Reviewing Content for Accessibility

Ensuring that all students can access and engage with course materials is an important part of inclusive teaching. This process is designed to help faculty create accessible digital content, address potential barriers, and connect with support when needed, advancing UB’s shared commitment to equity and student success.

Course Content/Pedagogical Review

For each item, ask yourself if this piece of content is essential for helping students achieve course learning outcomes.

  1. If yes, is there a pedagogical approach that does not involve sharing digital materials with students but can effectively promote student learning?
  2. If no, the item can be removed.

Accessibility Review and Remediation

If the content is essential and can only be delivered to students in a digital format, determine if it is accessible by using the accessibility checker in UB Learns (Ally). Any item that receives a score less than perfect (100%) should be reviewed and remediated.

The best solution is to rebuild the content using the native content editor in UB Learns, which automatically ensures accessibility. 

When students access content built in UB Learns, they can choose from several alternative formats, including:

  • ePub
  • Electronic Braille
  • Audio
  • BeeLine Reader
  • Immersive Reader

Images

If building the content directly in UB Learns is not possible, the document can be remediated. Begin by adding Alt Text to all substantive images. This text should clearly describe what the image shows and explain its relevance to the course material.

Word and PowerPoint

For Word or PowerPoint files, check accessibility using the built-in accessibility checker in those applications. Make any needed edits before uploading the files into UB Learns or sharing them through other channels.

Microsoft Word tool bar showing the check accessibility button under the review tab.

PDFs

Remediation depends on how the file was created.

  • If the PDF was made from a Word or PowerPoint file, check accessibility in that source file before creating the PDF.
  • If a source file is not available, use Adobe Acrobat Pro to check and remediate accessibility issues.
  • If the PDF is an external document, such as a journal article, consider replacing it with a permalink to the host site. Keep in mind that external versions may not be accessible, and you may need to provide an alternative format.

Videos

When using videos, make sure they include closed captions. Most external videos, such as those on YouTube, already include captioning. For instructor-created videos made in Zoom or Panopto, transcriptions can be generated automatically, but they should always be reviewed for spelling accuracy, particularly for proper names and scientific terms.

Request a Consultation

There may be digital course materials that are essential for student learning but cannot be remediated. For example, images of historical documents, video animations, artwork, etc. In these cases, please request a consultation to explore options.