Creating accessible content ensures that everyone, including those with and without disabilities, can access, understand, and interact with your content. In most cases, creating accessible content doesn't require special skills or software. Often, it only requires changing how you use the tools that you are already using.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Write clearly
• Ensure that your text is legible
• Use color and contrast wisely
• Add alternative text descriptions to images 
• Use proper heading styles and structure
• Organize content with bulleted and numbered lists
• Avoid using tables
• Use descriptive links
• Don't use scanned PDFs
• Ensure that all PDFs are tagged
• Caption your media and/or provide a transcript
• Provide descriptions of visual information in your media
• Create accessible presentations 
• Create accessible courses
  • Blackboard Accessibility Overview
  • Create an accessible course structure
  • Create accessible course content
• Additional Resources
• Help and Support

Write clearly

Write clearly and organize your content so that your audience can easily understand the content and find the information that they need.

• Use plain language whenever possible. Simple concise language ensures that users can easily understand your message. 
• When introducing topics, define and spell out abbreviations, acronyms, or jargon.
• Use multiple modes to convey meaning. Consider including accessible images in addition to text.
• Organize your information and lay out your content in a logical order.
• Check your spelling and grammar. 
• Use tools like Hemmingway Editor to measure the readability of your text.

Ensure that your text is legible

Pay special attention to your font, size, color, and spacing to ensure that your content is easy for users to read and understand.

• Choose a font that is easy to read, such as Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and Verdana. Avoid using decorative fonts, as these can be difficult for users to read.
• Your text should be at least 12 points for documents and emails and 24 points for projected presentations. However, you may need to adjust depending on your audience.  
• Avoid using multiple fonts and font sizes in the same email.
• Avoid using all capital letters and underlined text. Use italics and bold text sparingly. 
• Be sure to use adequate spacing. Avoid overly tight or loose letter spading and include ample white space between sentences and paragraphs.
• Review the Web Style Guide for information on typefaces for use on the web.

Use color and contrast wisely

As a best practice, avoid using color as the only way to convey information, as this can be problematic for visually impaired and colorblind users. You will also want to ensure that there is sufficient contrast between the background and foreground of your text or graphics.

• If using color to convey meaning, use a second indicator as well, such as bold and italics. 
• Supplement color coded charts with texture, differences in line style, or text in the graph to improve accessibility for colorblind users. Your chart should be readable in black and white or greyscale. 
• Provide contrast between the background and foreground of your text or graphics. This will ensure that users with low vision and color deficiencies will be able to view your content properly. 
• Avoid slides or backgrounds with texture (including a gradient), as it can interfere with legibility.
• Verify color contrast for text and visual elements:
  • Check your color and contrast with WebAIM's Contrast Checker. 
  • Use The Paciello Group's free color contrast checker to optimize your content, including text and visual elements, for individuals with color-blindness or low vision impairments.

Penn State has put together a series of accessibility articles with detailed information and examples around using color and contrast:

• Penn State's Accessibility article on Color Coding.
• Penn State's Accessibility article on Charts & Accessibility.
  
• Penn State's Accessibility article on Contrast or Luminosity/Brightness.
  

Add alternative text descriptions to images 

When using images, be sure to add alternative text (or alt text) to describe the content and purpose of the image. This ensures that users with visual disables understand the images and graphical content.

• Your alternative text should be a short description that accurately conveys the meaning and purpose of the image, rather than simply describing how the image looks.
• If the image is decorative and provides no meaning to your content, mark the image as decorative.
• Avoid using images containing text as the sole method of conveying information. If you must use the image, repeat the text in the alt text.
• For complex images that convey substantial information (such as charts, graphs, diagrams, etc.), provide a short description of your image using the alt text as well as a longer description in a caption or within the surrounding text. Refer to the Complex Images for All Learners: A Guide to Make Visual Content Accessible [PDF] for detailed information.

For more information and detailed instructions on adding alternative text, please refer to the following support resources:

• Blackboard Ultra: Add Images and Alternative Text
• Blackboard Original: Add Images and Alternative Text
• Microsoft Office: Everything you need to know to write effective alt text
• Microsoft Word: Improve Accessibility with Alt Text
• Microsoft Outlook: Improve Image Accessibility in Email
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Improve Image Accessibility
• Microsoft Office: Add alternative text to a shape, picture, chart, SmartArt graphic, or other object

Use proper heading styles and structure

Headings create structural context for your document and improve navigation for all users, including those using screen readers. 

• Headings should follow a logical and hierarchical order. Start with Title for a document title, then Heading l 1 for sections of the document, Heading 2 for subsections, etc. Avoid skipping heading levels.

• Use your program's built-in heading styles to create descriptive headings:
  • Blackboard Ultra: Add and Format Content
  • Blackboard Original: Using the myLesley Text/Content Editor
  • Microsoft Word: Improve Accessibility with Heading Styles

Organize content with bulleted and numbered lists

Use your program's built-in bulleted and numbered list tools to create well structured lists. Properly created lists inform screen readers how many items are in the list and, in the case of numbered lists, it also reads the number for each item.

Use the built-in formatting tools in your application or text editor to create bulleted or numbered lists:

• Blackboard Ultra: Add and Format Content
• Blackboard Original: Using the myLesley Text/Content Editor
• Microsoft Word: Create bulleted or numbered lists
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Add Bullets or Numbers to Text
• Microsoft Outlook: Add Accessible Tables and Lists to Email
  

Avoid using tables

Avoid using tables, if possible, and present your data in a different way. Consider presenting your information using bulleted or numbered lists. Tables should be used only when your information or data is too complicated to describe with text. 

• Do not use tables to create a visual layout of your content!
• If you must use tables, create simple tables with no more than one header row and one header column. 
  • Ensure your header makes sense as it relates to the content. Screen readers speak one cell at a time and reference the associated header cells so that the reader doesn't lose context. 
  • Avoid complex tables with multiple levels of row or column headers or headers that span multiple rows or columns. Instead, consider creating multiple tables to present your data.
  • Do not merge or split cells! Merged and split cells may confuse the reader and cause readability and accessibility issues.
  • Avoid empty cells, especially if those cells are used for formatting. If you need to add additional white space, consider creating multiple tables.
  • Avoid fixed width tables as these can present challenges across screen sizes and devices.

Use the built-in formatting tools in your application or text editor to create accessible tables:

• Blackboard Ultra: Add and Format Content
• Blackboard Original: Using the myLesley Text/Content Editor
• Microsoft Word: Create Accessible Tables
• Microsoft PowerPoint: Use Table Headers
• Microsoft Excel: Create More Accessible Tables
• Microsoft Outlook: Add Accessible Tables and Lists to Email

Use descriptive links

As a best practice, ensure that your links convey clear and accurate information about the destination. 

• Web addresses or URLs are not considered informative and decrease readability of your content. Additionally, screen readers will read each letter, number, and symbol individually, making it difficult to understand.
• Avoid generic link text such as "click here" or "learn more." Instead, include the full title of the destination page or a description of the page.
• Use the built-in formatting tools in your application or text editor to create accessible links:

• Blackboard Ultra: Add and Format Content
• Blackboard Original: Using the myLesley Text/Content Editor
• Microsoft Word: Create Accessible Links
• Microsoft Outlook: Customize the Text for a Hyperlink

Don't use scanned PDFs

Scanned PDFs provide one of the biggest accessibility challenges. When you scan a text, such as a book, journal article, newspaper article, etc., the resulting document is an image of the text. These scanned PDFs are considered completely inaccessible to all users.

• Scanned PDFs often result in text and images (especially charts and graphs) that appear off-center and blurry, making it difficult to read and comprehend. 
• The text cannot be searched, highlighted, or annotated. 
• Users cannot use personal adaptations, such as increased font size or background color, dark mode, or magnify the text on a small screen.  
• Scanned PDFs are completely inaccessible for those using assistive technology, especially screen readers and text-to-speech tools.

As a best practice, do not use scanned PDFs, especially as course content. If possible, find a digital copy of the original document. If you find a digital version online or in the library, link to it. Do not download the document and upload it into your course!

• Linking to an online resource ensures that your users are seeing the most up-to-date version of the content.
• Linking to a website or library resource increases the number of views, letting the owner know that their content is being used.
• Downloading content from the internet and uploading it to your course may violate copyright and fair use.

If you cannot link to a digital copy:

• Reach out to a librarian. A librarian may be able to help you find a digital copy of the document or help you search for an alternate accessible resource. Additionally, a librarian can advise you on fair use and copyright. Email asklib@lesley.edu for assistance.
• If you are the owner or author of the document or if you have permissions from the owner, author, or publisher to modify the document, you may convert the document to an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) PDF. 
  • Use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) scanner or software (such as Acrobat Pro or the Ally File Transformer) to convert the scanned document to text. 
  • If you scan or convert your text you will still need to read through the document and update as necessary. This includes setting the document language, adding or editing tags, setting the reading order, adding alt text for images, and adding accessible links. 
• If you are not the owner/author or do not have permission to modify the original file, doing so may violate fair use and copyright. Email asklib@lesley.edu with questions or to ask for assistance.

Ensure that all PDFs are tagged

Tagging your PDF provides a hidden structured, textual representation of the PDF content. Tagging allows screen readers to understand your file's reading order, where headings fall, and which objects in the document are tables, images, footnotes, etc.

• If you are creating your PDF using a Microsoft Office application (ex Word, PowerPoint), be sure to make your file accessible first, before you convert to PDF. 
  • Use the Microsoft Accessibility Assistant to find and fix any accessibility issues before converting your file to PDF.
  • Be sure to Save your Microsoft Office file as an accessible PDF.
• If your PDF is mostly text, you may open it in Microsoft Word, make your edits, and save it as a PDF.
  • Edit a PDF in Microsoft Word.
  • Save your Microsoft Office file as an accessible PDF.

• Use Acrobat Pro to check the accessibility of your PDF and make the recommended changes.
  • Adobe Creative Cloud Availability at Lesley University.
  • Use Acrobat Pro to Edit Document Structure with the Content and Tags Panels. 
  • Create and Verify PDF Accessibility with Acrobat Pro

Caption your media and/or provide a transcript

Accurate captioning of audio and video content ensures that people who are Deaf and hard of hearing can understand your content. Additionally, captions are very useful to non-native English speakers, viewers watching in a sound-sensitive environment such as a library, can help viewers with learning disabilities or attention deficits maintain concentration, and can help all learners improve comprehension.

• Use Kaltura Media to upload media that you have already created or to create new media by recording your webcam or screen. Content uploaded to Kaltura Media is automatically captioned. 
  • Upload media to your myLesley course via Kaltura Media. 
  • Create or edit captions in Kaltura Media.
• If you are using content from Lesley's Streaming Media Resources, please view the Lesley University Library's Streaming Media Accessibility page.
• VoiceThread strives to make content accessible across many devices and on virtually any internet connection. All content uploaded into VoiceThread is automatically captioned and may be edited for accuracy.
  • View or edit VoiceThread captions.
  • Refer to the VoiceThread Accessibility support article for additional accessibility information.
• If you are using third party videos (ex YouTube, Learner.org, etc.), make sure that the videos are captioned or have transcripts available.
• If your PowerPoint contains embedded audio or video, include captions or a transcript. Do not put accessibility information (such as alternative text) in the Notes.
  • Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities. 

Provide descriptions of visual information in your media

Provide a detailed description of any visual content in your video or recorded presentation. This ensures that blind or visually impaired users can understand your media.

If your media contains images, charts, diagrams, or actions, describe them so that those who cannot see them can understand the content. Depending on your content, it may be easiest to weave these into your script.

Create accessible presentations 

Ensure that your presentations are accessible to all users.

• Be sure to give every slide a unique, descriptive title. Screen readers rely on the side titles to know which slide is which.
• Set the reading order of slide contents so that screen readers can accurately read the content in the intended reading order. 
• Create accessible images, charts, and graphs to ensure that all users can understand the information. If you are including charts and graphs, make sure that you do not use color as the only means of conveying information.
• If your presentation contains embedded media content, be sure that the media is captioned and/or provide a transcript.
• Avoid automatic slide transitions. Your viewers may need more time with the slide content than what is automatically provided. This may be especially true for users with cognitive challenges, learning disabilities, and English language learners. If using transitions or animations, keep them simple. Complicated visuals can be distracting or overwhelming for some viewers.
• Use color and contrast wisely. Provide contrast between the slide's background and your text and/or images. This will ensure that users with low vision and color deficiencies will be able to view your content properly. 
• Avoid slides with texture (including a gradient), as it can interfere with legibility.
• If you are using Microsoft PowerPoint, use an accessible PowerPoint template. These templates ensure that the design, colors, contrast, and fonts are accessible to all users and so that screen readers can easily read the slide content.

Microsoft provides detailed information and tutorials designed to help you make your PowerPoints accessible to all users:

• Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities.
• Video: Design PowerPoint slides for people with dyslexia.
• Video: Present inclusively with PowerPoint.
• Improve accessibility with the Microsoft Accessibility Checker.

Create accessible courses

Blackboard Accessibility Overview

myLesley (Blackboard) is the university's learning management system and functions as your online classroom. Both Blackboard Ultra and Blackboard Original courses are designed to be accessible to all users.

Watch the Accessibility Overview in Blackboard Ultra video for more information about Blackboard's accessibility options. Additional information may be found on the Blackboard Ultra: Accessibility Overview support page.

Watch the Inclusive Learning Experiences in Blackboard Ultra video for an overview of accessibility best practices to keep in mind when creating your course.

Create an accessible course structure

Set up your course with a clear, consistent flow. This will allow students to spend their time focusing on the content, not finding the materials.

• Provide a basic, predictable structure. Organize your content into Learning Modules and/or folders based on the week or the topic. Label all Learning Modules and folders clearly (ex Week 1: Topic Name).
• Avoid an overabundance of folders within folders, as this creates a barrier for students trying to find the content.
• Each Learning Module or folder should follow a similar flow. For example:
  • If your content is organized by week or topic, include an overview and learning objectives.
  • Include learning materials, such as readings, videos, links, and other course content.
  • Include assignments, tests, discussions, and other means for students to submit work or collaborate with others.
• Provide clear expectations and instructions. This should be included in your syllabus as well as in the course content.
• Provide specific and meaningful titles for your course content. Your students should be able to understand what the item it is before opening it.

Create accessible course content

Be sure that any content you add to your course is accessible to all users.

• Create your Syllabus as a Word file and run the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker to ensure that your syllabus is accessible to all users.
• As you create and edit content, use the text/content editor to create and format your text. If you copy and paste text into the editor, use the Clear Format button to remove formatting and reformat your content using the built-in styling features. 
  • Blackboard Ultra: Add and Format Content.
  • Blackboard Original: Using the myLesley Text/Content Editor.
• Make sure uploaded files and attachments are accessible to all users.
  • Do not upload scanned PDFs. Scanned PDFs provide one of the biggest accessibility challenges. When you scan a text, such as a book, journal article, newspaper article, etc., the resulting document is an image of the text. These scanned PDFs are considered completely inaccessible to all users.
  • Before uploading a Microsoft file (ex Word, PowerPoint), run the Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker to ensure that your file is accessible to all users.
    
• Ensure that your media content is captioned or a transcript is available.  
• Add alternative text to your images. If your image does not convey any meaning, mark the image as decorative.
• Utilize Ally to check the accessibility of your course content and follow the instructions to fix any accessibility issues.

Additional Resources

Microsoft Office

• Video: Making Your Microsoft Office Content Accessible.
• Video: Improve Accessibility with the Microsoft Accessibility Checker.
• Video: Create Accessible File Names.
• Get accessible templates for Microsoft Office products.
• Create accessible PDFs in Microsoft Office.
• Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities.
• Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities. 
• Accessibility best practices with Excel spreadsheets.
• Make your Outlook email accessible to people with disabilities.
• Make your Microsoft Teams meetings, calls, and messages accessible to people with disabilities.
• Make your SharePoint site accessible to people with disabilities.
• Resources for creating accessible sites in SharePoint Online.

myLesley/Blackboard

• Blackboard’s commitment to accessibility.
• Blackboard Ultra: Accessibility Overview.
• Blackboard Ultra: Accessibility Best Practices.
• Blackboard Original: Accessibility Overview.

Help and Support

Lesley University’s support offices are committed to working with faculty and students to create university resources that are accessible to all learners. Questions related to the accessibility of teaching and learning materials should be directed accordingly.

Disability Support Services: 

Email DSS@lesley.edu to:

• Provide accessible materials for students with documented accommodations

Library: 

Email asklib@lesley.edu for:

• Questions regarding the accessibility of Library resources.
• Copyright/fair use questions.

eLearning & Instructional Support: 

Email elis@lesley.edu for:

• Help making your course content accessible.
• Questions about myLesley, Ally, or other technology for teaching and learning.