Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility is about making online content usable for everyone, including people with disabilities. The foundational steps listed in the expandable list below will help to ensure that all learners can engage with your course materials effectively.
Download the Digital Accessibility Toolkit to help ensure your courses and supporting materials are fully accessible and aligned with Title II. The job aids, linked within the toolkit and included in the checklist below, provide practical steps for creating inclusive, compliant, and user-friendly digital materials. Please note that an active OSU log-in is required to view the job aids. Clicking the button below will open a Microsoft Word version of the checklist, with links to the job aids included.
Digital Accessibility Checklist
Starting with a few general best practices—like using clear structure and avoiding reliance on color alone—can make a big difference.
- Color is sufficiently contrasted and does not convey meaning
- Navigation is simple and consistent
- All third-party tools used within the course have been vetted for Digital Accessibility
- All files are clearly labeled
Job Aids:
- Job Aid for Color Is Sufficiently Contrasted and Does Not Convey Meaning
- Job Aid for Simple and Consistent Navigation
- Job Aid for All third-party tools used within the course have been vetted for Digital Accessibility
- Job Aid for All File Titles are Clearly Labeled
Resources:
- Title II and You: Color and Contrast from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- WebAIM Contrast Checker
Text is the backbone of most digital content, so it’s important that it’s easy to read and understand. Accessible text includes readable fonts, sufficient contrast, and meaningful link descriptions. These practices help all users navigate your content with confidence.
- All text appears in a font size of at least 12pt, San Serif fonts were used, formatting (shape, color, styling) is not used exclusively to convey information; text is not underlined unless it is a hyperlink
- Headings and subheadings are used to show structure and follow a logical order (e.g H2 is used after H1 but before H3)
- Appropriate formatting for text has been used (e.g. listed items are formatted as lists)
- Descriptive hyperlinks are used rather than URL's and avoid using link text that would be ambiguous with no context (e.g. "click here")
- External links open in a new tab; Links to other content within the same course open in the same tab (ex. If linking to another page within the course, it opens in the same tab).
Job Aids:
- Job aid for formatting text
- Job Aid for Text style
- Job Aid for headings and subheadings
- Job Aid for Descriptive hyperlinks
- Job Aid for External links open in the same tab
Resources:
- Title II and You: Links from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Title II and You: Headings from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Using the Accessibility Checker in CarmenCanvas from Ohio State Teaching and Learning Resource Center
Multimedia can enrich learning, but it must be accessible to be effective for everyone. Adding alt text to images, captions to videos, and transcripts to audio ensures that all learners can still access the full content. These simple additions make your materials more inclusive and engaging.
- All non-decorative images have Alt Text or Image Descriptions. Long alt text appears in a .txt or accessible Word file. The alt text says: "long alt text posted directly below image."
- All videos have accurate closed captioning. Youtube videos have the edited transcripts posted and the disclaimer language inserted: This video is hosted on YouTube.com and is owned by an individual or organization not affiliated with The Ohio State University. As such, closed captioning cannot be edited for the video, but an accurate transcription file has been provided here: [insert transcript]
- Transcripts are available for audio/video - Accessible Word docs or txt files
- Descriptive transcripts are included for videos that include visual information that is needed to understand the content. If a descriptive transcript is needed, you do not need to provide a separate basic transcript.
- Accessible alternatives have been provided where necessary (e.g., data tables). Alt text includes a note that says "find accessible alt text posted directly below image."
- Ensured there is no flashing content
Job Aids:
- Job Aid For All nondecorative images have Alt Text or Image Descriptions
- Job Aid for Generating Captions and Transcripts for Video and Audio
- Job Aid for Accessible alternatives have been provided where necessary
- Job Aid for Ensuring there is no Flashing Content
Resources:
- How to Generate Captions and Transcripts for Video and Audio-only Files
- Composing Accessible Alt Text for Images
- Title II and You: Images and Alt Text from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Write Helpful Alt Text to Describe Images from Harvard University
Documents like PDFs, Word files, and presentations should be formatted so that assistive technologies can read them properly. This includes using headings, readable fonts, and descriptive titles. Accessible documents help all learners, especially those who rely on screen readers, stay organized and informed.
- Microsoft Word files have been verified for accessibility
- PowerPoint files have been verified for accessibility
- PowerPoint files associated with videos are posted on the course site
- PDF files have been verified for accessibility; Scanned PDF's are not used
Job Aids:
- Job aid for Microsoft Word files have been verified for accessibility
- Job aid for PowerPoint files have been verified for accessibility
- Job Aid for PowerPoint Files Associated with Videos are Posted on the Course Site
- Job Aid for PDF files have been verified for accessibility and Scanned PDFs are not used
Resources:
- Producing Accessible Word Documents from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Evaluating Word Documents for Accessibility from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Producing Accessible PowerPoint Presentations from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Evaluating PowerPoint Presentations for Accessibility from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Producing Accessible PDF Documents from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Evaluating PDF Documents for Accessibility from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
Tables are useful for organizing data, but they must be structured correctly to be accessible. This means using headers, avoiding merged cells, and keeping layouts simple. Properly formatted tables allow screen readers to interpret the information accurately, making data accessible to all users.
- Tables are only used for data, not for layout purposes; Complex tables have been broken down into smaller, simpler tables
- Tables include properly identified column and/or row headings
- Each table includes a caption, making it clear what information is being presented
- All tables are actual tables and not images
Job Aids:
- Job Aid for Simple Data Tables
- Job Aid for Tables with Identified Column and or Row Headings
- Job Aid for Table Captions
- Job Aid for Tables that are Not Images
Resources:
- Title II and You: Tables from Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
Additional Resources
Ohio State Digital Accessibility Services
- Overview of New ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Requirements from OSU Digital Accessibility Center
- 3Rs Review Strategy
- 7 Core Skills
- PDF Decision Tree
- Producing Accessible Digital Content
- Evaluating Digital Content for Accessibility