Accessibility Guidance by Topic
Accessibility Checkers
If you are starting with an existing document, an automated accessibility checker can provide baseline information about whether it is accessible.
Blackboard Ally is great for getting a baseline on content already uploaded to Blackboard, but it is often more efficient to check using the software you author in, so you can make changes directly into the document.
Blackboard Ally
Ally is a software that automatically checks content uploaded or typed directly into Blackboard and provides feedback on the accessibility of the document.
Using Blackboard Ally to Check for Accessibility (Ally Webpage)
Built In Checkers
Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker (Word, Powerpoint, Outlook)
Coming Soon: Grackle Docs Checker for Google Suite Checker
Use of Color
Use of Color
Color contrast is a measure of the difference in perceived brightness between two colors. . Ensure that your text and images are discernible by using sufficient color contrast.
Guidelines on effective use of color use from UIUC CITL
Additionally, it is important not to rely on color alone to convey meaning.
Example of reliance on color alone: “Correct answers are highlighted in green, while incorrect answers are highlighted in red.”
Alt Text for All Images
Use of Descriptive Link
Descriptive Links
Using descriptive links is essential for accessibility because they provide clear context, helping users understand the purpose of each link. This aids screen reader users by offering meaningful navigation cues instead of vague statements like “click here.” Additionally, it benefits users with cognitive disabilities by making navigation more straightforward. Descriptive links also support document sustainability because meaningful link text can still guide users toward the intended resource even if a link breaks. This also makes updating or replacing links easier for authors.
Guidance on Descriptive Links for Web and Documents (Section 508 Website)
Readability
Readability
Stay tuned, more readability content coming soon, including:
- Testing for readability
- Finding more accessible source texts for scanned documents
- Running Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to remediate unreadable documents
Semantic Structure (Headings)
Headings
Stay tuned for a step-by-step video on heading use. In the meantime, heading guidance is available by platform on the Accessibility Guides by SoftwareAccessibility Guides By Software page!
Tables
Use of Tables
Tables should be used to represent tabular data, not for layout or formatting. Avoid merging cells, and ensure that the top row includes labels for all corresponding columns so that data is clearly related by row and column.
Creating Accessible Tables in Microsoft Word (video)