below audio link

📘 Tips for Transcript Quality

Break long blocks into paragraphs
Use headings like [Music Playing], [Laughter]
Clearly label speakers

WCAG 2.1 AA Guidance

Success Criterion 1.3.1 – Info and Relationships: Content must use semantic structure (headings, lists) so that information and relationships can be programmatically determined. This benefits users of assistive technologies and those scanning for meaning.

How to fix in Microsoft Word

Highlight your heading text.
Go to the Styles pane and choose Heading 1, Heading 2, etc. (avoid just bolding text).
Use the Bullets or Numbering features for lists.
Run the Accessibility Checker to verify heading order and structure.

💬 Accessibility Tip: Use headings in logical order (e.g., H1 → H2 → H3) and avoid skipping levels.Accessibility Tip: Good document structure includes styled headings and lists, which allow screen readers and text-to-speech tools to navigate the content and skip to key sections.

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