Course Accessibility
Accessibility in course design isn’t just about compliance—it’s about creating learning environments where every student can thrive. When we design with accessibility in mind, we let learners know that their success matters to us.
By embracing accessibility best practices, you’re not adding restrictions to your teaching—you’re expanding your reach. Here are some ways that you can build accessibility into your course materials.
Accessibility Quick Wins
Making your course more accessible may seem like a daunting task, but you can make tremendous strides with simple changes.
Use Alt Text for Images
Assistive devices use alt text to describe an image to users who can not see the image. Alt text not only helps low vision students, but it also allows students to understand the image even if there is a loading error.
More Resources
- You can use the following prompt with the AI of your choice to generate alt text for an image:
This is an image used to teach ______ in an online course. Please create a short and accessibility compliant description to use as alt text on a web page. - You can use this following prompt with the AI of your choice to generate alt text for an image containing text:
This image contains text used to teach about ____ in an online course. Please extract the text and create a short and accessibility-compliant description to use as alt text on a web page.
Include Video Captions
Any video directed to your class as a whole should include closed captions. This not only allows hearing impaired students to understand the content, but it can make it easier for all students to follow along.
More Resources
- UF Captioning Requests
- YouTube Automatic Captions – YouTube will attempt to generate captions for videos automatically when you upload them. You should check these for accuracy and edit as needed.
- Vimeo Auto Captions – Vimeo will attempt to add closed captions to videos on paid accounts automatically.
Use Headings to Show Hierarchy
Screen readers use headings to quickly navigate to sections of text. Well nested headings also make your documents easier to scan and comprehend for all students.
More Resources
Ensure Colors Contrast
What looks readable to you can completely disappear to students with vision differences if there is not sufficient contrast. Adequate contrast also makes text more readable whether in a dark dorm room or bright sunlight.
More Resources
- WebAIM Contrast Checker – This tool lets you check for compliance with color contrast standards. To use the tool, you will need to know the hex color code for the text and text background.
Make Documents Accessible
Accessibility extends to PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, and other course documents. Fortunately, many programs are available to check and improve the accessibility of documents.
More Resources
- Sensus Access
- Document conversion tool
- Cal State Northridge Document Accessibility Guide
Remove Unused Content
As courses get modified over time, you may find that old documents get carried over even though they are not used. You can reduce your workload, and make files easier to find, by cleaning files using tools like Tidy Up.
More Resources
- TidyUp Tutorial – TidyUp is a tool in Canvas that allows you to identify unused content and remove it in bulk.
What Is Alt Text and Why Should I Include It?
People with vision impairments often use assistive technologies such as screen readers to interact with content on a page. Normally, these technologies literally read out text on a page based on the underlying HTML, but how do you read an image? That’s where alt text comes in. Alt text is a special type of markup used to tell machines what is in a picture. This text can also be displayed on the page when the picture file is unable to be displayed.
Alt text should:
- Describe the important info you are trying to convey with the image
- Be accurate, clear, and concise
- Reflect the function of an image (eg – Next icons, search button)
- Focus on overall information
Remove Unneeded Content Fast with TidyUp
Courses can collect unused files over time that negatively impact accessibility. TidyUp allows you to quickly see which content is actually being used and remove it. You can learn how to use TidyUp by watching this step-by-step tutorial.
Other Accessibility Resources
At the University of Florida, we are dedicated to empowering our faculty with the tools, opportunities, and support needed to excel in their academic and research endeavors. Access key resources that can enhance your work, promote your research, and support your professional growth.
Accessible UF
UF Accessibility has compiled information and resources to aid compliance with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The A11y Project
This non-profit promotes web accessibility best practices. They offer tons of articles, checklists, and courses to help you make online content accessible.
W3C Accessibility Tools List
The W3C is the governing body that controls web standards including the WCAG AA standard for accessibility. They have compiled a list of tools to help evaluate and improve accessibility on websites.
Ally In Canvas Training
This UF IT course explains how to use Ally in Canvas to evaluate accessibility in your online courses.
Helpdesk Resources
Course Accessibility
Get info and resources about improving accessibility in your online courses.
Communications Guide
Access language and a comprehensive guide to ensure consistent, clear messaging in your grant proposals and communications media.
Faculty Resources
Explore faculty resources, including professional development opportunities, UF services, and key College information.
Brand Resources
Explore our brand resources, including logos, templates, and marketing materials, to help you navigate our services with ease.
IT Resources
Information on setting up your internet connection and using UF’s Virtual Private Network (VPN).
Looking for assistance?
Our team is a core unit at the College of Education, dedicated to supporting faculty and staff in achieving their goals. We collaborate directly on grants, projects, and programs, providing expertise and resources to enhance your work.