Accessibility

By embedding accessibility into your learning resources and experiences, you ensure that nobody is excluded from learning. Additionally, embedding accessibility into digital content makes your content easier to understand for all audiences, not just disabled learners. Read through the sections below to learn some of the basic principles of accessibility in the online context and how you can apply them to your own learning resources and experiences.

Alt text (alternative text) describes the appearance or function of an image on a page. Alt text is read aloud by screen readers used by visually impaired users, displays in place of an image if it fails to load and is indexed by search engine bots to better understand the content of your page. Include alt text for all visuals that convey information. If using visuals to convey information (not just for decoration) you need to include a text alternative like alt text so users who can’t see the screen don’t miss out on information and can understand what’s important in images and other visuals. For advice on how to write effective alt text, use this resource from Harvard University: Write good alt text to describe images.

• Don't make your font too small. Stick with 12pt for most documents. For PowerPoints, 24pt is recommended.
• Use a sans serif font for the body of your text. Sans serif fonts are slightly easier to read, so use them for the body of your text to make it easier for viewers to read your text. You can use a serif font as a heading for contrast. 
• Use sufficient contrast for text and background colours. Ensuring your resource has a high level of contrast between text and background colour ensures more people can see and use the content. You can use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to see if your contrast is accessible. 
• Avoid fast-flashing content. Fast-flashing content is hard to read and distracting. It can also induce seizures in some viewers, especially if it flashes more than three times in one second. If you must use flashing content, refer to the Trace Center’s Photosensitive Epilepsy Analysis Tool to assess the seizure risk for your content. 
• Avoid using italics and underline to draw attention. Italics and underline are inaccessible options for drawing attention as they can be difficult for dyslexic users. Underlining also suggests the text is a link, which may be confusing for some users. You can use bold text to draw attention but try not to overuse it as it can be overwhelming. 

• Use concise and descriptive links. Using descriptive links rather than a complete URL or a ‘click here’ link provides a clear, concise description of the page they will load. This provides context, so the reader can tell right away what the link is and whether or not it will be useful to them. 

• If available on the platform you're using, turn on closed captions. Closed captions make presentations more accessible for non-native English speakers and deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers. If using Zoom, you can use the following instructions to turn on automated closed captions: Enabling and turning on automated closed captions in Zoom.

It is important that resources we create reflect the diversity of our community. The following resources provide images of disabled and neurodivergent people to use in your resources.