What is Accessible Content
Accessible course content can be perceived and understood by all students, including individuals with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, and neurological disabilities.
Accessibility is about reducing basic barriers to comprehension and learning.
Accessible Handout
If you follow basic accessibility guidelines when creating course content, ALL students will have a better experience, regardless of their abilities or needs.
Accessibility Requirements (Click to Expand)
For accessibility, always…
Include links to the Marist ADA policy and student resources in the syllabus.
When needed, allow for students to have more time to complete assignments and tests.
Accessibility Checklist (Click to Expand)
Basic Requirements
Include links to the Marist ADA policy and student resources in the syllabus.
Give students adequate time to complete assignments and tests.
Working with Text
Use appropriate headings.
Format lists correctly.
Use text with good color contrast with its background.
Make link text descriptive.
Working with Tables
Use tables only for tabular data.
Add table headers and captions.
Working with Images
Add short, meaningful Alternative Text.
For decorative elements, leave Alternative Text blank.
Include long descriptions if needed.
Avoid using images of text.
Other Course Content
Make sure PDF text can be selected with a mouse or keyboard.
Use captioned video, a transcript if possible.
How should content be created? (Click to Expand)
Formatting Documents
1) Organize a document like an outline, with headings indicating main ideas or topics. Screen reader and keyboard users need headings to navigate a page.
2) Use the numbered or bulleted list button to mark a list. Screen readers identify correctly formatted lists for their users, and users can quickly skip to important items in the list.
3) Make sure text has good color contrast with its background. Good contrast makes text readable; low vision or color blind readers need contrast.
4) Link text must describe linked content for screen reader users to navigate websites.
Working with Tables
1) Tables should be used only for tabular data, not for layout.
2) Tables should have headers and captions; these are needed for screen reader users to understand table content.
Working with Images
1) Add short, meaningful Alternative Text (Alt Text) to images that are critical to the document’s meaning. Alt Text lets non-sighted users perceive images.
2) If an image is only a decorative element on a page, leave the Alt Text blank.
3) If needed, include a longer description in the document’s text next to the image.
4) Do not use an image of text if the same meaning can be conveyed with text alone
How can I do it in Sakai? (Click to Expand)
Select Headings
Choose a Heading from the Paragraph Format menu. Normal is the default setting.
Make Lists
Edit Text/Background Colors
Table with Tabular Data
Add Table Headers and Captions
Right-click in your table and choose Table Properties. Select First Row, First Column, or Both for headers.
Add Alternative Text
Add Alternative Text when you insert a new image in the editor, or double-click on an existing image and type in the box provided.
What else do I need to know? (Click to Expand)
Working with PDFs
1) When you upload a PDF to your course site, makesure the text can be selected with a mouse orkeyboard. Screen reader users cannot access text ina PDF that is just an image.
Working with Video
1) Use video with Closed Captions, and a transcript ifpossible. Panopto videos offer editable captioning!
2) If the video you want to use in class is not availablewith Closed Captions, plan ahead and upload thevideo to a platform that is able to do captions suchas Panopto.