Screen readers rely on alternative (alt) text to describe an image or other non-text content. Consider alt text for every image you share in a digital context.

How to add alt text to a table or picture?

Audio descriptions help those with visual disabilities by auditorily describing information, such as a change of scene or charts and diagrams.

All videos should be captioned to assist visitors who have hearing-related disabilities or auditory processing disorders. Captions also let sighted viewers listen and read simultaneously, which often aids in information recall. It's a best practice to provide a transcript for all audio and video content.

Improper use of color can make it very difficult for people with visual disabilities to consume your content. Make sure you use sufficient color contrast between your text and its background, and don't rely on color by itself to convey information.

Screen readers help a user navigate digital content by a list of headings. Headings need to be marked up appropriately, and in the proper order, to be helpful for all users. Ideally, anyone visiting your site should be able to grasp what the content is about just by reading the headings.

Link text should make it easy for a user to understand where a link will take them. Screen readers give their users access to a list of all the links on a screen. If those links are well-named, it is much easier to navigate content for screen reader users.

Tip:

• Avoid presenting users with long, dense paragraphs. Try to organize information with clear headings to make it easier to read and navigate.

Tips:

• Include descriptive alt text with every social media post.
• Refrain from sharing important information in Instagram or Facebook Stories, as they don’t support alt text.
• Capitalize every word in hashtags so screen readers can interpret it correctly—for example use #AccessibleHashtags instead of #accessiblehashtags.

Tips:

• Ensure every part of your e-mail is accessible, including attachments like images or documents. Choose a legible font and communicate your message clearly.
• Don’t assume your recipient has no disabilities—always follow digital accessibility best practices in your e-mails.

Tips: 

• Use Blackboard Ally’s guides to review and improve your content’s accessibility.
• Don’t depend on Blackboard Ally to handle accessibility for you. Design your course content with accessibility in mind from the start.

Tips: 

• Whenever possible, use web pages in place of documents.
• Be sure to review your documents for accessibility before uploading or sharing them digitally.

How to make a Word document accessible?
How to make a PDF accessible?
How to mark headers in a table?

Tips:

• Ensure that the reading order on each slide is logical for screen reader users.
• Avoid formatting information as a slide deck unless it’s truly a presentation.

How to make a PowerPoint accessible?

Tips: 

• Create accessible media as a single version or provide a second version that is accessible and readily available from the same screen.
• Ensure the accessible version of your audio or video content is easy to locate.

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