Try to use the same headings, fonts, and spacing across your materials. This makes it much easier for all students to find what they need and lets everyone focus on learning—not searching.
Why: Relevant to WCAG Standard 1.3.1: Info and Relationships
Flashing or fast-moving content can trigger migraines, dizziness, or seizures. It’s also distracting for students trying to focus.
Avoid flashing content or provide a way to pause animations.
Slowing down or removing fast-moving elements keeps your content safe and accessible.
Unlabeled form fields are meaningless to screen reader users. Without labels, they can’t complete forms accurately.
Always add clear labels to form fields (e.g., Name, Email, Student ID).
Labeled forms make data entry clear and reduce errors for all students.
Videos or audio that play automatically can disrupt screen reader users and distract students with attention challenges.
Disable auto-play so students can choose when to start media.
Giving students control makes your content less distracting and more accessible.
Disorganized LMS sites can be overwhelming for students, especially those with ADHD or executive functioning challenges. Use a consistent weekly or module-based structure so students know where to find things. A clear layout helps students spend less time searching and more time learning.
Blocks of ALL CAPS text are harder to read and can be overwhelming, especially for students with dyslexia.
Use sentence case or title case for easier reading.
Readable text keeps students focused on your message instead of struggling with formatting.
Generic file names make it hard for students to know what’s inside before opening. This wastes time and can cause confusion.
Rename files with clear titles, like “Week 3 Reading – Digital Literacy Article.”
Meaningful file names save students time and reduce stress when organizing course materials.
Screen reader users often scan through links. Generic text like “click here” doesn’t tell them where the link goes.
Use descriptive link text, like “Download the Week 2 Reading (PDF).”
Descriptive links help all students navigate your resources more efficiently.
When tables don’t have header rows, screen readers read data without context, making it confusing or meaningless.
Mark the first row of your table as a header row so each column has a clear label.
Adding headers makes your data accessible and easier for everyone to interpret.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing can’t access spoken content if captions are missing. Even students in noisy or quiet environments rely on captions.
Turn on auto-captions, then edit them for accuracy before sharing.
Providing captions ensures your videos work for every student, in every situation.
Documents without proper headings are difficult for screen reader users to navigate. They can’t jump to sections quickly, which makes studying and reviewing more frustrating.
Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) instead of just bolding or enlarging text.
Structured headings create a roadmap that benefits both screen reader users and anyone skimming your materials.
Scanned PDFs that are only images can’t be read by screen readers. Students who rely on assistive technology miss all of the content inside.
Save PDFs as “accessible” or run them through OCR (optical character recognition) so the text can be selected and read aloud.
Making sure PDFs are readable means all students can access your handouts and readings.
Light gray text on a white background or red text on black can be hard to read, especially for students with low vision. Poor contrast can cause eye strain or make materials unreadable.
Choose strong color contrast, like dark text on a light background, to improve readability.
High contrast design makes your content easier to see for everyone, not just those with vision challenges.
If you tell students to “click the green button,” those who are colorblind may not know which one you mean. This can cause confusion and slow them down.
Use both color and text in your directions—for example, “Click the green ‘Submit’ button.”
Adding text labels along with color ensures every student can follow your instructions clearly.
Images without alternative text (alt text) can be invisible to students who use screen readers. Without it, they miss out on important context in assignments, announcements, or presentations.
Add a short alt text description that explains the purpose of the image (e.g., “Map of Tennessee showing TCAT locations”).
Taking a few seconds to add alt text ensures all your students have equal access to the information you want to share.
Disorganized LMS sites can be overwhelming for students, especially those with ADHD or executive functioning challenges.
Use a consistent weekly or module-based structure so students know where to find things.
A clear layout helps students spend less time searching and more time learning.