Accessibility Checklist
Quick Guide to Improving Document Accessibility
Accessibility can seem challenging, but it doesn’t have to be. There are several simple, actionable steps you can take to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can effectively access and understand your content. The Quick Guide to Improving Document Accessibility highlights ten of these steps. You might be surprised at how easy and effective these changes can be!
Set Title and Language
Set a meaningful title in the document properties to help users identify the document's purpose. Additionally, specify the document’s primary language to support assistive technologies in reading the content correctly.
Apply Proper Heading Levels
Use structured heading levels (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2) to create a clear outline for your document. Descriptive headings help readers, especially those using assistive technologies, navigate the content efficiently.
Apply Styles to Lists
Use built-in list styles to create numbered and bulleted lists instead of manually formatting with numbers, symbols, or tabs. Avoid excessive bullet levels, as each level is announced by screen readers (e.g., “list level 1, list level 2”) and can overwhelm users, making navigation difficult.
Add Alternative Text to Images
Provide concise and meaningful alternative text for all images. This text should convey the same information to a user that an image would. This ensures that users who rely on screen readers understand visual elements in your documents.
Provide Captions
Ensure all multimedia content includes captions and/or transcripts. This makes your content accessible to individuals with hearing impairments and/or those who cannot access audio.
Use Descriptive Links
Write link text that clearly describes the destination or purpose of the link (e.g., “Download the accessibility checklist” instead of “Click here”). This ensures all users can easily understand and navigate your document.
Create Accessible Tables
Keep tables simple by using headers to define rows and columns. Avoid using tables for layout purposes. Additionally, avoid merged cells and complex table designs that can confuse assistive technologies. This approach improves accessibility without requiring extensive adjustments, particularly in PDFs.
Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast
Ensure that text, diagrams, charts, and other meaningful content meet a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for regular text. For large text (18+ pt or 14+ pt bold), a minimum contrast ratio of 3:1 is acceptable. Use online contrast checkers like WebAIM to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Select Appropriate Font and Size
Choose sans-serif fonts like Arial, Verdana, or Calibri, as they are easier to read. Use a font size of at least 12 pt for body text and 20 pt for presentations to ensure readability for people with visual impairments.
Ensure Text is Searchable
Convert scanned PDFs and images into searchable text using Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This allows users to find and read text with screen readers or search tools.
Accessibility Checklist
The Quick Guide to Improving Document Accessibility is a great starting point for digital accessibility, outlining ten simple fixes to make your content more accessible, but it’s not the whole story. If you’re ready to take accessibility to the next level, check out the Accessibility Essentials Checklist. It’s designed to help you see how compliant your course resources are with Section 508, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines. Think of it as your go-to tool for creating inclusive resources!
Accessibility Essentials Checklist
Document Specific Considerations
Some types of documents require specific accessibility considerations beyond the basics. For additional tips on making your content accessible, visit our pages on Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, and Blackboard. Additional resources include document specific checklists: