Accessible Digital Materials

When creating accessible digital materials to use for your organization, consider these general tips and approaches:

• Focus on prevention over remediation: Introduce accessibility in the early stages of document creation, design, or content planning. The more effort you put in during design, the less effort you’ll spend on remediation later. Just like adding blueberries during the mixing of muffin batter ensures you get a true blueberry muffin, integrating accessibility features early (such as color contrast or alt text) makes the final product more accessible. Fixing accessibility issues after content is published can be time-consuming and less effective.
• Consider a range of disabilities: Accessibility is not just about screen reader compatibility. Consider multiple facets of accessibility — including content, language, images, format, and design — to ensure that the widest possible range of users can access the materials without barriers or difficulty.
• Incorporate regular testing and feedback: Regularly test your materials with accessibility checkers, screen readers, and user/experts with disabilities to identify potential issues and ensure efficacy.

Writers seeking to make content more accessible can incorporate the following approaches:

• Use clear language: Write with clarity, use active voice when possible, define acronyms or complex terms, and avoid unnecessary jargon.
• Use headings and structure: Break down content into logical sections using clear, descriptive headings and subheadings. These help screen reader users navigate content easily and makes content easier for all readers to follow.
• Include descriptive alt text: When including images, videos, or other media, always provide descriptive alt text. These descriptions should be concise but informative — providing essential details like the image’s subject and context (e.g., “A dog running in a grassy field”). For more information on how to write effective alt text, check out the Learn More section of this page.

Designers seeking to make visual materials more accessible can incorporate the following approaches:

• Utilize simple layouts: Opt for clean, minimalistic designs to avoid overwhelming users and/or creating barriers for screen readers.
• Use readable fonts: Choose Sans-Serif fonts like Arial or Helvetica for better readability. Avoid using all caps or italicized text, as these can be harder to read.
• Check color contrast: Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors to accommodate users who are blind and low vision or experience color blindness. Use tools like contrast checkers to verify that your materials meet the recommended contrast ratios (at least 4.5:1 for regular text).
• Avoid using text in images: Text in images is not accessible to screen readers and cannot be resized or adjusted for contrast. Use real text wherever possible to ensure accessibility.

It is important to consider how different forms of digital media each bring their own access considerations. Here are some best practices for specific components of digital materials:

• Images and videos
  • Always include image descriptions for videos and images on your website.
  • For videos, provide audio descriptions.
  • For images, include alt-text or longer image descriptions, especially in digital newsletters.
  • Ensure that all videos have captions.
• Word documents
  • Utilize built-in accessibility features in Microsoft Word.
  • Use the “Styles” feature to add headings that will be recognizable to screen readers and help users quickly navigate and understand key parts of the document.
  • When adding links to Word documents:
    • Hyperlink dialog: Use the hyperlink dialog box to insert accessible links.
    • Activating links: Ensure links are accessible by allowing activation through the keyboard (press “Enter” or the spacebar).
    • Link visibility: Make sure links stand out from other text for easy recognition, particularly for users with low vision.
    • Text labeling: Use meaningful, concise, and easy-to-remember text for links. This ensures they are accessible for users with no vision.
• PDFs
  • Avoid using scanned PDFs or PDFs created using the “print as” feature, as they are often inaccessible to screen readers. The best way to create a PDF is from a properly formatted Microsoft Word document with styles and labeled links.
  • If using a non-Word PDF, ensure tags are applied to make it screen reader-friendly. (Tags are pieces of computer code in a document that assistive technologies can interpret. Tags can define paragraphs, tables, lists, or headings.)
• PowerPoint presentations
  • Always use built-in slide layouts for uniform reading order. Avoid using multiple text boxes as they may be read out of order by screen readers.
  • Use unique slide titles for better navigation.
  • Ensure hyperlinks are accessible, and add alt text for images and tables.
  • Avoid complex tables; they can be difficult for screen readers to interpret.
  • Set reading order using the Selection Pane, with titles at the bottom and text moving upwards.
  • Avoid exporting PowerPoint presentations to PDF unless you’re sure the PDF is accessible.
• GIFs
  • Use alt text to describe the content of GIFs.
  • Make sure GIFs do not flash more than three times per second to avoid causing discomfort for users with photosensitive epilepsy. For more about Accessible Social Media, please visit that Hub page.

In addition to making digital materials accessible, it is also important to provide alternative formats of materials. Because there is no “one format” that is best for everyone, offering multiple options and clearly communicating those offerings helps ensure that everyone can access the content in the way that is best for them.

• Braille: For physical events, ensure that digital materials are also available in braille for attendees who are blind. Professional braille transcription services should be used for proper formatting and accuracy.
• Large print: For physical events, ensure that digital materials are also available in large print. Ensure that text is at least 18 points, Sans Serif, and that there is high contrast between text and background.
• Transcripts and audio descriptions: Always provide transcripts for videos, particularly if captions aren’t available. For multimedia content, audio descriptions help users who are blind or have low vision understand visual elements, providing additional context.
• Screen reader compatible document: A “screen reader-friendly” document is typically one that uses clear, logical formatting (like headings, lists, and proper tags) that screen readers can interpret accurately. These documents are also devoid of complex elements like images of text, which screen readers cannot interpret. This makes the content more comprehensible and navigable for blind or low vision users. Two excellent tools to test how a document “sounds” are NVDA, a non-visual desktop application for Windows (free screen reader), and Apple Voice Over.
• Text-only format: Text-only formats (such as .txt files) are often used as an accessible alternative because they strip out all non-essential elements (like images, colors, or complex formatting) and allow the user to adjust the presentation of the text to their needs (e.g., enlarging text, changing background colors, etc.). They are also easier for screen readers to process without confusion.
• Plain text format: Plain text versions of materials (particularly those with a lot of written content) are written clearly and simply, without complex formatting or jargon, to ensure they are easy to read, understand, and process. They use straightforward language, short sentences, and a logical, organized structure. For more information on how to create Accessible Print Materials, Braille, and Large Print Materials, please visit those specific Hub pages.