Improving Course Accessibility With Todd M. Weissenberger IT Accessibility Coordinator University of Iowa Information Security and Policy Office

Online content takes many forms and formats, and “content” actually comprises many discrete components, including subsets of all the above. Individual documents might contain headings, links, tables, lists, embedded images, embedded media, and other elements. Conversely, content collections may exist within delivery systems like learning management systems, browsers, media players, or online viewers; these may in turn perform differently in different environments. Both software (e.g. operating systems and assistive technologies) and hardware (desktop/laptop, tablet/phone, keyboard/mouse, network connection, video processor) may contribute to the user’s experience of your content.

Barriers to Accessibility Flat or scanned documents Images without descriptive text Links without natural text Unstructured Documents Documents without titles Uncaptioned media Content presented out of sequence Insufficient contrast Inaccessible tables Required use of mouse

addresses Accessibility Issues in The Universal Design Online content Inspection Tool, or UDOIT (pronounced, “You Do It”) enables faculty to identify accessibility issues in their Canvas course content. It will scan a course, generate a report, and provide resources on how to address common accessibility issues.  It was created by the Center for Distributed Learning (CDL) at the University of Central Florida (CDL)

Information in headings Alternate image text Table structure Descriptive link text Color contrast Video captions

ERRORS SUGGESTIONS

Enable in Canvas Course Settings

DEMONSTRATION

color contrast in images ufixit Available for Not available for ALT text heading content table structure link text color contrast in text captions heading order color contrast in images

(can) upfront ALT text is necessary Data tables require header rows Not to exceed 100 characters Must not be the filename of the image Purely decorative images don’t get ALT Data tables require header rows Header cells require SCOPE Tables also require captions Avoid using tables for layout or positioning Links require text Link text must reflect purpose of link For images used as links, ALT text is link text Click Here and Learn More convey nothing Headings add structure to your page Ensure that headings contain text Do not skip heading levels Use headings to introduce sections/topics Use color wisely Test for sufficient color contrast with CCA Do not use color alone to convey meaning Use shape, text, or pattern to distinguish Media require captions or transcripts Video captions must be synchronized Captions must update when media updates Repurpose scripts or other digital artifacts

Does not address     Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, FlipGrid, Articulate Storyline, Adobe Captivate, Khan, etc. eTc.

Other Accessibility Tools

Check Accessibility (Canvas Rich Text Editor)

Word Accessibility Checker

PowerPoint Accessibility Checker

Acrobat Accessibility Checker The Adobe Acrobat Accessibility checker lets you check 32 accessibility factors across multiple categories, and then produces a report to which you can refer during your remediation process, or you can save it and attach it as documentation to the PDF. Accessibility checker even lets you fix certain issues on the fly so you can come away with a more accessible document than you started with.

check contrast WebAIM Color Checker https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/

Itaccessibility.uiowa.edu/UDOIT

Todd M. Weissenberger I.T. Accessibility Coordinator University of Iowa todd-weissenberger@uiowa.edu @inspector508 itaccessibility.uiowa.edu webaccess.its.uiowa.edu Adobe Certified PDF Accessibility Trainer