Accessible Digital Content

Getting Started with Digital Accessibility

Accessibility is a proactive approach to designing digital content and learning environments so they are usable by everyone from the start, reducing barriers before they occur rather than relying on individual accommodations. Ethically, accessibility reflects our shared commitment to fairness, inclusion, and learner dignity by ensuring all students can participate without needing to request special exceptions. Legally, new federal regulations require all digital content (including Canvas courses, course materials, publisher content, web-based content, and technology tools) meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards. These standards promote a consistent and inclusive experience for all learners, including those with disabilities. 

For those new to accessibility, below you will find a list of 10 ways to get started with digital accessibility along with resources to learn more. Rather than see accessibility as a checklist or one-time effort, we encourage you to think of it as an ongoing practice that reflects who we are as educators.

10 ways to get started with digital accessibility

1. Accessibility checkers: Become familiar with accessibility checkers to help you review content for accessibility, identify any accessibility issues, and make content more accessible.

• Ally is the new Canvas-based accessibility checker (coming soon to NDNU): Ally Quick Start Guide for Instructors
• Canvas includes an accessibility checker in the Rich Content Editor: Canvas Guide, How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?

2. Alternative text (alt text): Learn to add alternative descriptive text to all images and graphics.

• UMN, Alternative Text | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)

3. Descriptive hyperlinks: Learn to replace long website URLs with descriptive hyperlinks.

• UMN, Links | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)

4. Readable font and color contrast: Learn to make design choices to increase readability for all.

• UNCG, Making Design Elements Accessible | Accessibility Resources at UNCG

5. Structured headings and lists: Learn to structure documents using built-in headings and lists.

• UMN, Headings | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)
• UMN, Lists | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)

6. Accessible data tables: Learn to format data tables to be readable for all.

• UMN, Tables | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)

7. Accessible formatting for various document types: Learn how to apply all of the accessibility skills above to different types of documents (Word, PowerPoint, Google docs, and PDFs).

• Harvard, Guidance for Accessible Documents by Type
• OLC, Creating Accessible Documents

8. Captions and transcripts: Learn to add captions and create transcripts for audio and video files.

• Canvas: Creating Accessible Videos and Multimedia
• UMN, Guidance on Video and Audio Accessibility | Office for Digital Accessibility (ODA)

9. Accessibility statements: Review accessibility statements from publishers and third party vendors to confirm access for all users before sharing content with students.

• Publisher and Third Party Content Accessibility Tips | University of North Texas

10. Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Learn to apply UDL principles to increase access and agency for all students. UDL invites students to access content in multiple formats (e.g., text, audio, visuals, captions, etc.), engage with material on their own terms (e.g., choice, options for collaboration, etc.), and demonstrate learning in multiple ways (e.g., varied formats for assignments, making use of supportive tools, etc.).

• CAST, UDL Guidelines 3.0

Additional resources

ADA, Title II: Federal Register :: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities

Coursera, An Introduction to Accessibility and Inclusive Design

National Center on Disability and Journalism, Disability Language Style Guide

Office of Civil Rights (OCR), Office of Civil Rights Video Series | ADA National Network

Online Learning Consortium (OLC), Accessibility Toolkit

University of Minnesota (UMN), 7 Core Accessibility Skills & Digital Accessibility Resource Guide

University of South Florida (USF), Online Learning Accessibility Checklist

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference)

Get support

Accessibility is a shared journey, and CETL is here to support faculty in making your digital content accessible to all students. Email questions to cetl@ndnu.edu or schedule a meeting with a team member to discuss digital accessibility in your course.