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Accessibility Dos and Don'ts
- Use formatting styles for headings and lists. For example, all headings should have a "Heading" style. All lists should be bulleted or numbered lists.
- Make sure that your color contrast is high enough to make text legible on colored backgrounds.
- Add alt text to all documents, including e-mails, shared presentations, and Canvas pages.
- Caption your videos, which can be done through auto-captions on Zoom or by transcribing video in YuJa. Note that you want to make sure your captions are accurate to ensure accessbility.
- If possible, use less jargon and more plain English. (This interactive explainer from The Pudding offers more information.)
- Don't share PDFs that are just photos or scans of documents. Ensure that PDFs have text information and are not just images.
- Don't share materials that don't have transcriptions or captions. For example, don't require students to listen to a podcast if there is no transcription available.
- Don't share images without alt text, particularly if the image is required to answer a question or is an infographic.
- Don't create bulleted lists dashes or just line by line. Use the built-in list tools so that screen-readers can properly navigate information.
- Don't create media assignments without considering alternative submission options. For example, a deaf student might have trouble creating a podcast, but could share an interactive explainer instead.
