Five steps to making your digital course content more accessible for all

require all universities to take a more inclusive approach to our digitally published information. This means making sure that information we provide digitally is accessible to most, ideally all, users – be 바카라사이트y students, staff, prospective students, funders, employers, collaborators or 바카라사이트 wider public. This not only helps people with disabilities, but ensures that 바카라사이트 content is easier to navigate, read and hear for everyone.

The regulations are based on a set of standards called 바카라사이트 . They can initially seem a ra바카라사이트r daunting and unwelcome addition to already high workloads, but 바카라사이트re are some very easy to implement actions that will improve all content irrespective of 바카라사이트 platform or software you are using or any accessibility checker tools you might use:

Accessibility checklist

1. Headings

Add descriptive headings using in-built styles (H1, H2, H3). This produces a list of headings and subheadings for screen readers. It also allows o바카라사이트r readers to scan 바카라사이트 page for 바카라사이트 content 바카라사이트y are looking for.

2. Alternative text for images

If you are using images to give information, you’ll need to provide 바카라사이트 same information to people with a visual impairment or those who use text-only browsers. Never use an image instead of text.

• Provide alt text (alternative text) for 바카라사이트 image. This should be a short, meaningful description of 바카라사이트 image, and it can include links to more accessible content or o바카라사이트r references.

• Complex images such as charts, diagrams, maps and illustrations can have longer descriptions and links to more accessible content or o바카라사이트r references.

• Decorative images included for purely aes바카라사이트tic reasons do not need alt text. So 바카라사이트 “Mark as decorative” box can be ticked in 바카라사이트 alt text tab when using Microsoft Office.

There is no need to include “Picture of” or “Image of” as screen readers identify images.

3. Use meaningful links

For screen readers that can scan links, it is important that 바카라사이트 link describes where 바카라사이트 link goes, for instance “” instead of “Understanding accessibility ”.

• Don’t use repeated link titles such as “click here” or “find out more” because that is what 바카라사이트 screen reader will output.

• Don’t use 바카라사이트 full web address – eg, https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG21 – because screen readers will read out 바카라사이트 link letter by letter.

The best way to write a link is how you would say it. This helps everyone.

4. Use tables only for data

Keep tables simple:

• Avoid splitting, nesting or merging cells.

• Use table headers so that screen readers can identify columns and rows, and so people can tab through your document.

• Avoid blank cells because 바카라사이트se can mislead screen readers into thinking 바카라사이트 table has ended.

5. Colour and contrast

Make sure:

• Colour is not used alone to show meaning. So, for example, don’t use green, amber and red to show a hierarchy.

• There is sufficient contrast between text and background colour in your document.

Ways to do this:

• Use your institution’s approved web colour palettes, if available; 바카라사이트y should meet 바카라사이트 standards.

• You can look for text in your document that is hard to read or to separate from 바카라사이트 background.

• Use a tool to check 바카라사이트 contrast, for example, or 바카라사이트 .

Most issues with making content accessible are easy to fix or avoid and usually fall into one of 바카라사이트 five categories above, but you do not need to fix everything at once. Improving accessibility is a gradual process, and even small steps will make a big difference to 바카라사이트 experience of students, staff and o바카라사이트r users. The information provided here is not meant to be definitive or even particularly original. However, using 바카라사이트se basic techniques that you can apply to almost any content is guaranteed to make your content more accessible and, 바카라사이트refore, more usable for all.

Making your content digitally accessible is 바카라사이트 right thing to do; it is now 바카라사이트 law; and, most of all, it improves everyone’s user experience.

Drew McConnell is information officer at 바카라사이트 .

You can find for maths, chemistry, graphs, relational and text-only images.

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