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How to Design Accessible Content




Lap top says "Never Stop Learning"

When we design our instruction to build community, we need to proactively reduce barriers to learning so that all students can be engaged. Last week I gave you some resources for making your video content accessible. This week let’s look at some best practices to use when creating materials. Whenever possible, I would recommend that you post the doc or ppt format of your content within your course for students to access.  If your content is an article scan, see if you can find an .html version of the article to use, then reach out to see what resources we have within the library that could be of help. Pdf files are generally less accessible than word documents, and making a pdf accessible takes more time.  
Word and PowerPoint both have accessibility checker tools within them that will assess your document, advise you, and correct issues as you go. Here are the main design elements that you need to be aware of for your content to be used by a screen reader. 
●      Name your file with a descriptive filename – this identifies purpose and helps everyone to locate, open, and switch between documents.
●      Use styles to create headers – headings help to break up the content, and it helps assistive technology like screen readers to navigate the document; however, when you add bold to infer meaning it cannot be interpreted by a screen reader.
●      Lists – use bullets or the numbering tool within Word to create lists; do not use your own dashes or tabs to create a list.
●      When creating columns within a document, you need to use the page layout and select the number of columns you would like to use. Please do not use “tab” to create columns within a document, since screen readers will not understand that your tab means to begin a new column.
●      Simple data in a table is read left to right and top to bottom. Tab order matches how it will be read. When designing a table, make sure the information you insert will make sense to someone who hears it being read in this format. Do not merge table cells; screen readers cannot interrupt these cells.
●      Describe your hyperlinks so they point the reader to the destination; do not just copy and paste the html.
●      Use alternative text for pictures, charts, or infographics.
●      When using color in a document to convey meaning, be sure to also add text.
●      Use sans-serif fonts for clearest readability and be aware of contrast and the colors you use within a document. 
As you decide where to start in designing content that is following the Universal Design for Learning model, I want to ensure that your students will appreciate the effort and time you put into designing content that is accessible. 

Additional Resources:

●      Creating Accessible Documents – Accessible Educational Materials (AEM)

●      Designing for Accessibility with POUR - AEM

●      How to make an accessible Document in Microsoft Word – Section508.gov

●      Use text and color to convey meaning –

●      Color Contrast

●      Color Checker - WebAIM

Written by Janelle Reeb
Online Learning Coordinator
Feel free to leave comments below
For additional resources, visit icc.edu/tlc webpage 

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