Digital accessibility benefits everyone - even people without disabilities. On top of that, many students with disabilities may choose not to disclose their disability status. By proactively improving the accessibility of your digital course materials, you can help improve the learning experience and support success for all students. While not comprehensive, building these practices into your course preparation will make your digital materials easier to use for all students.
For more information and deeper learning on this topic, the provides some useful accessibility resources.
Include an accessibility statement in your syllabus
Please Copy and Paste the Statement below into your syllabus:
“Any student who feels they may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs and provide written documentation from Accessibility Services. If you are not yet registered as a student with a disability, please contact Accessibility Services at 740-593-2620 or visit the office in Alden Library, Suite 230.”
Add alt text to images
- Every image needs a short text description that explains its content or purpose
- In Canvas, use the Image Options panel to add alt text when uploading or editing an image
- In Microsoft products, right click on the image and choose "add alt text" then add your description in the box that appears.
- Example: Instead of using "Chart" to describe a bar chart, use "Bar chart showing sales increased by 14% from 2017-2018"
Use readable text and colors
- Use strong color contrast between the text and background
- Avoid using text on images or patterned backgrounds
- Check your color contrast using the free from WebAIM
Write clear, descriptive links
- Don’t use “Click here.” Instead, describe where the link goes.
- Good: “Visit the Accessibility Services website.”
- Poor: “Click here for info.”
Learn much more about hyperlink accessibility on this article.
Run the accessibility checker
- In Canvas, use the built-in Accessibility Checker when editing a page.
- In Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel, use the “Check Accessibility” feature before sharing files.
The Microsoft website has more information about using .
Instructure also has instructions for the .
Provide accessible PDFs or seek alternatives
- Avoid scanned PDFs — they are just images and cannot be read by screen readers.
- When saving from Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, choose the option that preserves document structure tags for accessibility.
- Try not to use PDFs to present digital content that could be a webpage or Canvas content (see explaining why)
- If you must use a PDF, learn to create more .
Caption your videos
- All videos must have accurate captions
- In Panopto, captions can be automatically generated, but you must edit them for accuracy
- For YouTube videos, enable and edit captions before embedding
Provide Audio Transcripts
If you post files that are audio only files, you must also provide an accurate transcript in Word or a plain-text format.
Organize materials clearly
- Use consistent module structures in Canvas so students always know where to fine materials
- Use clear titles for files and documents
- Use proper heading levels (Heading 1 then Heading 2 then Heading 3, without skipping levels) to organize content.
Write in clear language
- Avoid jargon and define acronyms the first time they are used
- Keep instructions short and direct
Use simple tables
- Keep tables for data, not page layout
- In Word, PowerPoint, Canvas, etc. identify clear row and column headers
- Whenever possible, break complex tables into simple tables with related content headings.
Learn more about .
Avoid blinking or flashing content
- Don't use blinking text, animations, or auto-advancing slides that can't be paused
- Flashing content can create barriers for students and in some cases, trigger seizures.
Does your syllabus include details on all activities to be completed during the course?
Allow adequate time for activities, projects, and tests; for example, give details of project assignments in the syllabus so that students can start working on them early.