Resources & Tips

If a student reaches out to you for an accommodation, work with you partners at the College to provide the requested accommodations within a reasonable time frame. This will increase the ability for the student to be successful in your classroom.

When you create your syllabus, use accessibility guidelines and best practices to provide an accessible syllabus to your students. Consider including a note on the best way to request an accommodation if needed.  

When you include images within your course documents, include an alternative text description (alt text) that accurately describes the image. Adding alt text allows screen readers to describe any images to students. This is especially important for any image that is used to provide further context or information.

Equivalent Does Not Mean Exactly The Same 
Often, images are intended to provide a quick summary of a complex idea or data set. Therefore, the student with visual or print disabilities should be given an equivalent experience, i.e., a quick summary, rather than all of the visual details of the image. 
It cannot be overstated that students with visual or print disabilities will usually require more time to take tests. Therefore, image descriptions should not add to this burden with the practice of providing all of the visual details of an image. Since a student who is using text-to-speech is essentially experiencing the information in a linear way and cannot scan an image, that initial investigation simply takes longer. Thus, the information provided should not be a burden. 
The description author should consider are three basic questions about each image in order to give effective and efficient description. 

• Why is the image there?
• Who is the intended audience?
• If there is no description what will the viewer miss? 

Does the surrounding text provide context or description 
The describer is a gatekeeper of information. It is a role that is both powerful and difficult. The describer must balance all of the visual and linguistic factors, must select which information is to be presented and how it will be presented within the [time] constraints.

•  Making Images Accessible - DIAGRAM Center
• WebAIM: Alternative Text
• Images Tutorial | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C
• Write helpful Alt Text to describe images | Digital Accessibility​ (harvard.edu)
• Images | University IT (stanford.edu) 

Microsoft Word and PowerPoint provide a built-in accessibility checker and tutorials on how to use their platforms to create accessible content.

When you select electronic materials for class, it is important that students who use assistive technology can access those materials at the same time as the rest of the class. This allows the students to complete assignments on time and engage in class discussions.

When purchasing electronic information tools (EIT), such as software, learning platforms, digital content, etc., follow the College’s procurement process. This includes submitting a request for accessibility review. If there are accessibility barriers identified, proactively identify an equally effective alternative solution for students who may use assistive technology.

To ensure all students can utilize digital media within your courses, use captions and transcripts when creating any digital media, such as videos.

Principles of Accessible Design 

Below you will find a list of some key principles of accessible design. Most can be implemented without compromising the overall look and feel of your website. 

• Provide equivalent alternative text 

Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content in web pages. It is especially helpful for people who are blind and rely on a screen reader to have the content of the website read to them. 

• Create logical document structure 

Headings, lists, and other structural elements provide meaning and structure to web pages. They can also facilitate keyboard navigation within the page. 

• Provide headers for data tables 

Data tables need row and column header cells (<th scope="row"> and <th scope="col">) to programmatically associate them with their corresponding data cells (<td>), making it easier for screen reader users to navigate and understand the table. 

• Ensure users can complete and submit all forms 

Every form element (text field, checkbox, dropdown list, etc.) needs a programmatically-associated label. Users must be able to submit the form and recover from errors. 

• Write links that make sense out of context 

Every link should make sense when read by itself. Screen reader users may choose to read only the links on a web page. Certain phrases like "click here" and "more" must be avoided. 

• Caption and/or provide transcripts for media 

Videos and live audio must have captions and a transcript. With archived audio, a transcription may be enough. 

• Ensure accessibility of PDF, Word, PowerPoint, and other non-HTML content. 

PDF documents and other non-HTML content must be as accessible as possible. If you cannot make it accessible, consider using HTML instead or, at the very least, provide an accessible alternative. PDF documents should also include a series of tags to make it more accessible. A tagged PDF file looks the same, but it is almost always more accessible to a person using a screen reader. 

• Allow users to skip repetitive elements on the page 

Each page should provide a method to skip navigation or other elements that repeat on every page. This is usually accomplished by providing a "Skip to Main Content," or "Skip Navigation" link at the top of the page. 

• Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning 

Color can enhance comprehension but cannot alone convey meaning. That information may not be available to a person who is color blind and will be unavailable to screen reader users. 

• Make sure content is clearly written and easy to read 

Write clearly, use clear fonts, and use headings and lists logically. 

• Make JavaScript accessible 

Ensure JavaScript event handlers are device independent (e.g., they do not require the use of a mouse). 

• Design to standards 

Valid HTML and CSS promote accessibility by making code more flexible and robust. 

This is just an introduction. To learn more, explore our articles and resources. 

• WebAIM: Microsoft Word - Creating Accessible Documents
• Using official heading styles, instead of just bolding titles, allows for better readability. This can be done by highlighting the text and clicking on one of the “Styles” on the “Home” tab.  
• Images must have alt text included if it is not already described in the text or a caption. Stock photos do not need a description (but should be marked as decorative), only the images that provide learning content to the student.  
• Do not insert textboxes. Screen readers cannot “see” that there is text inside.  
• Web links should be re-named because the URL may be just a string of letters and numbers that may not make any sense to the reader. However, if the document needs to be printed, leave the URL as is AND type in the description or title. 
• Use true column and table settings. Do not use the Tab key to organize items visually. 
• Be consistent with fonts and do not choose something too difficult to read. A sans-serif font (at least 12pt) is best for on-line viewing (Ex. Arial or Verdana). Not all students using a screen reader will be visually impaired. 
• Do not use formatting as the only means of indicating information.  Screen readers, for the most part, will not identify formatting such as bold, underline, font color, italics, etc. Some screen readers may be able to convey this information, but the student must use a tedious and time-consuming way of using the program to access the information. 
• Microsoft Word has a built-in Accessibility Checker. It is an excellent resource to assist in identifying and repairing accessibility issues. The Accessibility Checker identifies potential problems in your document, tells you why it is important to fix it, as well as provides you with solutions on how to fix it. 

• WebAIM: PowerPoint- Creating accessible documents
• Use the “Slide Layout” pane instead of creating each slide by hand. This is the only way to ensure accessibility. 
• Use clear and descriptive titles. Vague wording may make it difficult for a screen reader user to know what information will follow. 
• Keep slide information to a minimum (approx. 6 points per slide.) 
• “Speakers Notes” added to clarify visual elements can be accessed by a screen reader. However, if the PPT is saved into another document type, such as a PDF, this info will not transfer. 
• Keep a high contrast between the background and text colors. 
• Using at least a 18pt., sans-serif font is best. 
• Reviewing a PPT to make sure all text is accessible can be done by checking the Outline panel. It will show, in plain text format, the text that is on each slide. If text is visible on a slide, but not on the outline, that indicates the text was part of an image. If the text is missing from the outline, it will not read using a screen reader. Enter alt text or type the information directly into the slide. 
• Add alt text for any images that convey information. Stock photos do not need a description, only images that provide learning content to the student. 
• Web links  
  • Web links should be re-named because the URL may be just a string of letters and numbers that may not make any sense to the reader.  
  • However, if the document needs to be printed, leave the URL as is AND type in the description or title. 
• PowerPoint has a built-in Accessibility Checker. It is an excellent resource to assist in identifying and repairing accessibility issues. The Accessibility Checker identifies potential problems in your document, tells you why it is important to fix it, as well as provides you with solutions on how to fix it. A panel will open to the right listing the issues found. The issues listed are not automatically fixed and must be done manually. 

• WebAIM: Defining PDF Accessibility 
• Starting with a Word document or PowerPoint presentation that is properly prepared (i.e., alt text for images, proper headings, appropriate link text, etc.) increases the chances of an accessible PDF. 
• Save the source document for later use when updates or changes are needed.  
• IMPORTANT: The file must be exported properly. Do NOT use the “Print to PDF” feature or take a snapshot of the document; it will not likely create an accessible PDF. 
• When securing a PDF via password protection, be sure to select the “Enable text access for screen reader devices for the visually impaired” option or consider leaving it unlocked. 
• Editing PDFs that you did not create yourself is a bit more difficult. If you can get the original Word document and re-save it as a PDF, it will save you time!  

• Use the built-in Blackboard Math Editor, which outputs MathML in assignments, tests, etc.
• Use authoring software that outputs MathML or MathJax (e.g. MathType, Pandoc).  
• Make documents available in HTML format as an alternative to PDF.
• Convert existing images to MathML using math text recognition software (e.g. InftyReader, EquatIO). Edit math recognition results in an equation editor that can output MathML or MathJax (e.g. EquatIO, MathType).
• CSCC has licenses for both MathType and Equatio.  MathType can only be added to a college-owned device.  Equatio can be installed by anyone with a CSCC email address.   
• MathType Introductory tutorials (wiris.com) 
• Mathkicker.AI- Turn a PDF into a docx with mathml that can then be edited. 
  MathKicker – Empowering Blind Students, One Equation at a Time!
• Equatio Academy - Start your Equatio learning journey today

Coming soon!