There is a dream I have from time to time, in which I stand outside a lecture hall, unable to find my way in. I can make out some of the professor’s words, and guess at a few others, but I’m not getting nearly enough detail to understand the content. My desperation grows; I’m missing out on information essential to completing my law degree and passing the bar exam. The dream always ends with me standing outside the classroom, overwhelmed and defeated. This feeling, I imagine, might mirror the frustration students with disabilities experience when confronted with inaccessible content.
Importance
For at least one in four students at Texas State University, and probably more, digital accessibility isn’t merely convenient; it’s essential.1 These students rely on assistive technologies, such as screen readers, speech recognition software, and translation programs to interact with digital content. This includes students with vision and hearing impairments, reduced motor function, cognitive challenges, or language differences. Without accessible formatting of documents, presentations, and videos, these students may face overwhelming obstacles—closed doors—to their educational journeys.
Accountability
Accessible digital content is vital to student success, and we have a duty to make information available to all, not just to some. Our responsibility isn’t merely ethical; it’s the law. As a public institution governed by federal and state laws, as well as university policies, we are legally obligated to ensure digital content—whether posted, published, or emailed—is accessible to every learner, including students with visual, auditory, language, mobility, or cognitive challenges. Without purposeful content design, we risk excluding many of our students. While we may assume course syllabi, Canvas assignments, Microsoft (MS) Word documents, PowerPoint slides, PDFs, and multimedia are already accessible, that’s not always the case. At the start of each semester, it’s imperative to review these resources for accessibility.
Common Errors
Accessibility errors in course materials are easily avoided with proactive planning. Referring to the following list of frequently overlooked accessibility issues will help:
- Improper heading structure: Screen reading programs depend on heading hierarchy to navigate MS Word documents, including information tables.
- Missing alternative text: Images used to convey information must have meaningful alternative (alt) text.
- Low contrast: Font color choices should make content easier—not more difficult—to read.
- Inadequate link descriptions: Links require further explanation beyond “click here.”
- Multimedia errors: PowerPoint slides and PDF documents necessitate specific formatting.
- Inaccurate video transcriptions: All video transcripts must be verified for accuracy in spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and speaker tags.
Support
When identifying or remediating accessibility issues in your content, support is always available. Texas State offers self-paced and real-time trainings, including:
- Accessibility guides covering the basics of digital accessibility.
- A Canvas accessibility tools checklist.
- Captioning and transcription best practices for multimedia.
- Software purchasing guidelines for choosing compliant software.
- Applicable laws, policies, and standards.
- Learning opportunities, both virtual and in person.
Our dedication to student success means all educational resources must be accessible to all learners. By planning for content accessibility, we open doors to education and opportunity for everyone, ensuring no student is left at the threshold, trying to find a way in.
For more help, book time with the electronic information resources accessibility coordinator (EIRAC).
Kimberly Conner is a US 1100 instructor and publications writer for IT Communications and Outreach.
REFERENCES
National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). Students with disabilities. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60.
