The essential skills and concepts shared here apply to content created in all digital formats, including email, documents, D2L course shells, presentation slides, and more. Mastering these skills will help you make your digital content more accessible, inclusive, and equitable.
Core Accessibility Skills & Best Practices
Use Headings Styles and Lists
Use built-in tools to create headings and lists. Proper document structure improves both visual navigation and navigation by use of assistive technology, such as a screen reader.
- Use built-in heading styles in logical order (WCAG 1.3.1).
- Format lists and tables using the built-in tools in Word, PowerPoint, and D2L (WCAG 1.3.1).
Support Resources
Use Color Carefully
Content needs to be clear and readable. Promote readability with strong contrast between text and background colors. When emphasizing or highlighting information use multiple cues, never color alone, to convey emphasis.
- Ensure sufficient color contrast between background and text (WCAG 1.4.3).
- Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning; include a secondary cue, such as bold, italics, or description (WCAG 1.4.1).
Support Resources
Write Descriptive Links
Write hyperlinks as descriptive text, not "click here." Users should understand where a link will take them before clicking on it.
Use descriptive link text (WCAG 2.4.4).
Support Resources
Introduction to Links and Hypertext (WebAIM)
Add Alternative Text to Images
Images must include alternative (alt) text for users who cannot see the content. Alt text should be clear and descriptive.
- Use actual text, not images or screenshots of text (WCAG 1.4.5).
- Provide alt text for meaningful images (WCAG 1.1.1).
- Mark decorative images appropriately so they are skipped by assistive technology (WCAG 1.1.1).
Support Resources
Include Captions for Videos and Transcripts for Audio
Media must include alternatives for users who cannot see or hear the content. Captions and transcripts are required to be at least 99% accurate. MediaSpace-generated captions should be reviewed for accuracy.
- Caption all videos (WCAG 1.2.2).
- Provide transcripts for audio-only content (WCAG 1.2.1).
- Explain visuals in narration when visual information is essential (WCAG 1.2.5).
Support Resources
Use Accessibility Checkers
Documents you create and share should be readable and navigable, including for people using assistive technology.
Use built-in accessibility checkers in Word, PowerPoint, and D2L to help identify issues related to headings, alt text, reading order, and contrast (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.3.1, 1.4.1, 2.4.6).
Support Resources
Ensure Accessible PDFs
When scanning a document to save as a PDF, ensure you scan as text (OCR). If you are saving a Word or PowerPoint file as a PDF, ensure the document follows accessibility best practices before conversion; remediating to make accessible after the fact is very difficult with a PDF.
Avoid scanned image-only PDFs unless you’ve made them accessible (WCAG 1.1.1).
Support Resources
Training and Additional Support Resources
Multiple training and professional development opportunities are made available throughout the year; watch Employee News for announcements regarding those opportunities. Self-paced training is also available online through multiple sources. Visit the Accessibility Training and Support Resources article for a list of suggested trainings and resources.