What Makes Digital Content “Accessible”?

“Accessible” means that individuals with disabilities are able to independently acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services within the same time frame as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use.

Digital content that UNLV faculty, administrators, and staff manage and must present as accessible includes, but is not limited to:

  • Websites and web applications
  • Online course materials
  • Video content
  • Audio
  • Images
  • Word documents
  • PowerPoint presentations
  • PDF files

The full scope of what constitutes related digital content is listed in the January 2020 UNLV digital accessibility policy.

The Office of Accessibility Resources (OAR) offers training on accessibility topics throughout the year. Visit the Accessibility Training, Workshops & Open Labs page to learn more or view the  for a calendar view of our upcoming training opportunities.

Microsoft Word Accessibility

Intentional and knowledgeable use of Word’s built-in tools supports digital accessibility. When creating or maintaining an accessible Word file, like a syllabus, hand-out, or curriculum vitae, please keep the following settings in mind:

  1. Headings – Use the built-in style tools presented to make structural headers that also function for navigation. Don’t merely make dividers of content via varied font sizes and bolding.
  2. Lists – Use your authoring tool’s options for defining content that must be presented in a specific sequence (a numbered or “ordered” list) or can be in a non-sequential collection (a bulleted or “unordered” list). Assistive technology, like screen readers, can differentiate between the types, which is crucial to viewers’ understanding of such content.
  3. Tables – Use tables to present data rather than for setting up the layout of a page. Utilize your authoring tool’s table creation feature to build simple tables that include a summary.
  4. Figures/Images – Ensure that each image has appropriate and useful alt text (alternative text) provided. Alt text is used by assistive technology to describe what is shown to those unable to access it visually.
  5. Hyperlinks – Provide meaningful labels which visitors may select to visit locations on the web. If printouts are of concern, note that Canvas (also known as WebCampus) provides a facility that exposes each web address when you output to a printer or a PDF.
  6. Color and Contrast – Do not rely solely on color to convey meaning. Ensure that your text has sufficient contrast from the background.

Our Foundations of Accessibility (FOA), Accessible Syllabus, and Accessible CV training include hands-on portions for Microsoft Word accessibility.

Word Accessibility Resources

Google Docs Accessibility

If you wish to rely on the Google Suite to manage documents, to provide similar accessibility oversight to your Google Docs files.

Google Docs Accessibility Resources

Adobe PDF Accessibility

When creating a PDF document from another source file, ensure the following:

  • The resulting PDF file has a descriptive file name and document title
  • The language has been properly selected
  • The document is properly tagged
  • The tags follow a logical reading and tab order to support accessibility

Be sure to utilize the Full Check/Accessibility Check tool to verify whether the PDF has any accessibility issues that must be addressed.

Adobe PDF Accessibility Resources

Getting Your PDFs Fixed

UNLV has approved campus-wide vendors for document remediation. Please refer to the Submitting Remediation Projects Guide.

If the remediation task does not require an expedited turnaround, please contact the Accessibility Resources Team at accessibilityresourceteam-request@unlv.edu.

If you intend to implement an in-house support model with student workers, designated staff, or administrative faculty, OAR can provide consulting and resources upon request.

PowerPoint Presentation Accessibility

When creating Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, including a descriptive file name and document title is important. Each slide should also have a unique and descriptive slide title. To make changes to a specific slide layout or create a custom layout:

  • Use the slide master and slide layout to establish a visual reading order (bottom to top) and create accessible layouts in your presentation.
  • Be sure that images and non-text content have alternative text.
  • When selecting your presentation’s theme or color palette, ensure sufficient color contrast between the foreground and background.
  • Run the Accessibility Checker to view any accessibility issues.

PowerPoint Presentation Resources

Video/Multimedia Accessibility

To help ensure video and multimedia accessibility, keep the following in mind:

  • Check if a video has human-written captions or if you can better represent the content in an additional way.
  • Automated captions probably don’t meet accessibility standards.
  • YouTube and Panopto provide tools to edit auto-generated captions.
  • Transcripts must be provided for audio-only content (e.g., MP3s, CD tracks)
  • UNLV has a contract with a caption/transcription service provider, and the OAR is UNLV’s point of contact for creating a department account. Please email the Accessibility Resources Team Support to get started.

Visit our Captions for Accessibility page for more information.

Ally Tool in WebCampus

Ally, from Anthology, is a tool that helps instructors check the accessibility of their WebCampus course and its documents. The tool integrates into a course shell to assess the accessibility of course documents (Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, PDF files) and provides feedback and instructions to help make course documents accessible for all. Students, in turn, can download improved or enhanced versions of documents without any special settings from the instructor. Faculty and administrators can view reports and instructions on addressing corrections and fixes for each document stored in their courses.

Additional Accessibility Resources Available at UNLV

Please email the Accessibility Resources Team Support with any questions about digital content accessibility at UNLV.