Digital Accessibility Toolkit
This is seperate from the content on the D2L "Accessible by Design" course material.
Upcoming Digital Accessibiltiy workshops and triaining
ISTS Training
Public Accessibility Statement for Syllabus
Below is a sample statement you can add to your syllabus to let your students know you are commited to an inclusive classroom.
"I am committed to making this course inclusive and accessible for everyone. If you need formal accommodations due to a documented disability, please contact The Office of Accessibility & Accommodations at accommodations@eiu.edu so we can implement a support plan.
Accessibility is an ongoing effort. If you encounter any barriers with our digital course materials, readings, or technology, please let me know right away. I will work with you to provide an alternative format and resolve the issue."
General Digital Accessibility Checklists
WebAIM WCAG 2.2 Checklist: A simplified, plain-English translation of the dense Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, distilling complex mandates into actionable Universal Design for Learning principles.
General Digital Accessibility Training
W3C Web Accessibility Perspectives Videos: Short videos illustrating the "why" behind accessibility, highly effective for opening training sessions and building empathy.
Evaluation & Automated Testing Tools
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Microsoft Office 365 Accessibility Checker: A built-in feature in Word, PowerPoint, and Excel that reviews documents for common barriers and provides step-by-step instructions for fixing issues before a file is distributed.
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D2L Brightspace Accessibility Checker: Integrated directly into the HTML editor, allowing users to check syllabus pages and course modules for compliance in real-time as they build content.
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WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): A browser extension by WebAIM providing instant visual feedback on web pages, highlighting contrast errors and structural issues directly on the screen.
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axe DevTools: A powerful developer extension by Deque used to run automated accessibility audits on web pages and LMS environments, guiding users through resolving complex code issues.
Screen Readers & Manual Testing Tools
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TPGi Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA): A free desktop application featuring an eyedropper tool to instantly check if text on presentation slides, graphics, or PDFs meets WCAG contrast ratio requirements.
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NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access): A free, open-source screen reader for Windows, serving as an excellent standard for manually testing how documents and web pages are parsed by assistive technology.
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JAWS (Job Access With Speech): The most popular premium screen reader for Windows, heavily utilized in professional and academic environments for thorough navigation testing.
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Apple VoiceOver Guide: Built directly into macOS and iOS, this is the standard for testing within the Apple ecosystem and can be easily toggled on and off.
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Keyboard Navigation: The critical manual test using only the Tab, Enter, Spacebar, and Arrow keys to ensure a site or course module is fully functional without a mouse.
Community and Support Networks
Microlearning Videos and Resources
1. Foundations
1.1: Practical Compliance & Deadlines
Video: Practical Compliance with ADA Title II & WCAG 2.1 AA
Powerpoint link:
Video: Timeline & Compliance Deadlines
Powerpoint link:
1.2: Universal Design & The POUR Mindset
Video: The 4 Pillars: POUR in the Classroom
Powerpoint link:
Video: The Student Experience: Assistive Tech in D2L
Powerpoint link:
Video: Designing for Diverse Abilities
Powerpoint link:
1.3: Navigational & Visual Foundations
Video: Headings: Word vs. D2L HTML
Powerpoint link:
Video: Hyperlinks & Lists: Best Practices
Powerpoint link:
Video: Alt Text & Color Contrast
Powerpoint link:
Resources:
WCAG 2.1 Full Standard (Official): The complete technical document.
How to Meet WCAG 2.1 (Quick Reference): A customizable, filterable checklist of all success criteria (Highly recommended for developers).
Understanding WCAG 2.1: Detailed explanations of why each requirement exists and how to test for it.
WebAIM WCAG 2.1 Checklist: Widely considered the "Gold Standard" for a readable, simplified checklist.
ADA.gov: Fact Sheet on the New Web Rule: A plain-English summary of the 2024 ruling.
Federal Register: Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability:The full, official text of the law as published in April 2024.
2. Multimedia
2.1:
Video:
Powerpoint link:
Resources:
3. Document Remediation
3.1:
Video:
Powerpoint link:
Resources:
https://www.a11yproject.com/resources/
https://www.sensusaccess.com/
W3C official free resource list: https://www.w3.org/WAI/test-evaluate/tools/list
https://pac.pdf-accessibility.org/en/download - PAC document checker; utilizes systemic checking and AI integration to verify a document and catch any errors
https://pac.pdf-accessibility.org/en/resources - quickstart guide + FAQ
https://check.axes4.com/en - Web based version of the PAC document checker; upload PDF documents to quickly catch most surface level errors for PDF/UA and WCAG standards
https://checker.pdfaccessible.com/en - Similar to Check Axes; PUC web-based PDF document checker that highlights and explains errors to help users understand what needs changed and why
https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/ - Checks websites for WCAG standards for free; has paid options to search entire domains and/or fix the errors for you, but the free version is still good just for awareness of the errors.
https://pdfa.org/product/pdfix-desktop-lite - PDFix Lite; Catches PDF/UA and WCAG errors and allows users to jump right to problems to learn detailed explanations of how to fix them
https://www.accessr.net/ - Web based docx. file verification tool that catches surface level errors, auto-fixes small issues, and gives an audit report for help with further remediation work
https://slidespeak.co/free-tools/powerpoint-accessibility-checker - Beta only access (need to put in email for invitation), but functions as a free PowerPoint remediation tool that catches most common errors and gives recommendations on how to fix them
4. Auditing and Continued Improvement
4.1:
Video:
Powerpoint link:
Resources:
