Accessibility Assistant Workflow

[Practice documents available at the bottom of the page]

How SAS Works

As you likely know, Yale uses Canvas as their course administration service. It is through this service that the Technology Division of SAS and Professors collaborate to provide accessible resources to their students.

The general flow of accessible course materials is as follows, starting with courses that have accommodation requests:

• Professors upload course materials to Canvas.

• GAAs download the files and add them to the appropriate OneDrive Folder, assigning them to an AA.

• The AAs work through the files weekly as assigned by the GAA, or by using the syllabus to guide file priority.

• The AAs upload the completed files to the correct OneDrive folder, and notify their GAA.

• The GAA then returns the files to Canvas as Accessible Documents. (Canvas runs its own check, and documents may be reprocessed as needed).

PDF Accessibility

Making PDFs accessible is the main functionality of the STARS team, and learning how to effectively use the tools in Adobe Acrobat to accomplish document accessibility will make you a vital member of the team. We typically encounter two types of PDFs in our work: scanned documents and digital uploads. In the video, we will explore both types of documents, and dive into what the PDF workflow might look like in different academic subjects. Keep in mind, the accessibility load of a course varies by professor and subject. Some classes require minimal adjustments, while others need a complete accessibility overhaul, and we must be flexible to these variable needs in order to provide excellent services for our peers!

General Workflow for PDFs

• Open PDF in Adobe Acrobat

• Navigate to Accessibility Tools

• Open Accessibility Checker

• Run Checker

• Navigate Through the Issues, Adjust As Necessary

• Save Document After Adjustments

• Check Reading Order, Color Contrast

• Upload to OneDrive Folder

Word Accessibility

Microsoft Word is less common in our work, but it appears occasionally (usually in assignments, syllabi, and review documents uploaded by professors). The accessibility tools in Microsoft Word are quite comprehensive, and we will explore these features in the video.

General Workflow for Word Documents

• Open file in Word

• Navigate to Review >> Accessibility

• Open Accessibility Checker

• Navigate Through the Issues & Suggestions, Adjust As Necessary

• Save Document After Adjustments

• Upload to OneDrive Folder