Along with all the RCE content, all the files that have been uploaded in your course will be scanned by Ally. You will see an accessibility score indicator
anywhere a file is visible to students. Clicking on the indicator will open the feedback panel, where you will see a preview of the file as well as any accessibility issues.
For accessible files, Ally tells you what you did correctly. For files with Low to High scores, Ally shows you the issues and gives a step-by-step guide on how to fix them. These instructions change depending on the file and the accessibility issues found. For example, with a PDF you may see instructions on how to make the PDF tagged.
While Ally can tell you what is wrong and how to fix it, most issues with uploaded documents cannot be fixed within the feedback panel. You will need to download the file and edit it in its originating software to make it fully accessible.
Remediating Word Docs
Run the accessibility checker
The Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker (Tools > Check Accessibility) will check the document for common accessibility issues. The Accessibility Checker provides suggestions about how to fix any issues found in your document.
Use heading styles
Heading styles make it easier for assistive technology users to navigate your documents.
Each heading style represents a different level in the content hierarchy and communicates the structure of your document to users.
Learn more about making accessible headings.
Use table headers
A table header allows users of assistive technology to understand the relationships between cells in your table.
A user will hear the header cell before the data cell and thus understand which column the data refers to.
Learn more about making tables accessible.
Check the Color Contrast
Sufficient color contrast makes text more accessible to individuals with color blindness. Ensure that the contrast ratio between the foreground and background colors meets the contrast requirements of WCAG 2.0. Use any of the below resources to check color contrast.
Learn more about how color and contrast contribute to accessibility.
For a more in-depth look at creating accessible Word documents, see the Digital Accessibility Services guide on Producing Accessible Word Documents.
Remediating PowerPoints
Much of the same accessibility concepts used with Word and PDF files can be applied to PowerPoint presentations. One concept that is unique to PowerPoint is Titling.
Presentation Title
Make sure the file name and title (in the presentation metadata) describe the topic or purpose of the presentation. To find presentation metadata, navigate to File > Info > Properties > Title.
Slide Title
Each slide must have an informative title, which is usually the large text at the top of the slide. Slide titles provide an outline and improve navigation making your document more accessible. The title on each slide must be unique.
For a more in-depth look at creating accessible PowerPoints, see the Digital Accessibility Services guide on Producing Accessible PowerPoint Presentations.
Remediating PDFs
You can convert a scanned PDF into an editable text document using Adobe Acrobat, which can be used by all university faculty and staff without the need for a Creative Cloud license.
Use a Document Title
The document title is important so that users of assistive technology can hear the name of the document when opening the file and when switching between multiple tabs within a PDF program.
Set the Document Language
The document language determines which speech synthesizer is used by assistive technology programs.
Add Alternate Text for Images
- Any images or figures that convey important information in your document must have alternate text.
- Alternate text is a short description of the image that will be read out loud to assistive technology users.
- Keep your alternate text to 1-2 sentences long.
Learn more about images and alt text.
Add a Tag Structure
Is the document tagged? Accessible PDFs must have tags.
- Paragraphs must have paragraph tags, lists must have list tags, images must have image tags, tables must have table tags etc.
- Tag the content by choosing Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order.
- Select the content, and then apply tags as necessary.
Use Table Headers
To ensure that tabular data are read logically by assistive technologies, use table header tags for column headers, row headers, or both.
Learn more about making tables accessible.
Check the Reading Order
- You will need to manually check that the content in your PDF follows a logical reading order.
- To check the reading order, open the tags panel and arrow down.
- Move items up or down in the tags panel to correct problems with the reading order.
Check the Color Contrast
You will need to manually check that your PDF document has sufficient color contrast. Use any of the resources below to check color contrast.
Learn more about how color and contrast contribute to accessibility.
For a more in-depth look at creating accessible PDFs, see the Digital Accessibility Services guide on Producing Accessible PDF Documents.