Accessibility Resources at UNCG | Make Content Accessible | Checking Content for Accessibility

Checking Content for Accessibility

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 third-party before including them in your content.

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Third-Party Materials

Scanned PDFs

Adobe Accessibility Checker

Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker

Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker

Canvas Accessibility Checker

WebAim WAVE Tool Website Accessibility Checker

Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Checker

CHECKING Third-PARTY MATERIALS FOR ACCESSIBILITY

How do I check Third-party materials for accessibility and remediate them if needed?

If third-party materials are found to be inaccessible, it is strongly recommended that alternative accessible content be used. It can be costly and time consuming to remediate inaccessible documents and media (video/audio) created by a third-party; however, if third-party content must be used, it must also be made accessible.

  1. Contact the content owner to ask for an accessible copy.
  2. 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.)
  3. 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 [email protected].

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, alternative 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.

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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.

How-To Guide: Testing Your PDF

Open

Open the PDF document with Adobe Reader.

Highlight Text

Select and highlight the text.

Read Out Loud

Test the text to see if it can be read aloud to you.

  • Go to Adobe Reader’s View menu.
  • Select Read Out Loud > Activate Read Out Loud.

Listen

  • Go back to View > Read Out Loud.
  • Click Read this page only or Read to the end of the document.
  • Listen to the document.
    • Does it read all text in the document?
    • Does it read the entire document in logical order?

How-To Guide: Converting Your Scanned PDF

Optical Character Recognition

For scanned documents, complete the Optical Character Recognition (OCR) or Text Recognition process to see if it can be read aloud.

  • In Adobe Acrobat Pro, choose Tools > Enhance Scans > Recognize Text > In This File.
  • Then adjust Pages and Language, and click Recognize Text.
    • Creates a layer of text in your PDF that can be searched or copied/pasted into a new document.
    • Allows text to be readable by a screen reader.
  • Use the Read Aloud feature to make sure it is readable.

Alt Text

If images, photos, diagrams, etc. are included in the document, add alt text or captions to explain the key messages in the images.

  • Screen readers do not read/recognize any images if alt text is missing.
  • Go to Tools > Accessibility > Reading Order.
  • Reading Order window will be displayed; alt text will be shown near image.

Adobe Accessibility Checker

Use the Adobe Accessibility Checker to check for and fix any additional accessibility issues.

What to Do if Your Document is Not Accessible

2 options are available:

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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 also 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.

How-To Guide: Adobe Accessibility Checker

Note: If there are numerous errors found in your Adobe document after using the accessibility checker, and reformatting is necessary, you may want to consider converting it to an MS Office document. It is often easier to reformat documents in MS Office first and convert it to a PDF second.

Open

Open the PDF document with Acrobat Pro.

Tools

Click on the Tools tab at the top of the screen.

Scroll down and click on the Accessibility icon.

Full Check

The Accessibility Toolbar will open to the right of your document.

Click Full Check to start the Accessibility Check.

Start Checking

In the Accessibility Checker Options dialogue box, select your choices.

  • We recommend leaving the default Checker Options selected to ensure you’re checking for the widest variety of accessibility issues.

Click Start Checking.

Review Results

Review the results in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left of your document.

Clicking on the arrow next to the category (Document, Page, Content, etc.) shows what was checked and whether it passed, failed, or needs to be manually checked.

Fix

Right-click (Windows) or control-click (MacOS) on one of the failed options for a menu that will allow you to fix the issue, skip the issue, or have the issue explained.

  • If you choose Fix, Acrobat will either fix the item automatically or display a dialogue box prompting you to fix the item manually.
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USING THE MICROSOFT EXCEL ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER

In this how-to guide, you will learn how to use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker in Excel. This accessibility checker locates elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities.

What will be learned?

You 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.

How-To Guide: Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker

Open

Open the Excel spreadsheet you want to check.

Check Accessibility

Click on the Review ribbon and click Check Accessibility.

If Check Accessibility is missing from your ribbon, choose Info from the File menu and then Check Accessibility from the Check for Issues box.

Review Results

The Accessibility Checker will run.

Then a window with the results opens on the right-hand side of the screen.

Accessibility issues fall into three categories:

  • Errors: Items that cannot be read by those who are differently abled, especially if they rely on screen readers.
  • Warnings: Less serious, but issues that can still cause difficulties.
  • Tips: Any potential issues that could cause problems in your MS Excel spreadsheet.
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USING THE MICROSOFT WORD ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER

You will learn how to use the 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.

Resource

How-To Guide: Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker

Open

Open a document in Microsoft Word.

Check Accessibility

Select Review, then select Check Accessibility.

Review Errors

Microsoft Word will open a list of errors and warning on the right side of the screen. Microsoft will also offer recommendations on how to make your document more accessible.

Fix

When you choose an item from the list, Microsoft will show that portion of your document. Word will also show why and how to fix the issue.

  • Accessibility issues fall into three categories:
    • Errors: Items that cannot be read by those who are differently abled, especially if they rely on screen readers.
    • Warnings: Less serious, but issues that can still cause difficulties.
    • Tips: Any potential issues that could cause problems in your MS Word Document.

Accessible or Not?

If you have gone through Steps 1–4 with no errors, warning, or tips, then your document is well on its way to being accessible.

To be fully certain your document is accessible, use WebAim’s Word and PowerPoint Accessibility Evaluation Checklist to look for manual errors that the MS Word Accessibility Checker is unable to flag.

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USING THE CANVAS ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER

What will be learned?

This how-to guide, developed by Instructure, will teach you 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.

Resources

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USING THE WEBAIM WAVE TOOL WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER

You 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.

How-To Guide: WebAim WAVE Tool

Download

Download the WebAIM WAVE Tool Extension (available for either Chrome or Firefox).

Go to Website

Go to the website you want to check by typing the URL in your browser’s webpage address bar.

Open WAVE Tool

Open the WAVE tool. The WAVE icon will be located in the upper right corner of your browser page, to the right of the webpage address field.

The WAVE panel appears on the left side of the screen. Both the WAVE panel and the webpage itself show results after the check has been completed.

Review Results Summary

The WAVE panel appears on the left side of your screen. Review the Summary tab for results. It is automatically selected when the WAVE panel appears.

The panel will list all errors, alerts, features, and structural elements, HTML5 and ARIA, and contrast errors.

A description of other panel icons appears at the bottom of the Summary panel.

  • Details: A listing of all the WAVE icons in your page.
  • Documentation: Explanation of the WAVE icons and how you can make your page more accessible.
  • Outline: The heading structure of the webpage.

View Details

Open the Details tab for more information (second tab on the far left side of the panel, underneath the Summary tab).

  • Errors (red icons) are critical issues that must be fixed.
  • Alerts (yellow icons) are not as critical as errors, but you should consider fixing them.
  • Features (green icons) show how you can improve accessibility.

View Information Tab

In the Details tab, click the blue “i” icon to get specific information about an issue.

The Documentation box will appear and lists:

  • What the issue means
  • Why it matters
  • How to fix the issues (including a simplified explanation in the Algorithm… in English section)
  • Standards & Guidelines (lists the WCAG 2.1 standards associated with the issue)

Make Changes as Needed

Use the information from the Documentation box to make the necessary changes.

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USING THE MICROSOFT POWERPOINT ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER

In this how-to guide, you will learn how to use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker in PowerPoint. The accessibility checker locates elements that might cause problems for people with disabilities.

What will be learned?

You 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.

Resource

How-To Guide: Microsoft PowerPoint Accessibility Checker

Open

Open a presentation in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Check Accessibility

Select Review and then select Check Accessibility.

Review Errors

Microsoft PowerPoint will open the Accessibility Checker box (located on the right side of your screen), and it will list any errors and warnings.

When you click on the drop down arrow for errors or warnings, Microsoft will offer recommendations on how to make your presentation more accessible.

Choose Item from List

When you choose an item from the list, Microsoft will show that portion of your document. PowerPoint will also show why and how to fix the issue.

Accessibility issues fall into three categories:

  • Errors: Items that cannot be read by those who are differently abled, especially if they rely on screen readers.
  • Warnings: Less serious, but issues that can still cause difficulties.
  • Tips: Any potential issues that could cause problems in your PowerPoint presentation.

Accessible or Not?

If you have gone through Steps 1–4 with no errors, warnings, or tips, then your document is well on its way to being accessible.

To be fully certain your document is accessible, use WebAim’s Word and PowerPoint Accessibility Evaluation Checklist to look for manual errors that the MS Accessibility Checker is unable to flag.

If your document is not accessible:

  • Remediate inaccessible elements so that all users can access them.
  • Errors are the most important remediation priority.
  • Follow up with warnings and tips.
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