Accessibility Resources

If you are not taking additional steps to make your math equations accessible they are highly inaccessible to disabled students. Your goal is to support students with learning disabilities. If you are adding special characters without LaTeX or another software, a screen reader will read the equation incorrectly. There are many tools to help you make your equations accessible.

Resources: Accessible Math

• Accessibility Strategies for Mathematics (Achieve The Core)

• Are there Commercial Products Designed to Make Math Accessible to Students with Disabilities? (Washington Do-It Center)

• Equatio

• How Can I Create Math and Science Documents that are Accessible to Students with Visual Impairments? (Washington Do-It Center)

• Make Mathematics Instruction Accessible and Engaging for All Students (Inclusive Schools Network)

• STEM Concept (Mira Costa College)

• Where can I find Tips on Making Math Accessible to Students with Disabilities (Washington Do-It Center)

Alternative text (or "alt text") provides a text equivalent for non-text content such as images, graphs, and charts. It ensures you, the author, convey the intended meaning of the non-text elements of your content, and it is required to meet accessibility guidelines (WCAG Level A).

Have you ever struggled to visualize a concept or process? Imagine attempting this with a file name and the word, "image," or "graphic"? Do you think you would be successful? Probably not as most file names do not provide enough content and in some cases, are gibberish such as IMG_044.jpg. However, this is often what those using assistive technologies, such as a text-to-speech tool (e.g., screen reader), experience when they come to a non-text element in content because alt text is not provided.

Successful alt text will provide a text equivalent of a non-text element as concisely as possible. If the alternative text is too lengthy, it will interrupt the individual’s reading flow. If it’s too short, it won’t communicate everything it needs to include. Effectively, the alt text should be as long as it needs to describe the content effectively, but it must also be succinct.

Students with vision loss or blindness, cognitive processing delays, reading disorders, and/or English as a second language (ESL) need the alt text to provide a description of the non-text element as it relates to the context surrounding it. Yet, these are not the only students that benefit from alt text. Some students simply prefer using text-to-speech technologies to listen to content. There is a new generation of mobile learners listening to their textbooks as audiobooks while on the go such as in their car or even on a jog.

Resources: Alternative Text

• ABS’s Guidelines for Verbal Description (Art Beyond Sight)

• Add Alt Text to Charts (Microsoft Support)

• Add Alt Text to Images (Microsoft Support)

• Add Alt Text to Shapes or SmartArt Graphics (Microsoft Support)

• Alternative Text (WebAIM)

• Alt-Text for Art & Design Images (Washington University Saint Lewis)

• Alt Text Image Concepts (W3C)

• Are there Guidelines for Describing Complex Images? (Washington Do-It Center)

• Cooper Hewitt Guidelines for Image Descriptions (Cooper Hewitt)

• Creating Accessible Content: Alternative Text (Portland Community College)

• How long can “alt” text be? (Washington Do-It Center)

• How Museums are Making Artworks Accessible (Art in America)

• How to Add Alternative Text in Google Docs and Slides (Google Doc)

• Image Description Guidelines (Diagram Center)

• Improve Accessibility with Alt Text (Microsoft Support)

• Informative Images (W3C)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Using Color and Composing Alt Text (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

• No More Excuses - The Definitive Guide to the Alt Text Field (Phase 2)

• Success Criterion 1.1.1 Non-text Content (W3C)

• Web Accessibility Tutorials: Images Concepts (W3C)

• Web Accessibility Tutorials: Decorative Images (W3C)

• Word Add Alt Text (Microsoft Support)

• What Constitutes Good Alt Text? (Washington Do-It Center)

• What is the Current Recommendation for Providing Long Descriptions for Complex Graphics? (Washington Do-It Center)

• What is Alternative (Alt) Text? (Google Slides)

• Welcome to Coyote! (Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago)

When most people hear the word "disability" they think of an elderly individual in a wheelchair. We want you to think beyond that. While 26% of people are disabled (Center for Disease Control CDC), nearly everyone will experience some form of disability in their lives.

The reality is it is much easier and more time-effective to build a document that is accessible than it is to remediate for accessibility (even if you have to learn the accessibility piece as you are building).

Everyone should benefit from your course content. There are four main types of accessibility issues regarding digital content.

• Visibility: Includes those who have no vision or low vision; they may be using screen readers, high contrast settings, or magnifiers. Document structure helps these individuals.

• Audibility: Includes those with low hearing or no hearing; narration or video is often difficult for these individuals. You want to ensure you’re adding captions and subtitles to your recordings. If you’re doing a presentation, a sign language interpreter/live captions should be included as you do not know who is hard of hearing or deaf in the audience.

• Mobility:

  • Physical Mobility: Loss of range of motion.

  • Electronic Mobility: The ability to review documents across multiple devices and have them appear the same no matter where someone is looking at it.

• Cognition: The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.

One of the common things we hear is, “Why do I need to make my content accessible? I don’t have any students with paperwork accommodations.” While this may be the case now, you may easily have a student later who does have accommodation paperwork. It’s estimated that approximately 10% of people have a learning disability (Butterworth and Kovas 2013). While this doesn’t seem like a lot, it’s effectively 1 in 10 individuals; therefore, if you have a course capped at 19 students odds are you have at least one student with a learning difference even though they may not have paperwork

Getting accommodations is expensive, so odds are you have students who will benefit from accommodations, but access to them is impossible for various reasons. There may be financial barriers.

A student, or their family/caregiver/guardian, might think they don’t “need” an accommodation. A student who is color blind might think that they don’t need or cannot get accommodations, but they are at a great disadvantage if your course content doesn’t meet color contrast standards.

Richard Berg et al. (2014) found students leverage closed captioning even though none of the students in the study had an auditory learning difference.

Oregon State University and 3Play Media’s study found that 98.6% of students said captions were helpful, 97% reported using captions in f2f and online classes, and 80% used video transcripts. Only 6% listed the reason as disability accommodations vs 76% that listed “learning aid” as their reason.

As Corinne Grey, CEO of Uncomfortable Revolution, says, “If you embrace diversity but ignore disability, you’re doing it wrong” (URevolution). To be fully diverse, you have to accept individuals with disabilities also.

Accessible course content is required under Federal law. Many schools have been sued for noncompliance. Don’t become a statistic. When you put something in a digital space (e.g., email, Blackboard, Canvas, Google Drive), it must meet web accessibility standards; if it doesn’t, you are opening yourself up to litigation. Accessibility compliance is like speeding....ignorance of the law (or the speed limit) won’t help you out.

• ADA Compliance for Online Course Design (Educause Review)

Finally, it is simply common courtesy. If you see someone struggling to open a door because their hands are full, you will probably feel inclined to hold the door for them. You should think of accessibility in that sense.

Federal Law

Any institution that receives federal funding is required by federal law to maintain and provide accessible documents!

Section 508 requires institutions to provide accessible content to students of all learning abilities; it aims to make websites, web apps, electronic documents, and software accessible to everyone.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level A and AA are explicitly referenced in the refreshed Section 508.

Any content you deliver to students in a digital method (e.g., email, Blackboard, Canvas, or Google Drive) must meet 508 standards.

Resources: Build With Accessibility in Mind

• 10 Tips for Creating Accessible Course Content (Iowa State University)

• 20 Tips for Teaching an Accessible Online Course (University of Washington)

• AccessDL (University of Washington)

• Accessibility Fundamentals (Microsoft Learn)

• Accessible Syllabus (Tulane University)

• Accessible Syllabus Template (Temple University)

• Considerations for Course Design (Appalachian State University)

• Course Syllabi (University of Minnesota)

• Creating Accessible Learning Environments (Vanderbilt University)

• Creating an Accessible Syllabus (California State University)

• Designing Accessible Online Courses (University of Washington)

• Designing an Accessible Online Course (Explore Access)

• Designing an Accessible Syllabus (Stanford University)

• Duke Accessible Syllabus Project (Duke University)

• How Can You Integrate Accessibility into Your Syllabus (University of Washington)

• Improving Accessibility Often Falls to Faculty. Here’s What They Can Do (EdSurge)

• Inclusive Design (Microsoft Design)

• “Nothing About Us Without Us” -- Mantra for Movement (Huffington Post)

• Online Course Accessibility to Benefit Everyone (Educause)

• Path 6: Designing for Accessibility in Online Learning (Western University)

• Principle: Accessible -- Ensuring Accessibility (World Health Organization)

• Understanding the Faculty Role in Digital Accessibility (Inside Higher Ed)

Resources: Lawsuits

• ADA Compliance for Online Course Design (Educause)

• Broadening the Right to Sue (Inside Higher Ed)

• Nearly 1 in 5 People Have a Disability in the U.S., Census Bureau Reports (United States Census Bureau)

• Old Dominion Violated Disability Law, DOJ Finds (Inside Higher Ed)

• Higher Ed Accessibility Lawsuits, Complaints, and Settlements (University of Minnesota Duluth)

• Legal Battle Over Captioning Continues (Inside Higher Ed)

When recording (audio or video) there are several things that you need to keep in mind to ensure that your content is accessible.

Good recordings, especially if there are slides involved, keep many of the concepts related to slide structure in mind.

Clear, Crisp Audio: When you are recording any audio, you want to make sure you are setting yourself up for optimal sound quality. If you have good audio, your students are more likely to be engaged. Two of the best options for quality audio are to use a headset/microphone duo set or a lavalier microphone. The benefits of these two options are that they get close enough to your mouth and pick up ample sound quality without many echoes. It is not recommended that you use your built-in computer microphone since these are generally not top quality and pick up a lot of ambient noise and room echo which can be distracting during a lecture. Reduce any echoes and background noise. If you have the ability to record in a room with carpeting vs. wood floor, there will be fewer echoes. It’s important to make sure you review a sample of audio before recording the entire lecture to make sure it is clear. It’s much easier to record a short clip and check for clarity than to record the entire lecture and realize that you need to re-record it for clarity.

Video Recordings

Audible Descriptions and Annotation Considerations: When you are filming, it is important to describe anything that is on the screen that you’re drawing attention to. If you say something like “see here” an individual with a visual difference will not be able to see. If you make any annotations, you also need to ensure that you verbalizw what you have annotated on the screen. Additionally, you need to consider the color you’re using to annotate as it should also meet color contrast standards.

User Controls Experience (Player): To meet accessibility guidelines, the user must always have the ability to control the player. The individual viewing the content may need to review what was played. The user must be able to start, stop, pause, and rewind the video on demand. Videos should not start automatically playing. Users must be able to adjust the volume of the video.

SRT: If you are recording any video, including screencasts, you must include a SRT. Including a transcript also is suggested as an accompaniment to the SRT, but it is not required. SRTs allow learners with auditory processing difficulties or deafness to process recorded content. It provides multiple means of representation for all learners.

Machine-generated captions and transcripts do not meet 508 compliance!

Audio Only Recordings

Transcript: If you are recording audio only, you must include a transcript of any audio. It allows learners with auditory disabilities and auditory processing difficulties to access course content and provides multiple means of representation for all learners for studying, note-taking, and search functionality. It also allows English Language Learners (ELL) or students working in chaotic environments access to the materials.

Resources: Captioning, Transcripts, and Recordings

• ABS’s Guidelines for Verbal Description (Art Beyond Sight)

• Add Caption Tracks to Your Video Files (Google Drive Help)

• Audio (W3C)

• Audio Description De-Mystified (cielo24 ebook PDF)

• Captioning Key (National Association of the Deaf)

• Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions (WebAIM)

• Does My Media Need Captions? (W3C)

• Does My Media Need a Transcript? (W3C)

• Example Descriptive Transcript from Caption Files (W3C)

• How to Use HappyScribe to Convert SRT to Transcript (Google Doc)

• Improving Reading Skills with YouTube Closed Captions (Control Alt Achieve)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Recording Audio and Video (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

• Online VoiceRecorder

• Podcast Accessibility

• Present Slides with Live Captions (Google Help)

• PromptSmart

• Real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support)

• Recording in PowerPoint 365 (Google Doc)

• Screencast-O-matic

• Teleprompt.me

• Transcription vs. Captioning (3play Media)

• Use Captions, Subtitles, and Alternative Audio Tracks in Videos (Microsoft Support)

• Using HappyScribe to Convert SRT to Transcript (Google Doc)

• Video Accessibility Checklist (3PlayMedia PDF)

• Video and Audio (University of Minnesota)

Please visit Poster Session: Color Contrast on this website to learn more.

Assistive technology (e.g., screen readers) references a document's data to communicate information about the page's contents. Not only does it make the document easier to find, but it also informs a screen reader what pronunciation to use when presenting the document.

Resources: Document Details

• 13 Creating Accessible Word Documents – Setting Language and Title (Cleveland State University)

• DEV 1.9 – Specify the Default Language of the Page and Any Language Changes (NDA)

• Language in Word (Accessibility for Online Course Content)

• Microsoft How to Set Document Properties (PC) (Microsoft Video)

You may have never given your email a second thought when it comes to accessibility before, but to ensure you reach your entire audience, it's important to apply the basic accessibility guidelines you learned about in previous modules to your emails as well.

It all begins with how you send your email. Have you ever received an email with a large number of recipients in the "To" or "Carbon copy (Cc)" fields to then be graced with additional reply-alls that have nothing to do with you (When is reply all appropriate?)? Maybe it felt something like this video: What Reply-All E-mail Would Feel Like in Real Life | Shorts & Murmurs | The New Yorker (The New Yorker YouTube).

Imagine not only being inconvenienced with these irrelevant emails but having to listen to each of those email addresses or names being read out by a screen reader.

Blind carbon copy (Bcc) is not only a great tool to reduce the number of unwanted or unnecessary replies from others or for security or privacy (prevents others from seeing who the email was sent to), but it also makes your email more easily accessible for those using assistive technologies such as a screen reader.

While you have access to the accessibility checkers within programs such as Outlook, we do not want to encourage you to see it as a starting point. You should see the accessibility checker as a polishing tool, just like spell-check. If you’re relying on the accessibility checker, you are for sure missing things because this is a tool, and just like every other tool, you have to know how to use it and how it’s supposed to function.

Resources: Email Accessibility

• Accessibility in Email Marketing (Intuit MailChimp)

• Add a numbered or bulleted list to a message in Outlook (Microsoft Support)

• Email Campaigns (Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges)

• Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities (Microsoft Support)

• Outlook (Microsoft Learn)

• Show, hide, and view the Bcc (blind carbon copy) field in Outlook (Microsoft Support)

• Use built-in headings and styles in Outlook (Microsoft Support)

Heading Structure

Using headings and styles provides document structure required by assistive technologies such as screen readers; they make it easier to read and navigate for all learners. Headings or styles act as direct links to those sections of a document and are located and visible to sighted users in the "Navigation Pane" of a Microsoft Word document.

Those using assistive technologies such as a screen reader can use those headings to jump from one section to another making it easier to locate any content they may like to review, but realistically, everyone benefits from the organization and navigation ability.

Paragraph Structure

Adjusting line and paragraph spacing should be achieved using the built-in feature, not simply hitting enter to create the space because a screen reader announces the spaces created by hitting enter as "blank" to the user.

Bulleted and Numbered Lists

Lists help provide a structured order to a group of connected or sequential content and increase the readability of text by simplifying long sentences or paragraphs. If items are sequential, a numbered (ordered) list should be used; if items are not sequential, a bulleted (unordered) list should be used. Assistive technologies such as screen readers identify items as lists only if the built-in feature is used, otherwise, it is read as plain text.

Descriptive Links

As a sighted user, you should be considerate of those who are using assistive technology (not to mention, it’s required for your documents to be accessible!), and you should use a descriptive link. A descriptive link is when you tell the user what the link is going to lead to vs. copy and pasting a full URL into a composition space.

While we are focusing a lot on screen reader technology, students who have visual disabilities are not the only ones who use screen readers. Your students who have processing disorders (such as dyslexia) also often use screen reader technologies.

For Links to provide context and purpose so they are understandable, they should use:

• Unique descriptive text

• Avoid using meaningless text like “click here”, “the website” “link”, etc.

• Identify when linking out to other content, the type of file or source next to the descriptive link text (i.e., PDF, PPT, Word, Slides, Google Docs, etc.)

Links should also be the only underlined text in your content because using underlines for anything other than hyperlinks confuses learners as they perceive underlined text to lead to hyperlinked material.

You will also notice that links are underlined and are a different color, and this is because meaning or importance should be conveyed by more than color alone.

Underlines

Underlines should only be used for URLs. For users with color blindness or low vision, they may have trouble distinguishing links from regular text without the underline. Additionally, users with processing disorders (e.g., dyslexia) the underlines cut the letters making comprehension more difficult.

All Caps

When all caps are used, the screen reader will read out each individual letter versus reading the word. This makes the content inaccessible.

Abbreviations

When you use an abbreviation, it may not make sense for an individual using a screen reader. For example, September abbreviated as Sept. will be read Sept. by a screen reader.

Resources: Formatting Text

• Add a Bulleted or Numbered List (Google Help)

• Add a Title, Heading, or Table of Contents in a Document (Google Help)

• Apply Built-In Heading Styles (Microsoft Support)

• Edit Your Existing Headers and Footers (Microsoft Support)

• Headings (University of Minnesota)

• Lists (University of Minnesota)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Composing with Microsoft Word and Google Docs (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

• Use Bulleted Lists (Microsoft Support)

• Word and NVDA Screen Reader Demonstration (eLaHub YouTube)

• Word Document Headings (Microsoft Support)

Accessibility is worth it. For your classroom to be fully diverse, you must also embrace those with disabilities. To be fully accessible, a mental shift must occur. Most people see accessibility as something they "have to do." But to truly be accessible, you have to think of accessibility as something that is simply part of producing any content. This is a mental adjustment that takes time. However, if asked, most educators will say they will do anything they can to help a student who wants to succeed achieve success.

Whenever someone attends one of our workshops, they are normally a bit overwhelmed and possibly feel a little guilty. The reality is you cannot know what you do not know, but what you can do is commit to arming yourself with the knowledge to do better going forward.

Understand that learning how to generate accessible content takes time. It will not happen in a day, and you probably will not get it right the first time. That is okay. You do not get upset with your students if they do not get it perfect the first time. We give you the same grace to make mistakes. You are trying to learn, and we are proud of you for taking those first steps.

While we know that there are tools to check for accessibility, the reality is they aren’t the best place to start. It is nearly always more work to remediate an inaccessible document than it is to make it accessible from the start (even if you have to learn the accessibility piece as you build). You should not see these tools as a starting point. You should see the accessibility checker as a polishing tool…just like spell check. If you are relying on the accessibility checker, you are for sure missing things because this is a tool, and just like every other tool, you have to know how to use it and how it’s supposed to function. So while it might tell you that you have an accessibility error, if you don’t understand the error, you won’t have any idea how to fix it.

Additionally, accessibility tools don’t catch everything. For example, if a tool is checking for alternative text, it cannot tell if the alt text is good.

The best thing you can do is commit yourself to learning digital accessibility concepts and ensure that all of your future work meets accessibility standards. It is much faster to make a document accessible from the start (even if you have to learn the accessibility concept) than it is to remediate an inaccessible document.

Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format created by Adobe. This file format was originally created in the late 1990s to help ensure documents were consistent across computers and software. While these documents were originally created to ensure that documents look consistent across devices, they are often generated inappropriately and inaccessibly. The accessibility, or lack of, in a PDF relies on the accessibility of the source material and using the tools within Adobe. If the original material is not accessible, the PDF will not be accessible unless a great amount of effort is derived to fix the errors. Unfortunately, most PDFs are not accessible. A PDF that is not tagged properly cannot be read by a screen reader (which means it is completely inaccessible to someone using assistive technology). If you must use a PDF, take the time to ensure that it is accessible. Additionally, software companies are far better equipped to ensure a document is the same across devices than they were in the 90s. A Microsoft Word document is going to look the same on mobile devices (such as tablets or smartphones) and laptop and desktop computers (both Mac and PC). The need to have PDFs for uniformity across devices is far less than it was nearly 30 years ago.

PDFs Can Be Edited

One of the most common reasons we hear about why individuals choose to use a PDF is not about universal file type at all. The most common reason that faculty choose to use PDFs is the myth that the documents cannot be edited. The reality is that PDFs can be edited very quickly with free software. Consequently, locking a PDF prevents assistive technologies from properly accessing a document as some technologies have to alter the document in order for it to work (e.g., a user may override your color settings to meet a contrast standard that they can see). When you lock a PDF to edits, all you are doing is locking users who rely on assistive technology out of your document.

When you take a text and put it on the copy machine and scan it to PDF, it is completely inaccessible. When you generate this scan, as occurred in the video, the scanner makes an image.

The accessibility of a PDF largely depends on the accessibility of the original document. If you save an inaccessible Microsoft Word document as a PDF, the PDF will be even less accessible. If you save an inaccessible Google Slides deck as a PDF, it will be even less accessible. If you save an accessible Microsoft Word document as a PDF, there are steps you must take to ensure that the PDF is accessible. It is not automatically accessible.

When Should PDFs Be Used

PDFs should only be used in the following scenarios:

• Precise formatting is required to address the needs of printing the finalized document

• Non-standard fonts or special characters are used throughout the document

• Complex formulas and equations are used throughout the document (even then, we have some tools such as Equatio that can create accessible digital equations)

• A large document (such as a book, dissertation, or handbook)

In fact, PDFs should be avoided for all on-screen reading, and they should be used when the intention of the source is for it to be printed or for archival purposes. A copy of Beowulf in Old English is an appropriate use of a PDF because of the special characters, but a document with discussion questions for your students to answer based on the reading is not an appropriate use of a PDF. If you have a document explaining the Standard Model equation, that is an appropriate use of a PDF. However, an assigned reading about the model may not be an appropriate use of the file format. A department newsletter may be published as a PDF as the intended output is precise formatting (however, in all of these cases PDF accessibility must be ensured).

13 Steps to Accessible PDFs

There are thirteen checks that must be undertaken to ensure that a PDF is accessible. Many of these items are things that must be addressed when the original document is generated; however, you should still double-check when you make the PDF. The onus to ensure that the document is accessible falls on the shoulders of the individual who generates the document. If you do not understand or know how to make the file you’re working with accessible, you should not port it to a PDF. Porting an inaccessible document to a PDF often makes generating an accessible PDF impossible.

1. Fonts: Fonts should be readable (at least size 12), maintain color contrast standards (minimum 4.5:1), and there should be no more than three different fonts in a document.

2. Styles: There should be a consistent paragraph style (e.g., left-aligned) throughout the document, and any headings used should be generated using the built-in formatting tools and follow the correct hierarchy (order).

3. Color: Any colors used should meet WCAG AA requirements (minimally).

4. Lists: Any lists included in the document should be correctly tagged using built-in formatting and follow a logical structure (e.g., the number two always follows the number one).

5. Images: All images should have alternative text. Any data in charts or graphs must use color appropriately and use clear ways (e.g., patterns or clear labeling) to differentiate the data.

6. Links: All URLs should use descriptive text that tells the reader where the URL will lead vs the long URL. Additionally, links should follow color contrast standards (including hover states; where the font changes color when the user mouses over it).

7. Tags: Within Adobe, it is important to ensure that the document is tagged, and the tags follow a logical reading order.

8. Bookmarks: Ensure that any bookmarks used link to the appropriate corresponding portion of the document. If a document is more than 21 pages long, it will automatically fail the accessibility check if it does not have bookmarks.

9. Standard Compliance: Verify that the PDF meets the required accessibility standards (WCAG AA for documents used in an education setting).

10. Table of Contents: For longer documents, a table of contents should be provided that links to each section of the document.

11. Tab Order: Ensure that the tab order follows a logical order. Tab order is utilized by those using assistive technology to navigate through the document. The tab order should follow the order in which a typically abled individual will review the document.

12. Tables: Any tables included in the document should be correctly tagged using built-in formatting and follow a logical structure. Tables should never be used for formatting alone. Consequently, header rows or columns must be marked and clear alternative text provided.

13. Metadata: The metadata consists of the file property (e.g., title, author, and language). All fields should be fully and accurately filled out. Users of assistive technology depend on this information to determine if they are reviewing the correct document. The language field communicates to screen reader software what accents and pronunciation to use.

Resources: PDFs

• 13 Steps to Accessible PDFs (Google Slides)

• Accessible PDF Best Practices (University of California San Francisco)

• Accessible Adobe PDFs (Texas Tech University)

• Accessibility Issues (Adobe)

• Accessible Scanning (Texas Tech University)

• Avoid PDF for On-Screen Reading (Nielsen Norman Group)

• Checking PDFs for Accessibility (University of Washington)

• Complex Tables in PDFs (Wright State University)

• Convert PDF to Word (Adobe)

• Create Accessible PDFs (Microsoft Support)

• Create and Verify PDF Accessibility (Acrobat Pro)

• Creating Accessible PDFs from Adobe InDesign (University of Washington)

• Creating Accessible PDFs from Microsoft Word (University of Washington)

• Creating High Quality Scans (University of Washington)

• Edit a PDF (Microsoft Support)

• Get the Adobe Acrobat Tab to Appear (Microsoft Support)

• How to Convert a PDF to Use in Google Docs (Adobe)

• How to Convert PDF to Word (Kevin Stratvert YouTube)

• Missing Adobe Acrobat Tab Even When Add-In is Enabled in Office 2016 Apps (Microsoft Support)

• PDF Accessibility (University of Arizona)

• PDF Accessibility (WebAIM)

• PDF Accessibility: Lists (MSFTEnable YouTube)

• PDF Accessibility: Make PDF Scans Accessible (The City University of New York)

• PDF Accessibility: Tables (MSFTEnable YouTube)

• PDF Issues & Recommendations (Penn State)

• PDFs and Accessibility: What You Need to Know (TextHelp)

• PDF Remediation Basics (UA Technology Accessibility YouTube)

• PDF/UA in a Nutshell (PDF Association)

• PDF/UA-1, PDF Enhancement for Accessibility, Use of ISO 32000-1 (Library of Congress)

• PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.0 (W3C)

• Ten Common PDF Accessibility Errors with Solutions (University of Ottawa PDF)

• Troubleshoot Acrobat PDFMaker Issues in Microsoft Office on Windows (Adobe Support)

• Understanding PDF Accessibility (University of Colorado Boulder)

• What is an Accessible PDF? A Layman’s Explanation and Example (CommonLook)

• What’s the Difference Between PDF and Accessible PDF (Common Look)

• What Does PDF Mean? (Adobe)

• Why PDF Accessibility is Important for Higher Education (ADA Site Compliance)

• Why Scanned PDFs get a Low Accessibility Score Indicator (California State University, Northridge)

• Why Use Accessible PDF? (Portland Community College YouTube)

• Word-to Pdf and PDF Accessibility Guide (University of California)

Resources: PDFs and Copyright

• Copyright Basics: Photocopying & Scanning (Tacoma Community College)

• Instructional Sharing, Including Scanning and Delivery of Book Excerpts (University of Virginia Library)

• Scanning - What Am I Allowed to Do? (SmartCopying)

Resources: PDFs and OCRs

• Creating High-Quality Scans (California State University, San Marcos)

• Faculty: Scan Your Textbook Using Apps (Los Angeles Valley College Library)

• Foxit (pro is required to edit accessibility options)

  • PDF Accessibility: Which are the Most Popular Tools to Create Accessible PDF Documents (Foxit YouTube)

• Kami

  • Kami Certified Educators

  • Kami Blog

  • Kami Library

  • Kami Accessibility

    1. • The Text Recognition Tool - How to prepare Scanned Documents (Kami Help Center)

• Kami for Special Education (Kami Help Center)

  • Kami for Accessibility (Kami YouTube)

  • Microsoft Office Lens Can Scan Physical Books to Electronic Formats (Assistive Technology Blog)

  • Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Emerson College)

• Microsoft Office Lens Can Scan Physical Books to Electronic Formats (Assistive Technology Blog)

• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC (Emerson College)

• Orbit Note

  • OrbitNote - How to OCR Scan Your PDFs (Texthelp YouTube)

• PAVE PDF

  • Introduction to PAVE v2.0 (ZHAW - InIT - ICT Accessibility Lab YouTube)

• PDF Accessibility: Pake PDFs Accessible (The City University of New York)

• Soda PDF

  • How to Use OCR: The Basics (SodaPDF YouTube)

Resources: PDFs and Alternative Formats for Textbooks

• Bookshare (Benetech Initiative)

• Alternative Format Textbooks (Boston University)

• Alternate Media (California Community Colleges)

• Blind People Won the Right to Break Ebook DRM. In 3 Years, They’ll Have to Do It Again (Wired)

When building a slide deck, you should start with your master slides (or Theme Builder in Google Slides). This slide deck runs in the background of the program and is already populated with all of the formatting. This helps you make sure that your slides are consistent in style. Additionally, when you are crafting the master slides, you will put placeholders in for text, titles, objects, and elements. This helps signify to a screen reader what part of the slide is being read. If you simply format your text to look like a title vs putting in a title placeholder, a screen reader does not know that the text is meant to be the slide’s title. You should be using the layouts that are built into the slide master vs. making a layout on a blank slide.

Note: There are more placeholder abilities in PowerPoint than in Google Slides. This is something you need to be cognizant of as you won’t be able to adjust the reading order in Google Slides without an addon such as Grackle.

Because slides are visual, there is often a high temptation to over-embellish the appearance of the slide. While your slides do not have to be sterile (white background with black font), there are some things you need to consider including font selection and contrast.

• Slide Titles: Slide titles provide a user with clear navigation throughout the document. When you’re creating slide titles it’s imperative that your titles are succinct, clear, and to the point. You should never replicate slide titles (e.g., we can’t have two slides titled “Slide Titles” in this slide deck). If you need to use the same title (e.g., the continuation of an example), you should number the slide titles (e.g., Slide Title 1 of 3) to make it clear which slide is which. The reason for avoiding duplicate slide titles is someone who is using a screen reader to review a slide deck cannot differentiate which slide is which if all of the slides have identical titles.

• 7x7 Rule: The 7x7 rule prevents you from putting too much information on a slide. A slide should be brief, plain and concise. It should never be a paragraph (or wall of text). The idea is that your viewer will be able to quickly glance at your slide and gain all of the information. Each slide should have no more than seven lines and each line should have no more than seven words per line.

You should not be looking to read your entire slide for a presentation. The slide is meant to reinforce and guide your presentation and not be a verbatim copy of your lecture.

• Creating your presentation slides with too much text can be overwhelming. Writing what you are going to say word for word will not have the intended effect on comprehension.

• Instead, the audience’s auditory and visual processing channels will be competing as individuals try to read (visual) what is on the slide while also attempting to listen (auditory) to your narration.

• Each channel has a limited working memory capacity. This is known as the dual channel theory.

• It is best practice to use the 7x7 rule (maximum of 7 bullets with 7 words per bullet per slide) and expanding on the visual text via your narration for each slide. The audience will be more engaged during your presentation if they need to listen to gain more knowledge than is already available on each slide.

• Alternative Text: Alternative or alt text provides a text equivalent of an image so people who are unable to see the image have access to the message it is intended convey. Alternative text is required for any image that is not decorative that is required for context and understanding of the subject material. It should also be added for any tables. Your alternative text should not include phrases such as “image of” or “picture of” as the screen reader will identify that it is reading the alternative text of an image, so this information is simply repetitive. If there is any text on an image, it must also be included in the alternative text. Finally, if an image has a caption the alternative text must not match the image caption.

If your image is decorative in nature you need to mark it as decorative (in MS PowerPoint there is a box to check and in Slides you label it as decorative).

• Slide Animations: Slide animations can be distracting at best and inaccessible at worst (and potentially cause seizures in catastrophic scenarios). Slide transition animations often distract individuals who are typically abled. For students with various learning differences, the animations may cause them to lose focus or have difficulty navigating the slide deck. Additionally, the user should always be in control of advancing the slides. Slides should never automatically progress.

Resources: Slide Presentations

• 7x7 Slide Example (Google Slides)

• Animations (Pearson)

• Image Description Guidelines (Diagram Center)

• Informative Images (W3C)

• Make Slides Easier to Read by Using the Reading Order Pane (Microsoft)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Using Color and Composing Alt Text (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Designing Microsoft PowerPoint and Google Slides (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

• Other Accessibility Principles (WebAIM)

• Slide Reading Order (WebAIM)

Resources: MS PowerPoint

• Add Hyperlink Text and ScreenTips (Microsoft Support)

• Add Alt Text to Charts (Microsoft Support)

• Add Alt Text to Images (Microsoft Support)

• Add Alt Text to Shapes (Microsoft Support)

• Creating Accessible Presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint (University of Washington)

• Create Accessible Tables in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support)

• Create a Slide Master in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support)

• Disability Answer Desk (Microsoft)

• Hide a Slide Title (Microsoft Support)

• Improve Accessibility with the Accessibility Checker (Microsoft Support)

• Make Your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible to People with Disabilities (Microsoft Support)

• Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Cheat Sheet (NCDAE)

• Microsoft PowerPoint: Accessing and Editing Reading Order (.mp4 housed in Google Drive)

• PowerPoint (Microsoft Learn)

• PowerPoint Accessibility (WebAIM)

• Recording in PowerPoint 365 (Google Doc)

• Set the Reading Order of Slide Contents (Microsoft Support)

• Slide Master PowerPoint: The Complete Guide to Make the Best Use of It (MLC Presentation)

• Use Accessible Color (Microsoft Support)

• Use Unique Slide Titles (Microsoft Support)

Resources: Google Slides

• Google Slides (University of Minnesota)

• Google Slides Accessibility (.mp4 housed in Google Drive)

• Google Slides: Add a Placeholder (Teacher Tech)

• Google Workspace Accessibility - Slides (University of Colorado Boulder)

• How to Add Alternative Text in Google Docs and Slides (Google Doc)

• IT Accessibility: Google Slides (North Carolina State University)

• Use Theme Builder to Create Template Slides (Google Workspace Learning Center)

Resources: Grackle (Google Slides)

• Grackle for Google Docs: How it Works (Grackle Docs)

• Other Accessibility Checks (Grackle Docs)

• Installation (Grackle Docs)

• GrackleDocs Demo (Grackle Docs Inc YouTube)

People who are blind or have no vision will understand your data more effectively if you create spreadsheets with accessibility in mind.

Ribbon-style menu layouts (e.g., Excel) make navigation difficult for those using assistive technology. Charts and graphs generated in conjunction with your spreadsheet must have alternative text. Large data sets should be used selectively; it is much better to break up a complex spreadsheet if possible.

Screen readers can read the cells in spreadsheets starting with A1. They will move left to right and announce the cell number and contents.

• A1 Structure: A1 should always include a summary of the workbook. This summary should include a general description and instructions show you intend for the user to navigate the document. The clearer and more detailed information that you can leave a potential user the better.

• Column Structure: You should never leave an empty column in your document to visually indicate information. Someone using assistive technology may erroneously believe that the empty column is the end of the document.

• Sheet Names: Each sheet (or tab) should have a unique name

• Row and Column Labels: The row and column labels should be concise yet clear. This will help both typically abled and disabled users use your document more efficiently.

• Basic Dos: Provide alternative text, remember contrast standards, use descriptive links, do not use style changes to relate information.

Resources: Spreadsheet Accessibility

• Create Accessible Spreadsheets (Section 508)

• How to Create Accessible Excel Spreadsheets (Welsh Government)

• Spreadsheets (University of Minnesota)

Resources: MS Excel

• Create Accessible Spreadsheets Using Microsoft Excel (Indiana University)

• Creating Accessible Excel Documents (Michigan State University)

• Creating Accessible Excel Spreadsheets (UA Technology Accessibility YouTube)

• Creating Accessible Excel Spreadsheets (Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges)

• Creating Accessible Excel Spreadsheets (University of Oregon)

• Disability Answer Desk (Microsoft)

• Excel (Microsoft Learn)

• Excel Tips (Penn State)

• Make Your Excel Documents Accessible to People with Disabilities (Microsoft Support)

Resources: Google Sheets

• Grackle for Google Docs: How it Works (Grackle Docs)

• Other Accessibility Checks (Grackle Docs)

• Installation (Grackle Docs)

• GrackleDocs Demo (Grackle Docs Inc YouTube)

A good way to ascertain if you should be using a table or not is to ask yourself two questions:

1. If you read the data in a data cell, do you need other information to explain how it relates to other data in the cells? If so, it’s a data table.

2. Does the material consist of information that is sequential or self-explanatory? If so, it’s a layout table and it should be formatted another way such as a list.

For layout tables within Microsoft, headers should not be used which means there is no identification which column someone is in when using a screen reader.

Formatting, such as headers, that a sighted reader uses is read out loud to help someone with visual differences. Headers are used in data tables to notify the screen reader user:

• What column they’re in

• What the name of the column is, and

• Information that is in the cell

Whereas, files created in Google Drive, still identify where the user is within the table even when header rows and/or columns are not identified.

Screen readers essentially ignore the fact that the content is inside of a table. The screen reader just reads the content in the literal order, left to right, top to bottom.

According to WebAIM, in reality, layout tables do not pose inherent accessibility issues. There are certainly many worse things that you could do in terms of accessibility. People with all kinds of disabilities can easily access layout tables, as long as the tables are designed with accessibility in mind - ensuring proper linearized reading order, content scaling, etc.

Table Alternative Text

When you hear alternative text, you probably don’t think of tables. However, any table used for data requires alternative text for context. Tables used for layout should never have alternative text because the content is read linearly and provides the context itself.

This is the case for documents created in Microsoft or Google Drive, but if adding a table within your LMS, alternative text is not always an available option. You may be able to add a caption or title for your table.

Data Table Header Requirements

When using table headers, you should do the following:

1. Always mark the first row and/or column as the header. A screen reader moves horizontally along a row and reads the contents of the column header. This allows a user to view the title of the column without having to navigate back up to the first row to remember what column they were on. It allows the user to remember how the table is organized.

   • Mark the first column as the header if its content is needed for emphasis/context for the rest of the row. When a user navigates a column vertically, the screen reader will read the row header if it is appropriate. If a student is reviewing a course schedule for the semester, having the first column read first which dictates the week of the semester, is helpful for a screen reader user. Headers are meant to orientate the user with the table.

2. Ensure that every cell has data, especially in the header row and/or column as a screen reader needs to provide the individual with the context.

Table Errors

A table should never be an image, screenshot, or scan of a textbook. These images are completely inaccessible to a screen reader. Even with alternative text, tables that are images are impossible to follow as keyboard navigation is not available.

While you should really never use an image for a table for the reasons just stated, if you absolutely cannot avoid it, it's imperative you describe what should be interpreted from the table as the user cannot navigate to understand the data. Additionally, you need to provide enough information while not overwhelming someone. Remember that the screen reader will break up the flow of information to read the table/image (if you’re using a screenshot of a table), and if there is too much alternative text for the table, the individual reviewing the information may lose key details if too much information is provided as they will not be able to navigate the cells of the table since the table is an image. If the explanation would be deemed overwhelming for someone, the table should be broken up into multiple simple tables so that the information can be digested. If it cannot be described concisely in a sentence or two in alternative text, information should be added in your document (before, after, or next to the table).

If you are using images of tables from a publisher that you have copyright permissions for, you can check with the company to verify if they have any alternative text that can be used.

While we are stressing making tables accessible for students using assistive technology, it’s also important to consider how tables impact your typically abled students (electronic mobility is a form of accessibility). Many students are using mobile technology (e.g., smartphones and tablets) to complete coursework. While an image of a large table may be aesthetically pleasing and be easier to present to students, it is difficult for students using mobile technology to access.

Table Recommendations

• Avoid Merging or Splitting Cells: Assistive technology doesn’t identify why cells are skipped, and it may even block the screen reader form navigating the table. This makes it difficult for someone using a screen reader to understand the table. There is a high likelihood that the content will become difficult or impossible to follow.

• Avoid Abbreviations: When you abbreviate things, the screen reader reads the abbreviation. This is difficult for someone who is listening to the table being read to understand

  1. For months spell out the month

  2. For ranges use “to” instead of a dash

Ultimately, when it comes to tables, simple is best. All users with and without a screen reader are more likely to struggle with a table that is too large or contains too much information.

• Complex Tables: Microsoft and Google products are not well equipped to handle complex tables. A complex table is one where there are two rows of headers that must be referenced to understand the relevance of the corresponding data cells. Tagging a complex table often takes additional hours of work, and they are rarely tagged properly. It is often substantially easier/faster to break the table up into several simple tables than it is to attempt to tag the complex table in a more appropriate software such as PDF.

Resources: Table Accessibility

• Complex Tables in PDFs (Wright State University)

• Creating Accessible Content: Tables (Portland Community College)

• Creating Accessible Tables (WebAIM)

• How can data tables be made accessible? (Washington Do-It Center)

• Mysteries of Accessibility: Constructing and Using Tables (Hawkes Learning YouTube)

  • Webinar Handouts: Constructing and Using Tables (Google Drive folder)

• Specific Guidelines – Tables (Diagram Center)

• Tables (University of Minnesota)

• Tables Accessible U (University of Minnesota)

• Table Accessibility with a Screen Reader (University of Colorado Boulder)

• Tables: Simple Tables vs. Complex Tables (Penn State)

• Tables Tips and Tricks (W3C)

• Tips and Tricks (W3C)

• When to Use Tables and How to Make Them Accessible to Screen Reader Users (University of Colorado Boulder)

Resources: MS Office 365

• Add Alt Text to Charts (Microsoft Support)

• Create Accessible Tables in PowerPoint (Microsoft Support)

• Create Accessible Tables in Word (Microsoft Support)

• Creating Accessible Presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint – Tables Section (University of Washington)

• Creating Accessible Documents in Microsoft Word – Use Tables Wisely Section (University of Washington)

• How to Add a Table in Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft Support)

• How to Add a Table in Microsoft Word (Microsoft Support)

• PDF Accessibility: Lists (MSFTEnable YouTube)

• PDF Accessibility: Tables (MSFTEnable YouTube)

• Use Table Headers (Microsoft Support)

Resources: Google Drive

• Add and Edit Tables (Google Help)

• Google Use Tables for Data Not Formatting (Google Help)

• Grackle for Google Docs: How it Works (Grackle Docs)

• Other Accessibility Checks (Grackle Docs)

• Installation (Grackle Docs)

• GrackleDocs Demo (Grackle Docs Inc YouTube)