Accessible Course Material Requirements
A comprehensive list of requirements for digital content accessibility across all media (website, mobile applications, etc.) is available via the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). However, the requirements that apply directly to static documents and videos are much narrower in scope and can be summarized in the principles below. You can select each of the accordions to reveal more information about each principle.
These principles apply to documents regardless of the platform used to author them (Word, Google Docs, Overleaf, etc.), though not all principles will apply to every document, and some documents may present specific challenges not directly addressed here.
Digital Documents & Web Pages
Readable Text
In order to be accessible by assistive technology, digital text must be recognized by the computer as text, rather than an image. Course materials that have been scanned from a paper book and images with embedded text are common examples of unreadable documents.
Headings
Web pages and longer documents should include a heading structure that allows for easy navigation throughout the document for assistive technology users. The ability to build heading structure into a document is typically available in the authoring software.
- Use proper heading levels (e.g., H1, H2, H3) to create a logical structure.
- There should typically be one and only one H1 (the title of the document)
- Subsequent heading levels should “nest” into H1, with each higher heading being a “smaller” sub-heading
- Don’t skip heading levels.
- Use headings to support semantic meaning, not for visual styling.
Use of Color
Do not 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.”
Color Contrast
Color contrast is a measure of the difference in perceived brightness between two colors. WCAG requires different levels of contrast for different font sizes, but higher contrast is always more perceivable. Contrast checkers are available in most authoring software and for free use online and via download.
Alternative Text
In order to provide equal access, alternative text needs to convey all the relevant context and content that a sighted user would gain from the image.
- Provide brief, descriptive text explanations for important images.
- Keep the surrounding context in mind when composing alternative text.
- Mark images that provide redundant information and decorative images as decorative/artifacts
Lists
Properly formatted numbered and bulleted lists can help organize related items and allow for assistive technology to detect and inform users about the presence of a list, how many items are in the list, and the list structure for easy navigation.
- Use built-in tools that create bulleted or numbered lists.
- Organize information logically.
- Avoid creating lists manually with dashes or asterisks.
Descriptive Links
Links should provide clear and concise information about the link’s destination.
- Avoid using vague phrases as the text of the link, such “click here” or “read more.”
- Avoid using the full URL as the text of the link when possible
Tables
Tables should be used to represent tabular data, not for layout or formatting.
- Use simple table structure (avoid merging cells when possible)
- Ensure that the top row includes labels for all corresponding columns so that data is clearly related by row and column.
- Provide a table summary as alt text for complex tables
Time-Based Media
Captions
- Include accurate captions for all video content or provide a full written transcript that accompanies the video
- Captions must be timed properly, identify speakers, and describe important sounds.
Audio Description
Provide audio descriptions of important visual information or offer a descriptive transcript that includes both dialogue and visual details. If presenting from a slide deck, an accessible copy of the slides may be serve as such a transcript.