Why Is Accessibility Important for Student Success? Two Minute Video
Whether or not students disclose their circumstances, invisible circumstances exist. We can identify and remove learning barriers from courses, such as creating accessible course materials, so all students benefit. Watch this two-minute video from OET to learn more:
How do I provide a stable link or permalink to a journal article?
In the video above, Pollak Library demonstrates how to add permalinks to your courses. Permalinks are a way to include permanent links to eBooks, streaming video, journal articles and other items in your courses (which can alleviate the need to scan documents or fix broken links).
Stable Links to Journal Articles
How do I format heading in written text?
Formatted document headings on written text are essential to students who use assistive technologies to navigate and read your content. This applies to PDFs, Word, Google Docs, Moodle, blogs, web pages, email, etc. Without formatted headings, your written text comes across jumbled together and is difficult to navigate for those students. These headings also improve readability for everyone and save you time later when making style changes to your content. This visual tutorial demonstrates how to use and customize headings in Word, Google Docs, and Moodle.
Making Better Font Choices for Digital Text
Meaningful images need alternate text (or alt text) to convey information. Screen reader programs cannot determine the meaning of images and depend on the alt text to make them accessible to users who are visually impaired. Decorative images can be marked as background or given an empty alt attribute for web pages.
Images Need Alternate Text to Convey Information
Meaningful images need alternate text (or alt text) to convey information. Screen reader programs cannot determine the meaning of images and depend on the alt text to make them accessible to users who are visually impaired. Decorative images can be marked as background or given an empty alt attribute for web pages.
Enabling "live captions" in the Google Chrome Browser
Captions make videos and audio files accessible. The Google Chrome browser can now caption audio and video by enabling “Live Captions.” To turn this setting on, update to the newest version of Chrome, go into Settings > Advanced > Accessibility > Live Captions. Chrome will automatically generate real-time captions for files on your computer hard drive as well as online content from social and video sites, podcasts and radio content, and most web-based video and audio.
Use Descriptive Hyperlinks and Avoid "Click Here"
Hyperlinks that open a web page should be descriptive to give users a general idea of the information on that page. Avoid using "Click Here" links because they do not convey any information of a web page.
Images in Social Media Posts Need Alt Text
Images posted on social media such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter need alternative text to provide a description to assistive technology users.
Bulleted and Numbered Lists Organize Information and Provide Orienting Information to Screen Reader Users
Use a bulleted list for unordered items and a numerical/alphabetical list for ordered items. When assistive technology encounter a properly marked up list, it will notify the user of the list and announce how many bullets or items are in the list.
Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast
For individuals with visual disabilities, sufficient color contrast is vital to accessibility. Use an online checker to find the contrast ratio of two colors (usually the text and background colors).
Avoid Using Colors to Convey Information
The use of colors only to convey meaning creates problems for people with low vision, color perception deficiencies and color blindness.
For accessibility, use:
Text with color such as, "select the green start button to begin reading the chapter and the red back button to go to the previous chapter"
Identifiers with colors such as adding an asterisk (*) to required fields
Patterns/textures with color on a graph
Shapes with colors such as a circle for green and a square for red
Set the Language of the Document
Assistive technology such as screen readers can read multiple languages. Identifying the language of the document will ensure that it will be read correctly to the user. In Microsoft Word, set the language by going to the Review menu and selecting the Language setting.
Consistent Layout and Reading Order Improve Accessibility and Usability
Consistent navigation and page layout allow abled and disabled people to navigate a document or website more quickly. Complex navigation because of inconsistent design makes it difficult and may cause frustration for all types of users.
Use the Accessibility Checker for a Quick Checkup
Accessibility checkers such as the Adobe Accessibility Check perform a thorough scan of the tags in a PDF for missing alt text and proper tagging of the headings, lists, tables, and links.
Use Tables to Display Data and Make Them Accessible by Identify Row and/or Column Headers
Data tables are used to organize information with a logical relationship in grids. Designate row and/or column headers by using a tag for data cells and a tag for table header cells. Assistive technologies use this information to provide context to users. Avoid using tables for page layout when possible.
Online Education and Training
The Department of Online Education and Training is ready to help faculty members with the creation and improvement of Online, Hybrid and Web-enhanced classes.
Academic Technology Center
ATC supports staff and faculty make documents and instuctional materials accessible and compliant with the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI) by providing trainings and consultations.
