The online digital accessibility assessment is available for all web publishers at Washington State University. The training is a required yearly training for all publishers of web content at WSU in accordance with Executive Policy 7 and the Business Policies and Procedures Manual 85.55.
Below we have listed some of the most common web accessibility issues followed by a frequently asked questions section. If you need additional support, please contact our team using the web support form.
Resources for Creating Accessible Documents
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Accessibility Features – Adobe Acrobat Reader
Source: Adobe
Making PDFs accessible tends to benefit all users. For example, the document structure that enables a screen reader to read a PDF out loud also enables a mobile device to reflow and display the document on a small screen.
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Create and verify PDF accessibility in Acrobat Pro
Source: Adobe
You can use Acrobat to make PDFs meet the common accessibility standards, such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and PDF/UA (Universal Access, or ISO 14289).
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Creating accessible PDFs
Source: Adobe
Process of creating and checking accessible PDFs.
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What is an accessible PDF and how to create one
Source: Adobe
Learning how to make an accessible PDF ensures you’re creating a document that is universally easy to use and meets established accessibility standards.
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Check document accessibility in Word
Source: Microsoft
Learn how to open and use the Accessibility Checker to find issues that make Word difficult for people with disabilities.
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Create accessible links in Word
Source: Microsoft
Learn how to create hyperlinks that use natural language so they’re easy to understand.
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Create accessible PowerPoint presentations
Source: Microsoft
Put the content in your PowerPoint slides in the intended reading order so the screen readers read it correctly for users with a vision or reading disability.
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Create accessible tables in Word
Source: Microsoft
Tables organize information visually and help you show relationships between things. Learn how to set up tables so they can be read out loud to people who use a screen reader.
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Create accessible Workbooks in Excel
Source: Microsoft
Prebuilt Excel templates can help save time and improve accessibility in the content that you create.
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Improve accessibility with alt text
Source: Microsoft
Learn how to add alt text to images and objects in Microsoft.
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Improve email accessibility
Source: Microsoft
When you send an email to a broad distribution, make sure it’s accessible to people with limited or no vision.
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Introduction to using a screen reader
Source: Microsoft
If you use a screen reader, like Narrator or JAWS in Windows, use your keyboard to navigate Word, and the screen reader will announce to you where you are.
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Make your content accessible in Microsoft 365 apps
Source: Microsoft
Explore the best practices and tips on how to easily make your Outlook emails, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, and other content accessible to everyone.
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Make your PowerPoint Presentation Accessible to People with Disabilities
Source: Microsoft
This topic gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices for making your PowerPoint presentations accessible and unlock your content to everyone, including people with disabilities.
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Make your Word Documents accessible to people with disabilities
Source: Microsoft
This topic gives you step-by-step instructions and best practices on how to make your Word documents accessible and unlock your content to everyone, including people with disabilities.
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Microsoft Accessibility video training
Source: Microsoft
Let’s show you why using the tools built-into Office docs can make better docs and a better experience for everyone. We’ll cover Check Accessibility button, Alt Text, merged cells, PowerPoint Live, and more in this short video.
Accessibility Q & A
Digital Accessibility is important for the following reasons:
- Equal access to information
- Improved user experience for all
- Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability
WSU Accessibility Policies
There are many resources available to help check your site’s accessibility.
One resource is the Wave tool. This tool helps identify accessibility and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) errors.
For sites in the WSU Web Design System, a web accessibility checker is built in to the editor.
Additionally, the web team can provide web accessibility checks when needed.
CAHNRS and Extension website owners are responsible for ensuring their websites are accessible. All web editors and contributors must complete WSU digital accessibility assessment yearly.
Resources:
Yes, you can add documents to your site. Please ensure your documents are accessible. Refer to the resources for creating accessible documents on this page.
When linking a document it’s important to follow these guidelines:
- Include (pdf), (Word Doc), (Excel Doc), etc., within the linked text.
- Make sure your documents are accessible.
- Add a disclaimer at the bottom of the page
- Example: If you need any of the content provided on this site in a different format, please contact (insert and link email here).