Need to revise materials to be accessible?
If you’ve found some accessibility issues, you can take steps to revise the material to be accessible.
Visit Making Documents and Tables Accessible, Making Presentations and Forms Accessible, Making Multimedia, Webex, and Websites Accessible, and Making Design Accessible: Fonts, Color Contrast, and Alt Text to learn how.
After you’ve proactively designed your content with accessibility in mind, check your content with the following resources to make sure that your content is accessible. You can also use these resources to check materials created by a 3rd party before including them in your content. To view any of the Google Slides tutorials larger, click the full-size icon ( 
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- Checking 3rd Party Materials
- Documents
- Websites
- Presentations
Checking Accessibility for Different Types of Materials
Checking 3rd Party Materials
How do I check 3rd party materials for accessibility and remediate them if needed?
If 3rd party materials are found to be inaccessible, it is strongly recommended that alternate accessible content be used. It can be costly and time consuming to remediate inaccessible documents and media (video/audio) created by a 3rd party. However, if 3rd party content must be used, it must also be made accessible.
- Contact the content owner to ask for an accessible copy.
- If the owner does not have an accessible copy available, ask for permission to make the content accessible. (If the owner does not give you permission or you do not receive a response to your request, you must still have an accessible version of the content available for persons with disabilities.)
- With permission, remediate the inaccessible content. If you have attempted but are unable to get permission to remediate the inaccessible content from the owner, please email the Accessibility Coordinator at accessibility@uncg.edu.
You can download checklists to verify the accessibility of types of materials: Presentations Accessibility Checklist, Multimedia Accessibility Checklist, and Document Accessibility Checklist.
What do I do if content can’t be made accessible?
If you find inaccessible online content and determine it can’t be fixed, you must provide an equivalent, alternate solution. Use the Accessibility Plan Template to document the accessibility limitations and to specifically identify the alternate resources, materials, etc. you plan to use in order to ensure that all students have full access to your online content.
Checking Accessibility for Documents
Testing and Converting Scanned PDFs
This how-to guide shows how to test and convert scanned PDF documents. Because scanned pdfs are not accessible, users will specifically learn how to use the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) process to convert a scanned pdf to an accessible, searchable pdf.
Why is it important?
Scanned pdfs are essentially images of text, and cannot be read by a screen reader. This makes scanned pdfs completely inaccessible for users who are visually impaired.
Who benefits?
Users who are visually impaired benefit the most because they will have access to the information in the pdf.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Testing and Converting Scanned PDFs” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.
Using the Adobe Accessibility Checker
What will be learned?
Learn how to check accessibility of PDFs using Adobe’s built-in Accessibility Checker. The checker makes sure a document is not an image-only PDF, contains tags to help screen readers, has a logical reading order, has a tab order that parallels the document structure, and has alternative text for images and figures.
Why is it important?
Using the Accessibility Checker allows you to find areas of your PDFs that are not accessible to all audiences. The accessibility report contains links to tools and documentation that can help you fix problems in your document.
Who benefits?
Making PDFs accessible benefits not only users with vision and mobility impairments but can also benefit users without disabilities. For example, the document structure that enables a screen reader to read a PDF out loud also enables a mobile device to display the document on a small screen. Similarly, the preset tab order of an accessible PDF form helps all users, not just users with mobility impairments, fill the form more easily.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Using the Adobe Accessibility Checker” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.
Using the Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker
In this series of how-to guides, users will learn how to use Microsoft Accessibility Checker in Excel. This accessibility checker locates elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities.
What will be learned?
Participants will learn how to check spreadsheets created with a Microsoft Office product, making sure they are designed for all students and content users.
Why is it important?
Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker allows you to quickly see if your spreadsheets meet accessibility guidelines. The checker will also suggest ways to fix any accessibility issues it finds.
Who benefits?
This benefits students who are differently abled but also benefits all students through universal design.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Using the Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.
Using the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker
You will learn how to use Microsoft Accessibility Checker in Word. This accessibility checker locates elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities.
What will be learned?
You will learn how to check documents created with a Microsoft Office product, making sure they are designed for all students, and content users..
Why is it important?
Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker allows you to quickly see if your documents meet accessibility guidelines. The checker will also suggest ways to fix any accessibility issues it finds.
Who benefits?
This benefits students who are differently abled but also benefits all students through universal design.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Using the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.
Documents Accessibility Checklist
Download the Document Accessibility Checklist document as another tool to aid you in reviewing accessibility.
Checking Accessibility for Websites
Using the Canvas Accessibility Checker
What will be learned?
This how-to guide, developed by Instructure, will teach users how to check that Canvas pages are accessible to all users.
Why is it important?
Accessible Canvas pages mean that all users will have access to your information. Also, planning for accessibility during the design phase of a course is less time consuming than remediating a course after a user has found it to be inaccessible.
Who benefits?
All users benefit, but users with disabilities benefit the most. Course designers also benefit from not running the risk that the course has to be remediated because a student reports that it is inaccessible.
Canvas Accessibility Checklist
Download the Canvas Accessibility Checklist document as another tool to aid you in reviewing accessibility.
Course Accessibility Checklist
Download the Course Accessibility Checklist document to aid you in reviewing accessibility for an overall course website, either in Canvas or another website platform. (Note: In the document, “PM only” refers to Project Manager. You can use this document as you wish.)
Using the WebAim Wave Tool Website Accessibility Checker
Users will learn how to use WebAim’s Wave Tool. The Wave Tool enables you to evaluate the accessibility of your website and fix any potential errors or issues that can affect a user’s ability to access it.
Why is it important?
Evaluating your website allows you to fix any accessibility issues so everyone has access to your content. The Wave Tool is relatively easy to use and is a free resource.
Who benefits?
All users benefit, but users with varying disabilities especially benefit.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Using the WebAim Wave Tool Website Accessibility Checker” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.
Checking Accessibility for Presentations
Presentations Accessibility Checklist
Download the Presentations Accessibility Checklist document as another tool to aid you in reviewing accessibility.
Using the Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Checker
In this series of how-to guides, users will learn how to use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint. These accessibility checkers locate elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities.
What will be learned?
Participants will learn how to check presentations created with a Microsoft Office product, making sure they are designed for all students, and content users.
Why is it important?
Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker allows you to quickly see if your presentations meet accessibility guidelines. The checker will also suggest ways to fix any accessibility issues it finds.
Who benefits?
This benefits students who are differently abled but also benefits all students through universal design.
To access this presentation as a PDF, download “Using the Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Checker” and open it in Adobe Acrobat.