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Tools

Explore a list of free tools and resources that help in checking the accessibility of your digital resources.

Document Accessibility Checkers

Many software applications have a built-in accessibility checker to facilitate creators in making content accessible for people with disabilities. 

  • Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker: Resource from Adobe Acrobat for use in PDFs.
  • Blackboard Ally: Resource from Anthology that is integrated into Blackboard.
  • Office 365 Accessibility Checker: Resource from Microsoft; available in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Additional external document accessibility checkers exist. [Note: not all checkers are created equally; some identify certain issues better than others.]

PDF Accessibility Checker: Free PDF checker that checks PDFs against both WCAG standards and PDF/UA standards. [Available on Windows only]

Templates for Document Accessibility

Using pre-set document templates help minimize the risk of design-related accessibility issues. With templates, fonts, color, and reading order are already set and verified. 

  • UND Templates: Select pre-designed templates for a range of presentations, flyers, and documents. Two PowerPoint templates are available; TTaDA recommends using the Vibrant PowerPoint Template for optimal accessibility.
  • Office 365 Templates: Select from a range of accessible templates in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. 

Note: Just like alternative text, you will still need to review and manually edit "accessible templates." Using these templates merely minimizes the amount of manual review you will need to do. 

Color Contrast Tools

Use a dedicated color contrast checking tool to check color contrast in your files. 

  • WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: manual color contrast checker where you input foreground and background color values (like hex codes) to receive a contrast ratio.
  • Colour Contrast Analyser: Easily check color contrast between foreground and background colors by using an integrated eye-dropper tool that samples colors from both webpages as well as individual documents. [Available on both Windows and Macs]
  • UND Colors: Find color codes for UND's colors—PMS, CMYK, RGB, and HEX. Use these codes to manually input values in some color contrast checkers. 

Alternative Text Tools

Generated alternative text can serve as a useful starting point, but it’s not a finished product. To ensure accessibility, alt text must be concise, accurate, and descriptive—and always reviewed and refined by you, the subject matter expert. 

  • ChatGPT: Can generate alt text based on image uploads or detailed prompts; it works best with initial, clear instructions and follow-up prompts. 
  • Image Accessibility Creator: Resource from Arizona State University to help draft Alt Text and Long Description for images.
 
Web Accessibility Checkers and Browser Extensions

Web accessibility tools and browser extensions like ARC, WAVE, and Insights help identify and fix accessibility issues on websites. They provide visual feedback and detailed reports to ensure your content meets accessibility standards.

  • ARC Toolkit: Resource from TPGi designed to test web accessibility; web extension available on Chrome and Firefox.
  • Accessibility Insights: Resource from Microsoft; web extension available on Chrome and Edge.
  • WAVE Evaluation Tool: Resource from WebAIM the accessibility of web pages; available as a website or web extension on both Chrome and Firefox.  
TTaDA Academic Technologies
O'Kelly 320, Stop 7104
221 Centennial Drive
Grand Forks, ND 58202-7104
P 701.777.2129
und.academic.technology@UND.edu

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