Accessibility Summary: Dos and Don’ts

This article provides Instructors with an at-a-glance summary of the Do’s and Don’ts associated with creating a more accessible Brightspace experience for all learners.

DO:

• Use heading styles in Word and Brightspace
• If you must use tables, try to create a table with a simple structure
• Add titles to slides
  • Use at least 30-point font for presentations
• Create alt (alternative) text for images and print/digital documents this allows a screen reader to provide a description to learners
  • Use captions for images and print/digital documents
  • If you include a complex image, ensure you provide learners with a descriptive document in addition to the image
• Use colour combinations that have high contrast (such as black text on a white background) to help learners easily distinguish the text from the background
• In addition to colour, consider using different shapes, line types, and text to help learners distinguish the data in a graph
• Avoid PDFs that are not tagged when possible; HTML is more accessible (Word is also acceptable)
  • Tagging within a PDF creates an additional layer of information that screen readers can detect
• Use the Accessibility Checker built into Brightspace to assist in determining if and where your accessibility issues are
• Use accessible fonts: (Sans serif fonts work best); Arial and Verdana (at lease a 12-point size) work well

DON’T:

• Overuse headings (or avoid using them altogether)
• Use text boxes in a Word document
• Use tables as part of your page design or layout
• Leave blank cells in tables: this can mislead a learner by making it appear that there is no content left in the table
• Avoid titles: this makes the material more navigate
• Use colours or pictures as the only way to describe/explain your concept
• Use PDF documents if alternatives are available

From Algonquin College Accessibility Resources: Download Quick Tips on How to Create Accessible Documents in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat
Consult Algonquin College’s Resources for Creating Accessible Documents page