The following is a guide to help content creators, educators, and administrators ensure their digital materials meet WCAG 2.1 AA compliance requirements. While not comprehensive, this highlights the basic principles that are essential to addressing the most common barriers to accessibility in educational materials and websites.
Add text descriptions to images
- Short descriptions for images, icons, and buttons
- Descriptions for charts and diagrams
- Labels for form fields
Why is this important?
- It makes digital content accessible to people with vison loss or blindness.
- Provides context when images do not load.
- Improves search engine optimization (SEO) making your website or digital content easier to search for information.
Include captions for video/audio
- All videos should have captions or transcripts
- Provide written versions of audio content
Why is this important?
- Captions and transcripts make video and audio content accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
- Helps all users better understand the content, especially in noisy environments or when the audio quality is poor.
- Enhances engagement by making content accessible across different learning styles.
Make content easy to see and read
- Use simple language and spell out any abbreviations the first time they are used.
- Choose fonts that have different 1, upper case I and lower case l.
- Use a color contrast checker to ensure colors are easy to see.
- Avoid using color as the only way to communicate information.
Why is this important?
- Helps all users understand the content quickly and easily, especially those with limited literacy skills.
- Choosing simple fonts and ensuring high color contrast makes text easier to read for everyone, including people with low vision and those reading in challenging lighting conditions.
- Avoiding color as the only way to convey information ensures that people with color blindness or low vision can still access and understand the content.
Use heading structure
- The title should be H1, followed by H2, and so on. Do not skip heading levels.
- Heading levels should follow logical reading order.
Why is this important?
- Headings provide a clear structure for the content, making it easier for all users, and especially those using screen readers, can navigate and jump to different sections quickly in the same way non-disabled users scan a web page.
- Logical heading levels make it easier to locate relevant content.
Ensure text layout is simple
- Use columns to create the desired layout for your text.
- Tables should be used to display data.
Why is this important?
- Using columns to organize text makes it easier to read and follow for everyone, especially for those with cognitive or processing disabilities.
- Tables are ideal for displaying data because they make it easier for users to understand and compare data points.
- Simple text layout ensure that assistive technology, like screen readers, can present the content accurately to users.
Create descriptive links
- Use specific, meaningful text that describes the link destination.
- Avoid phrases like “click here”, “read this”, or “read more”.
- Provide a shortened URL instead of the raw URL when possible.
Why is this important?
- Screen reader tools allow users to navigate content by links alone; in the same way non-disabled users do. Generic language like “learn more” provide no useful information.
- Meaningful link text provides clear information about what to expect when clicking the link. This helps all users, including those with disabilities, to make informed decisions and find the information they need.
- Users can quickly decide whether to follow a link without reading surrounding text.
Avoid
Use instead
