1. Plan for Teaching Online-Course Accessibility
9/6/2017
Plan for Teaching Online-Course Accessibility
1. Blackboard
A. Organize content into clearly labeled
1. Learning Modules
2. Folders
B. Reduce the number of course-menu items.
C. Use course menu links instead of buttons.

2. Plan: Slide 2 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
A. Word’s Accessibility Checker
1. Understanding the Errors, Warnings, and Tips
2. Understanding the checker does not report all accessibility issues
B. Basic Formatting
1. Left-align all text.
2. Avoid the space bar, tab key, and enter key to move text.
3. Use tables instead of the tab key to simulate a table
4. Protect Word documents from accidental or purposeful editing

3. Plan: Slide 3 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
C. Use Word’s predefined “Headings” in the “Style” block.
D. Use Word’s auto numbering and bullets to organize information into ordered and unordered lists.
E. Fonts
1. Use a minimum size of 12.
2. Use Sans-Serif fonts.
3. Use the same font throughout a document.

4. Plan: Slide 4 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
F. Add emphasis without underlining text or changing the font type or size.
Use italics.
Use bolding.
G. Link Text
1. Make the hyperlink part of a meaningful, succinct phrase that tells the user to what he or she is being linked.
2. Place the hyperlink as close to the beginning of the phrase as possible.
Example: The MLA Web site offers excellent grammar resources.
2. Avoid words and phrases like “click here.”
3. Try not to make a URL the hyperlink.

5. Plan: Slide 5 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
H. Be careful with color.
1. Use strong contrast between background and font color.
2. Avoid red and green text on colored backgrounds because many people cannot see these colors. Red and green text will be invisible on some colored backgrounds.
3. Avoid orange text because it provides very little contrast with most backgrounds.
4. Never use color by itself to convey information.
5. Avoid large blocks of very intense color.

6. Plan: Slide 6 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
I. Give Word documents a title in “Document Properties.”
J. Images
1. Never float images (wrap text in front of or behind images). All images must be inline with text.
2. Never layer images in the Word software itself. Layer them in a program like Evernote and then import them as one single, flat image into Word.
3. Include alt text or null alt text for all images.

7. Plan: Slide 7 2. Document Files and Blackboard Components
K. PDF Documents
Before converting Word documents to .pdf, make sure the document retains its accessibility features.
Even if a document was compliant in Word, check all .pdf documents for accessibility using a program like PAVE. Documents misbehave when they are converted!

8. Plan: Slide 8 3. PowerPoints A. Fonts 1. Use a minimum size of 18.
2. Use a Sans-Serif font type.
B. Animations must be made compliant or an equivalent alternative must be provided.
1. Must have less than a 5-second delay.
2. Should begin “on click.”
3. “Triggers” should not be used.
3. Blinking and flashing must not exceed 3 times in 1 second.

9. Plan: Slide 9 3. PowerPoints
C. Slide Titles – each title must be different.
D. Use “Screen Tips” to add information about linked text.
E. Images
F. Color
G. Conversion to .pdf

10. Plan: Slide 10 4. Videos and Audio A. Quality
B. Provide closed-captioning (required for all video) that includes descriptions of non- dialog sounds.
C. Provide written transcripts that include dialog and descriptions of video and sound not clarified by the dialog.
D. Make sure the files use a widely compatible player.