How Do I Make My Course and Content Accessible?

There are many ways we can improve our courses and make them accessible. The following are general rules of thumb that would improve a course's accessibility:

Provide Accessible Content Formats
1. Start with accessible documents when you prepare your lecture. Ask your Instructional Designer to provide you with Accessible templates for your PowerPoint presentations or Word Documents. This will help create accessible PDFs for your course.
2. Provide content in multiple formats. This can be a recording with text transcripts and Closed Captioning for your recordings.
3. Record your lecture with diverse learners in mind - describe the graphs on the screen; don't rely on all students' ability to see your presentation.
Structured Content
Ensure your content is well-organized, with clear headings, bullet points, and logical structure. This helps all users, especially those who use screen readers, navigate the material easily.
Alt Text for Images
Describe images using alternative text (alt text). This text provides a description of the image for screen readers, aiding users who can't see the image.
Video Accessibility
Include closed captions for videos. This benefits not only the hearing impaired but also non-native speakers and individuals in situations where they can't play audio.
Font Format
1. Font size
  Use typefaces that are typically ADA-friendly, such as Tahoma, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman. Fonts should be NO smaller than 12px in size.
2. Font Color
  Ensure that the fonts are clear, easy to read, and have sufficient color contrast for text and background to aid users with visual impairments. Use WebAIM's Color Contrast Checker to help choose appropriate and accessible colors.
Accessible Links and Buttons
Use descriptive link text and ensure that buttons and links are easily clickable, even for users who rely on keyboard navigation.
Tables
Tables should be used exclusively for displaying numerical data. They should not be used for altering page layout or categorizing text. Using tables to display text can make it difficult for screen reader users to navigate and understand the table's organization. All tables should have clear headings and have a description of what it is describing.
Use Assistive Accessibility Tools
Most software and learning management systems have either integrated or add-on tools that can help you check for accessibility in your course.
1. Canvas Accessibility Checker
2. Microsoft Office Products
3. Ally in Canvas
4. WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind) Alternative Text