Check Your Work
Take time to review and finalize your content before sharing it with others.
Whether you are creating new content or updating existing materials, reviewing your work is an integral part of the accessibility process.
Use Accessibility Checkers
Accessibility checkers are becoming increasingly common across digital platforms. These built-in tools can help you identify potential accessibility barriers in your digital materials by scanning content, flagging potential issues, and providing information to help you address them.
Moreover, there is no right or wrong time to use an accessibility checker. They are a great place to start and a great place to end. Run the checker:
- In the beginning, before making edits, to identify potential issues.
- Throughout the editing process to monitor improvements to your content.
- After updating content to review your work before sharing.
Explore Accessibility Checkers
Many of the programs you already use have built-in accessibility checkers. Learn more about how to use these tools to identify and address common accessibility barriers.
- Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker: Resource from Adobe Acrobat for use in PDFs.
- Blackboard Ally: Resource from Anthology that is integrated into Blackboard.
- Microsoft Office 365 Accessibility Checker: Resource from Microsoft; available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.
Manually Review Content
While accessibility checkers are a great starting point, there are limitations to what any automated checker can detect. For example, a checker may identify that an image has alternative text, but it cannot determine if that description is accurate or properly conveys the overall meaning. Similarly, it may recognize a heading or link without knowing whether the text clearly describes the content or destination.
Some commonly overlooked accessibility issues include:
- Poor title or heading names
- Manually created lists
- Inaccurate or insufficient alternative text
- Color used as the only way to convey meaning
- Videos missing captions
- Audio missing transcripts
- Link text that does not clearly describe its purpose or destination
Just because content passes an accessibility check does NOT necessarily mean that it is fully accessible. For this reason, you should combine automated accessibility checks with a manual review to identify barriers that checkers may overlook.
Accessibility Review Checklists
Not sure what to look for during a manual review? Use these program-specific accessibility checklists to review common accessibility practices and check your work before sharing it with others.
- Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft Word Documents
- Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations
- Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft Excel Workbooks
- Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft Outlook Email
- Accessibility Checklist for Blackboard Ultra Documents
- Accessibility Checklist for PDFs
Finalize Accessibility
Running an accessibility checker is just one part of finalizing your document for accessibility. Before sharing your content, take time to review key settings and complete any remaining steps. These details can have a major impact on how content is identified, understood, and navigated for users accessing your materials in alternative ways—such as assistive technology users.
- Add metadata
- Perform a spell check
- Review software-specific accessibility guidance
- Run the accessibility checker
- Give the file a clear and descriptive name