For many of us, learning how to create accessible content is a fairly new concept. Of course, as we become increasingly aware of accessibility and universal design, we’ll need to dive deeper into the steps and concepts required to create content that is compliant with current accessibility standards. Let’s take a look at some helpful tools and tips that are designed to have you creating accessible content with minimal effort.
Tip: Be W3C Compliant
There is a set of standards and guidelines that exist for both web and mobile accessibility called the W3C, or Web Accessibility Initiative. These documents lay out the best practices as well as important questions for consideration for when it comes to creating mobile and/or web-based products and services. To learn more about web accessibility click here(new window), to learn more about the mobile standards, click here(new window).
Tool: SensusAccess
SensusAccess is an alternate media and document remediation service for educational institutions. SensusAccess allows students, faculty, staff and alumni to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media including audio books (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi), and digital Braille. The service can also be used to convert inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible and less tricky formats. To use the tool for free, click here(new window).
Tool: Microsoft 365 Built-in Accessibility Checker
Did you know that Microsoft 365 has a built-in accessibility checker? While using a Microsoft 365 app such as PowerPoint or Word, users can click on the “Review” tab, then select “Check Accessibility” to activate the tool. The app will perform an automatic check for accessibility compliance issues in your work and will then prompt you to fix those errors. This ribbon can also be used to launch Focus Mode, create alt-text, and will even redirect users to the accessibility related options that are found in the main options menu.
Tool: Adobe Accessibility Checker
Adobe Acrobat Pro has some powerful built-in accessibility checker tools that not everyone may be aware of. Not only does it have a “Check Accessibility” tool built in, but it also has a “Make Accessible” action that walks users through the steps required to make a PDF accessible. To learn more about these tools, click here(new window).
What tools do you use to create accessible content? Did we miss anything that you feel deserves to be in the list? Comment below!
