Accessibility Checklist for Course Delivery

For Virtual Delivery

  • Wear headphones and a microphone
  • Turn on Live Transcripts in Zoom
  • Mute microphone when not speaking
  • Reduce background noise
  • Choose a well-lit area so everyone can see you clearly
  • Clearly state the agenda for the class and outline which technologies will be used during the virtual delivery
  • Pause often for students to catch up on notes or so that the live captions catch up
  • If using the chat feature in Zoom, read comments aloud for all students to hear
  • Verbalize images, charts, or graphics that you share on screen
  • Alert students when you are about to launch a poll

Resources: Zoom Accessibility Features [article]

For PowerPoint Presentations

General Considerations

  • Use pre-programmed or themed layouts
  • Apply appropriate colour contrast for easy visibility
  • Opt for sans-serif fonts (Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, etc.)
  • Select font sizes that are large enough to be seen in the classroom and on screens
  • Avoid using Word Art
  • Avoid using text shadows or glow effects
  • Use PowerPoint’s built-in Accessibility Checker to ensure your slide deck meets accessibility requirements

Alternative Text

  • Apply alt-tex to provide text for all images, charts, graphics and visuals
  • Consider the content and function of your image when creating alt-text
  • If the image provides content, ensure the content is included in the alt-text

Links and Call-to-Actions

  • Hyperlinks should have context and describe where it leads
  • Avoid using ‘Click here’ and opt for a more descriptive verb or short phrase
  • A screen reader will read slides in a particular order; verify the order in which each slide is arranged to ensure the information is read in a logical order

Resources:

For Microsoft Word

  • Use Styles in the Home tab which help when using screen readers
  • Use alt-text with all images
  • Wrap text around images as ‘in line with text’
  • Use the Columns function on the Layout tab
  • Insert page numbers using the Page Number function on the Insert tab
  • Identify table headings in the Design tab when inserting a table
  • Ensure Hyperlinks describes where it leads; avoid ‘Click here’
  • Avoid using text boxes, Quick Parts, Word Art and drop caps as they don’t work with screen readers
  • Use Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker

Resources: Make Your Word Documents Accessible [article]

Other Accessibility Considerations

Emails accessibility tips:

  • Use HTML format, where possible
  • Use appropriate fonts (style and size)
  • Provide structure by using Styles in the Format Text tab
  • If inserting an image, provide alt-text for each image
  • Wrap text ‘in line’ with images
  • Ensure hyperlinks communicate to the reader where the link will take them
  • Ensure Signatures are accessible
  • Use the Check Accessibility feature under the Review tab

Video

  • Use closed-captions/life transcription

PDF Documents

  • Ensure PDFs are fully accessible by conducting an accessibility check – See more tools.

Resources: