Course Accessibility Checklist

• Include the accessibility statement (the Accommodating Disabilities SSI) in the Policy section.
• Identify course requirements and deadlines, including group work, timed exams, and proctoring information.
• Identify all required materials.

Penn State Policy AD69 Links to an external site.

Providing information about accommodations for people with disabilities is Penn State policy.

Students will sometimes opt out of a course that uses certain types of technologies or that has proctored exams.

• Write alt text that is a short, meaningful, learning-related description of an image, ideally 125 characters or fewer.
• Use an empty alt attribute ( alt="" with no space) for a decorative image.
• Use a long description for complex images if the page text does not provide enough information.
• Images should be of a high enough quality that magnifying them creates minimal distortion.
• Do not use an image of text; use text instead.

Guideline 1.1.1: Text Alternatives Links to an external site.

Guideline 1.4.5: Images of Text Links to an external site.

Image alt text will appear if an image fails to load on the page.

Screen-reader users will hear the alt text, which needs to be short because it doesn't involve the navigation options that page text does.

Replace images of text, tables, lists, or math with accessible, text-based content.

• Make sure all course videos have accurate captions.
• If videos include visual information that conveys meaning, provide an audio description track.
• Set video players so that they don't play automatically.

Guideline 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded) Links to an external site.

Guideline 1.2.5: Audio Description Links to an external site.

Guideline 1.4.2: Audio Control Links to an external site.

Refer to the Penn State Captioning Decision Tree Links to an external site. for details on Penn State's policy on the subject.

• Provide a transcript.
• Set audio players so that they don't play automatically.

Guideline 1.2.1: Audio Only and Video Only (Prerecorded) Links to an external site.

Guideline 1.4.2: Audio Control Links to an external site.

• Ensure that color is not the sole method of conveying information.
• The minimum color contrast ratio between the background and paragraph text is 4.5:1, but higher contrast is better. (Black text on a white background has a 21:1 ratio.)
• The minimum color contrast ratio between the background and 18-point (or larger) fonts, or between the background and boldface 14-point fonts, is 3:1.
• The minimum color contrast ratio between elements in graphics and images is 3:1.

Guideline 1.4.1: Use of Color Links to an external site.

The WebAIM color contrast checker Links to an external site. is an item that you can add to your browser to check the contrast on any page or element.

• Use headings to break up page content and provide a visual outline of the page.
• Mark up headings with heading tags in order down to <h6>.
• Use descriptive heading text to aid usability and readability. 

Guideline 1.3.1: Info and Relationships Links to an external site.

Guideline 2.4.6: Headings and Labels Links to an external site.

• Use list markup for list content to aid readability.
• Use unordered lists for content that does not need to be in any particular order.
• Use ordered lists for content that needs a particular order, such as the steps in a process.
• Use description lists for terms and definitions. 

• Use meaningful link text that makes sense out of context, such as the title of the page, article, or video being linked.
• Put the most descriptive word first.
• Do not use the URL as link text.
• Do not use non-descriptive text, such as "here," "click here," or "read more" as link text.

Guideline 2.4.4: Link Purpose Links to an external site.

Screen-reader users can view a list of links outside the context of the page.

• Use table headers (<th> tags) to identify row and column headers and specify the scope (scope="col" or scope="row").
• Use a caption to display the table title.
• Use simple tables that don't have multiple heading levels or merged cells.

Guideline 1.3.1: Info and Relationships: Table Markup Links to an external site.

A complex table can be broken down into two or more simple tables that are easier for everyone to understand.

• Instructions for understanding and operating content should not rely on the shape, color, size, or location of an element.

Guideline 1.3.3: Sensory Characteristics Links to an external site.

• Follow our House Style Guide Links to an external site. for text formatting practices.
• Use language tags for text written in a foreign language.
• Use color boxes and other visual styles to add visual interest, but do not use them in place of good heading structure.
• Left-justify longer sections of text rather than centering or right-justifying.
• Avoid underlining or using all caps.

Guideline 1.3.1: Using Semantic Markup to Mark Emphasized or Special Text Links to an external site.

Links to an external site.Guideline 1.4.8: Visual Presentation (AAA) Links to an external site.

Guideline 3.1.2: Language of Parts Links to an external site.

Screen readers ignore visual styling of fonts and color boxes, which, while they can enhance good page structure and clear writing, cannot replace them.

When non-English language is marked up properly, a screen reader will pronounce it correctly.

• Use math symbols for simple math content in Evolution and Canvas.
• In Evolution, use MathML for complex math content.
• In Canvas, use the Math Editor in the Rich Content Editor (RCE) for complex math content.

Guideline 1.3: Adaptable Links to an external site.

Correctly formatted math content can be read by a screen reader, enlarged, and copy-and-pasted.

• Make sure interactive elements work with a keyboard, screen readers, and magnification and that all content shows when the page is printed.
• Elements must be presented in an understandable order for those reading using assistive technologies.
• Provide an alternate text-based version if these recommendations are impossible to implement.
• Use approved tools to create interactive elements (Evolution Snippets, H5P, Rise, etc.).

Guideline 1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence Links to an external site.

Guideline 2.1: Keyboard Accessible Links to an external site.

Guideline 2.2: Enough Time Links to an external site.

Work with an accessibility consultant in the design phase to avoid repeated work later.

• All course documents should be real text free of markings and highlights.
• Provide PDFs that are real text and not scanned images of text.
• Word documents and PowerPoint files should have correctly styled headings, lists, and tables, with images properly described. 

• When possible, choose a textbook that comes in different formats.
• Verify the accessibility of an interactive online textbook before using it.

• Use course tools that have gone through the correct approval channels for risk and accessibility.
• Do not require that students use inaccessible technology to complete course assignments. Instead, provide options and allow students to use their tool of choice when appropriate.
• Ensure that an Alternative Access Plan is available for any courseware that is not fully accessible.

• Be thoughtful about adding optional content because if there is a need for accommodation, we will need to make that content accessible as well.