Digital Accessibility

What is SensusAccess? 

SensusAccess is an automated document conversion tool that is usable by both students and faculty. It can convert files into a range of different formats including: 

• MP3 files
• E-books
• BeeLine Reader
• Digital Braille books
• Structured audio books in DAISY and e-books with media overlay 

SensusAccess is a useful tool for improving PDF accessibility, as it can perform optical character recognition (OCR) on a PDF, making text within the document selectable, and thus readable by a screen reader. (Note: This is the first step towards improving PDF accessibility, not the last, files may still require custom tagging and/or read order modification).

SensusAccess can be accessed either directly within your Canvas shell (in the Files or Module view) or via this webform. The latter allows for the conversion of files not uploaded to Canvas while the former allows you to modify files directly within your shell.

Converting PDFs within SensusAccess 

1. Navigate to the Files or Module view in your shell and find a PDF to process.​

2. Click on the "S" icon next to the PDF. 

   

3. Under Conversion type, select Accessibility Conversion.

4. For Conversion parameters choose Tagged PDF – Image over Text.

   

5. Download the converted file and replace the original document in Canvas with the more accessible version. 

For a quick video walkthrough of the tool, refer to the following:

SensusAccess Inside Canvas for Instructors

Ally is an integrated accessibility tool in Canvas designed to provide faculty both immediate feedback on the accessibility of their course materials as well as step-by-step instructions on how to remediate issues like missing alt text, unformatted tables, or untagged PDFs. Ally provides an Accessibility Course Report which includes an overall score as well as a list of issues to be remediated, each of which is ranked by severity through color-coded "dials" (red, orange, or green).

To access your Report, click on the Ally Accessibility Report on the left-hand menu of your Canvas shell.

If it’s not listed, click on Settings within Canvas then choose Navigation and drag it up from the hidden items.

Your Ally dashboard contains:

• Your Canvas accessibility score & content breakdown
• Suggested fixes based on severity
• A list of issues for correction.

Ally dashboard view:

File/Module view:

Important Ally Tips

Ally scans ALL files within your Canvas shell, even unpublished or archived materials. To improve your Ally score, rather than storing unused/old files, use Canvas Commons as a cloud backup or download local copies. In some cases, Ally works better as a guide for locating inaccessible files than as a tool for remediation. It can be better to fix issues at a Canvas level than within Ally itself. However, when using Ally in Canvas, it is important to distinguish between transient fixes (that Ally stores in its own database) and permanent fixes (that are written into the Canvas code or the file itself). 

Using Ally to Remediate Content

What Ally changes “stick” in Canvas? Fixes Ally makes within the Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) by clicking the Ally dial are preserved. These include:

• Alt-text added to images in a Canvas Page, Assignment, or Discussion
• Fixing "Table missing headers" errors on a Canvas Page
• Contrast issues in a Canvas Page

What changes don’t “stick?”

• Alt text added to images via the Files tab. According to Anthology, alt-text added via the Course Accessibility Report (accessed via the Dashboard) should carry forward upon course copy. To ensure it does, we recommend adding alt-text via the Canvas RCE (via Pages) rather than relying on Ally itself.

Example scenarios:

1. You click on your Ally Accessibility Report and see that an image is missing alt-text. You click on the file in the Accessibility Report and add alt-text.

Result: The alt text is added but is not saved in Canvas. The change may not be preserved next quarter.

2. You are browsing your File directory in Canvas and click on the Ally dial icon to add alt-text to an image.

Result: The alt text is added but is not saved in Canvas. The change is not persevered next quarter.

3. You are reviewing a Canvas Page and click on the Ally dial icon on an image. You then add alt-text to the image.

Result: Ally adds the alt text via HTML to the Page in Canvas. The change is preserved.

Accessibility checkers are useful automated tools designed to identify and help remediate digital barriers in your course content. While they are highly effective at catching "binary" issues (like whether an image has alt-text or if a table has a header), they cannot judge the quality of your content. A checker can confirm that an image has a description, but it cannot tell if that description is meaningful. Therefore, these tools are best used as a starting point for accessibility, rather than as a final check.

The Canvas RCE Accessibility Checker

Located directly within the Rich Content Editor (RCE) at the bottom-right (indicated by a small person in a circle icon), this tool scans any content created natively in Canvas, such as Pages, Assignments, and Discussions. 

The Canvas RCE Accessibility Checker offers the following features: 

• Instant Remediation: It detects issues like poor color contrast, missing table headers, and improper heading levels.
• Interactive Guidance: When it finds an error, it doesn't just flag it—it opens a dialogue box that allows you to fix the issue on the spot (e.g., typing in alt-text or selecting a new text color) and applies the change instantly to your pag

The Microsoft Accessibility Checker

Available in the Review tab of Word, PowerPoint, and Excel (both Desktop and Office 365 web versions), this tool is the standard for remediating documents before they are uploaded to Canvas. The Accessibility Checker categorizes findings into Errors (content that is impossible for some to read), Warnings (content that is difficult to read), and Tips (suggestions for a better user experience).

The Microsoft Accessibility Checker can identify and help correct the following types of issues in Office 365 documents:

• Missing alt-text on images, shapes, and charts. The Checker provides a text field to add descriptions or to “mark as decorative.”
• Insufficient Color Contrast: Flags text that is too close in color to its background, making it hard for users with low vision to read. It often provides a color picker to select a compliant alternative.
• Headings (Word): Detects if a document lacks a logical heading structure or if levels are skipped (e.g., going from Heading 1 to Heading 3). It suggests applying built-in Styles to fix this.
• Slide Titles (PowerPoint): Identifies slides that are missing titles or have duplicate titles. This is critical for screen reader users who use titles to navigate the presentation.
• Reading Order (PowerPoint): Flags slides where the order in which objects are read by a screen reader might be confusing. The "Recommended Action" allows you to reorder elements in the Selection Pane.
• Missing Header Rows: Identifies tables where a header row hasn't been programmatically defined. It provides a one-click fix to designate the first row as the header.
• Complex Table Structures: Flags merged, split, or nested cells. Remediation typically involves simplifying the table into a standard grid to ensure screen readers can track data accurately.
• Blank Cells/Rows (Excel): In spreadsheets, it identifies unexpected blank rows or columns that might cause a screen reader to think the data has ended prematurely.
• Hyperlinks: Flags "raw" URLs (e.g., https://...) or generic link text (e.g., "Click here") and prompts you to add meaningful display text.

However, the Microsoft Accessibility Checker does not flag some errors that Ally does, this can result in documents receiving a low accessibility score in Canvas. Some issues that it does not detect include:

• Missing Headers on Word documents: this is a common and known issue in Word that needs to be manually corrected. All documents require a title (Header 1) or will be flagged by Ally.
• Alt-text quality: the Accessibility Checker can tell if your alt-text is present, but not if it is helpful or accurate.
• Meaning Conveyed by Color Only: It may miss instances where color is the only way information is conveyed (e.g., "Items in red are overdue") if the contrast itself is technically sufficient.
• Audio/Video Content: It can flag missing captions in PowerPoint, but it cannot generate or edit the captions for you.

Word is one of the most common sources for course files. If a Word document is created with accessibility from the jump, it ensures:

• Compatibility with Assistive Technology
• Ease of remediation if needed
• More accessible PDFs
• Compliance with institutional and legal requirements
• Improvements to your Ally Accessibility Score in Canvas

Below are common accessibility issues in Word and steps to correct them. Due to the shared interface experience across Office 365, many of these issues/solutions are also applicable to other Microsoft products such as PowerPoint.

Headers

Headers provide structure for screen readers and help all students navigate content more quickly and easily. How do you know if a Word document has Headers? Click on View in the ribbon bar and then select Navigation Pane to find out. If your document has Headers, you should see the navigation structure of the document like this:

If the pane is blank, then it is time to add Headers to your document.

1. Begin by clicking on Home in the ribbon and then choose Styles. You will see a range of Heading options displayed.

2. Select the title of the document and choose Heading 1. Only use Heading 1 once in a document. For section titles choose Heading 2 and for sub-section titles choose Heading 3 and so on.​

3. It is important not to skip Heading levels. That means that you shouldn’t jump from Heading 1 to Heading 3 or vice versa. Instead, documents should progress in a logical numerical order (either increasing or decreasing in scale), such as: Heading 1 to Heading 2 to Heading 3, and back to Heading 2, etc.

4. Each Header should be on its own line to ensure clarity.

Tip: Headings have pre-set default font/color formats. You can modify these by selecting Styles then choosing Create a Style and Modify. Change the font, size, color, etc. to meet your preference. Once done, check New documents based on this template so that your new Header style appears in future documents.

For an example of why Headers matter, see the following image. The document on the left has no Headers and has only been formatted through spaces and bold text. Without Headers, screen readers see the document on the right, stripped of formatting and presented as a wall of text. This is not an accessible document.

Alt-text

Alt-text enables users of assistive technology (screen readers, braille displays, text-to-speech tools, etc.) to access the meaning conveyed by images, graphs, and shapes in your course. Without alt-text describing their significance, students lack access to these key learning materials.

Adding Alt-text

1. Run the Microsoft Accessibility Checker to identify missing alt-text on images and graphics.
2. Enter alt-text within the text field provided or right-click on the image itself and choose View Alt-text.

Tips for Writing Alt-text

Consider the “Three C’s” when writing alt-text. These are: 

1. Context: Why is this image here? A photo of a "maple leaf" in a biology course needs a description of its vein structure, whereas in a political science course, it might simply be identified as the symbol on the Canadian flag.
2. Conciseness: Aim for 100–125 characters (roughly 1-2 short sentences). Screen readers can be cumbersome to navigate if alt-text is too long. If you need more space, use a "Long Description.”
3. Content: Describe the information the image conveys, not its physical appearance. A description stating, "Graph with a red line going up” provides less useful information than one which says, "Line graph showing a 20% increase in enrollment between 2020 and 2024."

For STEM (and other complex) visuals, you can apply a two-part approach: 

1. Short alt-text descriptions for images/graphs. 
   Example: “Flowchart of the Krebs Cycle highlighting the production of ATP.”
2. Long Description: Provide detailed data in the surrounding text or in a linked document. 

Other types of content:

• For bar or pie charts, provide the raw data in a table format to ensure accessibility.  
• Maps: Describe the specific geographic relationships or data being mapped (e.g., "Map of Europe in 1914 showing the Triple Entente in blue and Central Powers in red").
• Portraits/Bios: For faculty or historical figures, it is appropriate to say, "Portrait of [Name]." Only describe physical features (clothing, setting) if they are relevant to the person's role or the lesson.
• Test/Quiz Questions: Avoid "spoiling" the answer. If a student must identify a shape, describe its properties without naming it. Example: "An image of a three-sided polygon with one 90-degree angle." (Instead of "A right triangle.")'

Alt-text "To Do's"

• Skip "Image of": Screen readers already announce "Image" or "Graphic." Starting with these phrases is redundant and wastes the user's time.
• Punctuation Matters: End your alt text with a period. This tells the screen reader to pause slightly before moving on to the next section of text, which improves comprehension.

Contrast Issues

Beyond meeting the accessibility needs of students with visual disabilities, providing proper contrast also ensures that course materials remain readable in diverse environments, such as on a mobile device in bright sunlight or on a projector in a dimly lit lecture hall. In addition, high contrast reduces eye strain and cognitive load, supporting better focus and comprehension for all learners. Academic institutions typically aim for WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. These are measured as a ratio of the brightness of the foreground (text) to the background:

To ensure that your documents are inclusive, mind the following guidelines: 

• Stick to the Automatic Font Color: In Microsoft Word, using the Automatic setting for font color is the best practice. It ensures that if a student uses High Contrast Mode on their computer, the text will intelligently invert (e.g., black becomes white) to maintain readability.
• Avoid "Vibrant" Combinations: Never use red on green, yellow on white, or light blue on white. These combinations are notorious for failing contrast checks and are often invisible to those with color-vision deficiencies.
• Don’t Rely on Color Alone: If you use color to convey meaning (e.g., "all items in red are overdue"), you must provide a second indicator, such a text label like “Overdue.”
• Use the Accessibility Checker: Before uploading a document to Canvas or email, go to the Review tab and select Check Accessibility. Microsoft’s built-in tool will flag Hard-to-read text contrast and suggest accessible color alternatives.
• Mind Your Backgrounds: Avoid placing text over images, watermarks, or gradients. If you must use an image background, place a solid-color "text box" behind the writing to create a stable, high-contrast surface.

Contrast Issues in Graphics/Images

Contrast issues can also affect images, graphs, and illustrations. Refer to the following guidelines to reduce this accessibility issue. 

1. Try to avoid “scans of scans” when possible, to avoid image degradation (often an issue in PDFs). If an original version of the image/graph is available, use that instead.
2. For charts, use vector graphics (SVG or high-quality PNGs) rather than compressed JPEGs.
3. For images that cannot be improved (e.g. historical photos), provide a text summary below the image.
4. Avoid text in images whenever possible.
5. Use high-contrast color palettes when using images/diagrams against backgrounds.

WebAIM provides a free online color contrast checker if you are unsure if your document is accessible.

Tables

Creating accessible tables in Word (and other applications) is primarily about ensuring a screen reader can predict the "path" of the data. Assistive technology reads tables from left-to-right, top-to-bottom; if you break that flow with merged cells or complex layouts, the student can lose the context of the data. 

When creating accessible tables, a few “Golden Rules” should be kept in mind: 

• Use Tables for Data, Not Layout: Never use a table to create "columns" or to position text on a page. Use the “Columns” tool in the Layout tab instead.
• Keep it Simple: Avoid nesting tables (a table inside a table) or splitting cells. If a table feels too complex, it is almost always better to break it into two smaller, simpler tables.
• No Merged Cells: Merged cells are the #1 reason tables fail accessibility checks. They "blind" the screen reader to the logical relationship between a header and its data.

Making Tables Accessible

1. Designate the Header Row (Two Locations Required) 
   
   To fully "lock in" a header row so it survives exports to PDF or Canvas, you must set it in two places:

• Select the table and click the Table Design tab. Then check the Header Row box.
• Right-click the table, then choose Table Properties. Next click on the Row tab and check Repeat as header row at the top of each page. Next uncheck Allow row to break across pages.

If you don’t perform these two steps, although your table will pass the Microsoft Accessibility Check, it will display a lack of table headers when scanned by Ally. 

2. Avoid Blank Cells 

Screen readers may interpret a blank cell as the "end" of the table. If a cell has no data, type N/A, None, or No Data within. 

3. Add Alt-text 

Right-click the table then choose Table Properties and select the Alt Text tab. Provide a one-sentence summary of what the table shows (e.g., "A table comparing 2024 and 2025 enrollment trends by department"). 

4. Add a Caption 

Right click on the cross icon on the upper-left corner of the table then select Insert Caption. This provides a visible title for the table, which helps all students navigate the document.

Descriptive URLS

When a URL is left as a raw string of characters, a screen reader will announce every single letter, slash, and dash, which is both confusing and time-consuming for the learner. Keep the following in mind when adding a URL into a Word document, PowerPoint, or email: Contextual Clarity: 

• Descriptive link text (the words that replace the URL) tells a student exactly where they are going before they click. For example, "Download the 2026 Biology Syllabus" is much more useful than "Click Here."
• Short Links: Short links such as spscc.edu) can be used in addition to descriptive links, especially in materials that may be provided in both digital and printed forms.
• Screen Reader Navigation: Many screen reader users pull up a "Links List" to quickly scan a document. If every link in that list says "Click Here" or is a long string of random characters, the student has no way to distinguish between them.
• Visual Scannability: Even for students without disabilities, descriptive links make it easier to skim a document and find resources quickly.

PowerPoint presentations are widely used in the classroom, but they can also create accessibility barriers if not designed carefully. Common issues include missing slide titles, poor reading order, low color contrast, inaccessible charts, and images without alt-text. These problems can make content difficult for students to navigate when relying on screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions, or other assistive technologies. Use the following guidelines to improve PowerPoint accessibility when creating presentations.

Use Built-In Slide Layouts 

• To eliminate most navigational accessibility issues, always use a built-in slide layout in PowerPoint.
• Do not add manually placed text boxes—they often interrupt correct reading order and confuse screen readers.
• Be sure to use consistent and correct Heading order.

Create Unique Slide Titles 

• Every single slide must have a unique, descriptive title. Screen readers use these titles to generate a "table of contents" for the student.
• Avoid using “Continued” for several slides, instead use unique identifiers like: “Cellular Biology (1 of 3)” or “Cellular Biology: Overview.” 

Avoid Reading Order Barriers 

PowerPoint remembers the order you added content, not where you placed it. As a result, a screen reader may read the bottom of your slide before the top. 

The Fix: 

1. On the Desktop version of PowerPoint (the web version lacks this functionality), click on Home, then Arrange, and Selection Pane.
2. The Selection Pane lists items in reverse order. The item at the very bottom of the list is read first. Drag and drop items until the sequence makes logical sense from bottom to top.

Prevent Text Visibility Issues 

Text placed in "floating" text boxes (manually placed) often disappears when a document is converted to other formats (like a text-only file). 

The Fix: 

1. Switch to View and select Outline View.
2. If your slide text does not appear in the outline on the left, it likely won't be read by a screen reader. Stick to the built-in Slide Layouts (Title and Content, Two Content, etc.) rather than drawing custom text boxes to ensure text remains in the outline. 

Accessible Visuals & Media 

All PowerPoint documents require the following for visual accessibility: 

• Alt-text for images/diagrams, etc.
• Accessible color contrast
• Captions/Transcripts for Embedded Media
• Descriptive URLs
• Headers for Tables (select Header Row in the Table Design tab. 

Refer to the section on Word accessibility for more detail on these topics.

Poor structure, missing headers, and inaccessible charts can create barriers in Excel documents for users using assistive technologies. Without proper structure, a screen reader user will hear a confusing "grid" of coordinates (e.g., "Cell C14, 85%") without knowing what those numbers represent. Designing clear, well-labeled, and organized spreadsheets helps ensure equitable access for all. 

Follow the guidelines below to improve accessibility in your Excel documents. 

Creating Accessible Sheets 

Begin at “A1”: Screen readers start at the very first cell of the first sheet. If A1 is blank or contains a random value, the student is immediately lost. 

• The Fix: Always use cell A1 for the Worksheet Title or a brief summary of the data (e.g., "Student Grade Tracker for Biology 101"). If you have multiple tables on one sheet, use A1 to list how many tables are present and where they start (e.g., "Table 1 starts at A3, Table 2 starts at H3"). 

Define the Used Range: Screen readers often interpret a blank row or column as the "end" of the document. This can cause users to miss information within sheets. 

• The Fix: Limit the spreadsheet to only the area containing real data. Select rows below your last row of content, then right click and choose Delete. Select all columns to the right of your last column of content and do the same. If there are empty cells remaining, use "N/A," “No Data” or "0" instead of leaving cells empty.

Use Tab Names for Navigation: Default names like "Sheet1" and "Sheet2" provide zero context and are flagged as "Errors" by Ally.

• The Fix: Double-click the tab at the bottom and give it a unique, descriptive name (e.g., "Q1_Raw_Data" or "Final_Grades"). To promote ease of navigation, delete any blank or unused sheets in the workbook. If a screen reader detects a blank sheet, the user may think the document is broken or empty.

Proper Cell Formatting 

Define Tables (The Ctrl+T Rule): To a screen reader, a "range" of cells is just a bunch of boxes. You must tell Excel that your data is a Table so it can associate headers with data points. 

• The Fix: Highlight your data and press Ctrl + T. Be sure to check My table has headers. This will ensure that screen readers will announce the header before the value (e.g. “Score: 90%” rather than “90%”). 

Avoid “Roadblocks” (Merged and Blank Cells): A common accessibility failure in Excel is the use of merged cells for visual styling as a screen reader may skip over merged cells or get stuck in a loop. 

• The Fix: Never merge cells. If you need a title to look centered over multiple columns, use "Center Across Selection." You can access this by right-clicking on the desired cells, then choosing Format Cells, then Alignment, Horizontal and Center Across Selection instead of "Merge & Center" (only available in the desktop version of Excel).

Accessible Visuals & Media 

All Excel documents also require the following for visual accessibility: 

• Alt-text for images/diagrams, etc.
• Accessible color contrast
• Descriptive URLs

Refer to the section on Word accessibility for more detail on these topics.

Captions and Transcripts 

 Captions and transcripts are essential for making video and audio content accessible, particularly for Deaf and hard-of-hearing students, as well as students who benefit from reading along or reviewing content in text form. Providing accurate, well-timed captions and clear transcripts ensures equitable access, supports diverse learning needs, and helps institutions meet legal and accessibility standards. 

The guidelines below provide instructions on how best to create captions (text synchronized with video) in Panopto and YouTube—the two video platforms common in the classroom—as well as for generating transcripts (standalone text versions of audio) for online class meetings. 

Creating Captions in Panopto and YouTube 

Panopto: Mastering Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR): Panopto is a common tool for processing for lecture capture. Since it is integrated into Canvas, it also allows for easy sharing and modifying of videos within the same browser window. While it generates automatic captions, they typically hover around 70–80% accuracy, which is not ADA compliant. 

Consider automatic captions as the first draft of a document that requires human attention to revise. 

The Fix: Editing Panopto Captions 

1. Record and upload your video. Once processed, click Edit (the pencil icon).
2. In the left-hand menu, click Captions. Select the Import captions dropdown and choose Import automatic captions.
3. Click directly into the caption blocks to edit the text. Fix "science-heavy" terms, acronyms, and proper names (e.g., changing "my toe sis" to "mitosis").
4. Use Shift + Enter to create line breaks so that no more than two lines of text appear at once. Ensure each caption stays on screen for 3–7 seconds.
5. Click Apply in the top right to save the changes. 

YouTube: Cleaning Up YouTube Captions: YouTube’s "Auto-generated" captions often lack punctuation and capitalization, making them exhausting to read. 

The Fix: The "Duplicate and Edit" Method 

1. Go to YouTube Studio, log into your account and click Content on the left menu. Select the video title you want to edit and click on Subtitles.
2. Find the track labeled English (Automatic). Click Duplicate and Edit.
3. A text box will open allowing you to edit the caption text. Correct spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and technical term errors.
4. Click Edit Timings. YouTube will automatically re-align your cleaned text to the audio. Ensure captions are synced with spoken audio, break lines naturally, and are no more than two lines at once.
5. If multiple people are speaking, add tags like [Instructor]: or [Student]: at the beginning of their lines.
6. Include non-speech audio when relevant. For example, tags like [music], [applause], or [video starts] may provide meaningful context for viewers.
7. Click Publish to replace the automatic version. 

Creating Audio-Only Transcriptions 

For podcasts or audio recordings, a transcript is the only way to ensure access for students who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Aside from AI transcription tools like Otter.ai, you can also use the web-based version of Microsoft Word (Office 365) to transcribe audio. 

Transcripts should always be provided alongside audio-only recordings. 

Microsoft Word (Web Version): 

1. Open Word in a browser (Office 365).
2. Click the dropdown next to Dictate on the ribbon and select Transcribe.
3. Upload your MP3. Word will generate a transcript with timestamps and speaker labels.
4. Click Add to Document to save the final version. 

Note: This functionality is not available in the desktop version of Word.

PDFs are often the most significant accessibility barrier in the classroom. Unlike "live" text on a website, a PDF is a fixed-layout format. If it isn't properly tagged—a hidden layer of metadata that identifies headings, paragraphs, and reading order—it is essentially an invisible "image" to a screen reader. 

The first rule of PDFs is “Does this document need to be a PDF?” If the file is available in a more accessible format (such as a Word or Google doc), consider using that instead, or creating HTML version of the document in the Canvas Real Content Environment instead. Both options are more accessible than PDFs and much easier to remediate. 

Why PDFs Remain a Challenge 

• The "Digital Picture" Problem: Many older PDFs are just photocopies saved as files. Without OCR (Optical Character Recognition), there is no selectable text, rendering the document 100% inaccessible to students who are blind or have low vision.
• Tagging Gaps: Even if the text is selectable, a "tagless" PDF lacks structure. A screen reader won't know the difference between a main title and a footnote, often reading them out of order.
• Complex Layouts: Multi-column articles, tables with merged cells, and complex diagrams often result in a "jumbled" reading experience where the software jumps randomly across the page.

 Best Practices for New PDF Files 

The most effective way to create an accessible PDF is to not start in a PDF editor. Build your document in Word or PowerPoint using proper Heading styles, alt-text for images, and Table Headers. 

• Export, Don't Print: Use "Save As PDF" or "Export to PDF." Never use "Print to PDF," as this "flattens" the document and strips away all the accessibility tags you just built.
• Set the Language: Ensure the document's primary language is set (e.g., English) so screen readers use the correct pronunciation. 

Improving Accessibility in Older PDFs 

If you don't have the original Word file, you must use outside tools to improve accessibility in your PDF documents. 

The easiest first choice is to use SensusAccess to perform an accessibility conversion on your PDF files; this will “scan” the document and allow users of assistive technology to access text in the document. 

This represents the bare minimum of remediation—every PDF must be OCR’d to meet accessibility requirements. 

PDF editing suites like Adobe Acrobat Pro can also scan and OCR documents. Advanced remediation, including fixes such as creating and modifying tags, changing reading order, fixing table Headers, etc., requires the use of such programs.

Using Acrobat Pro to Remediate PDFs

Remediating a PDF is often the most time-consuming task in digital accessibility. Unlike a Word document, which has a linear structure, a PDF is essentially a "digital print" that requires a hidden layer called a Tag Tree to communicate with assistive technology. 

To improve accessibility on a PDF file within Acrobat Pro, refer to the following process

PDF Remediation Workflow 

1. Run the Accessibility Check: Before making any changes, let the software find the obvious errors.
   1. Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro.
   2. Go to the Tools pane and click View More. Select Prepare for Accessibility.
   3. Click Check for Accessibility.
   4. Review the report in the right-hand sidebar. Items with a red X must be fixed; items with a blue question mark (like "Logical Reading Order") require a manual human check.
2. Autotag the Document: If the report says the document is not tagged, complete the following:
   1. Under the Prepare for Accessibility toolset, select Automatically tag PDF.
   2. Acrobat will attempt to guess what is a heading, what is a paragraph, and what is a table. (Note: This is rarely 100% accurate, but it creates the "skeleton" you will fix in the next steps).
3. Fix the Tag Tree: The Tag Tree is the most important part of accessibility.
   1. Open the Tags Pane (icon looks like a small price tag on the right sidebar).
   2. Expand the tags (usually labeled <P>, <H1>, <L>). Click through them. As you click a tag, Acrobat will highlight the corresponding text on the page. Ensure every piece of meaningful text is tagged correctly and in the order it should be read.
4. Set Alternative Text for Images: Every image/graphic in the PDF requires alt-text to support accessible technologies.
   1. In the Accessibility toolset, select Add Alternate Text.
   2. Acrobat will cycle through every image in the PDF.
   3. Type a pedagogical description in the box. If the image is purely decorative (like a border), check the Decorative Figure box.
5. Remediate Tables: Tables are one of the most common sources of "Red X's" in the accessibility report.
   1. In the Tags pane, find the <Table> tag.
   2. Ensure there is a <TR> (Table Row) for every row and a <TH> (Table Header) for the header cells.

Correcting the Reading Order: 

Checking and correcting the reading order is the most critical part of PDF remediation, as it ensures a screen reader doesn't jump from the header straight to the footer or read multi-column text out of order.

In Acrobat Pro, there are two ways to do this: the Reading Order Tool (visual) and the Tags Pane (hierarchical).

Method 1: Using the Reading Order Tool: This is best for a quick scan of the page layout to see if Acrobat "sees" the content in the right sequence.

1. Click on the Reading Order Tool (it looks like a "Z" made of connected boxes) on the right side-bar.
2. You will see numbered boxes appear over your content (1, 2, 3...). This is the sequence the screen reader will follow. In addition, a Reading Order side-bar box will appear. It lists all the objects on the current page.
3. Click and drag the items in this list to move them up or down. As you move them, the numbers on the page will update.
4. If a piece of text doesn't have a box/number, highlight it with your mouse and click the appropriate button in the dialog box (e.g., "Text" or "Heading 1").

Method 2: Using the Tags Pane: While the visual tool is helpful, the Tags Pane is what a screen reader actually reads. If the numbers in the visual tool look right but the Tags Pane is wrong, the screen reader will still fail.

1. Open the Tags Pane on the right-hand sidebar.
2. Click the plus signs to expand the Tree and see the individual tags (<P>, <H1>, <Figure>, etc.).
3. Click on the top tag and use your Down Arrow key to move through the tree.
4. As you arrow down, Acrobat will highlight the corresponding content on the page with a blue box.
5. If you see the highlight jump out of order (e.g., jumping from the title to the page number at the bottom), click and hold the tag that is out of place.
6. Drag and drop it into the correct position in the list. (Note: Be careful to drop it between tags, not inside another tag).

Email is a primary means of communication for faculty, staff, and students. For a student with a disability, a non-accessible email isn't just a minor annoyance—it can mean missing a financial aid deadline, failing to find a classroom, or being unable to read a revised syllabus.

Accessible email ensures that everyone—including those using screen readers, magnifiers, or navigating via keyboard—has equal access to institutional information.

Common Email Accessibility Problems 

These five issues are the most frequent barriers to accessible email communication:

1. The "Image-Only" Flyer: Departments often send a single JPG or PNG of an event poster. For a blind student, this email is completely blank.
2. Vague Hyperlinks: Using "Click here" or "Read more" provides no context. Screen reader users often pull up a "Links List" to scan a document; a list of ten "Click here" is impossible to navigate.  
3. Lack of Hierarchy: Sending "walls of text" without headings makes it impossible for students with ADHD or visual impairments to scan for the information they need (like the "Action Item").
4. Poor Color Contrast: Using school colors (like a light gold on a white background) for important links or deadlines can make them invisible to users with low vision or color blindness.
5. Inaccessible Attachments: Attaching a scanned PDF that hasn't been "OCRed" (made into selectable text) means the student cannot read the very document the email was meant to deliver. 

Crafting Accessible Communication 

To move toward a more inclusive campus, adopt these key steps for every institutional email.

1. Structure: Use "Real" Headings

   Do not just bold or enlarge your text to create a title. Use Heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2) in Outlook or Gmail. This allows screen readers users to jump from heading to heading to find the relevant section of an email.  

   Tip: If you are sending a weekly campus newsletter, make each department's update a Heading 2.

2. Visuals: The "Poster + Text" Rule

   If you must use a flyer, you must provide the "Who, What, When, Where" in plain text within the body of the email.

   • Alt-text: Every image (logos, icons, photos) must have descriptive and concise Alt Text. Avoid descriptions like "Logo.png" and instead provide something like "Community College Department of Financial Aid Logo."
   • Decorative: If an image is just a border or a "swirl," mark it as Decorative or leave the Alt-text blank ("") so the screen reader ignores it.

3. Hyperlinks: Be Descriptive

   Ensure the link describes the destination.

   • Bad: "To register for the 2026 Graduation Ceremony, [click here]."
   • Good: "[Register for the 2026 Graduation Ceremony]."
   • Tip: If you are linking to a file, include the file type in the link: "[Download the Spring 2026 Lab Schedule (PDF)]." This allows users of screen readers to predict whether the link leads to a file or a separate website.
4. Text: Keep it Readable
   • Font Choice: Stick to Sans-Serif fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Verdana. They are easier for students with dyslexia and low vision to process.
   • Size: Use at least 12pt for body text; 14pt or 16pt is the modern recommendation for mobile-friendly emails.
   • Alignment: Always Left-Align your text. Centered or justified text creates large gaps of white space that can be very difficult for students with cognitive disabilities to track.

5. Accessibility Checkers: Your Final Step

   Before you hit "Send" on a mass email, use the built-in tools already in your inbox.

   • In Outlook (Old Version): While drafting your email, click on “Review” on the ribbon and then “Check Accessibility.”
   • In Outlook (New Version): Click on “Check Accessibility” on the ribbon; you may have to expand the window for it to be visible.

Note that the Accessibility Checker will flag missing alt text, low contrast, and reading order issues.