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Faculty and Staff Resources

Faculty & Staff Resources

How to Get Started

To begin, take stock of your content using the following strategies:

  1. Make a list or spreadsheet of the content you need to assess. This list could include articles, textbooks, or course resources, websites, video or audio files, slide decks, online forms, etc. If you are actively using it and it is within your control, then you have a responsibility to ensure that it is accessible.

  2. For each item on your list, make a plan to assess its accessibility and note what would resolve any accessibility problems in those materials. 

  3. If you use PDFs, would it be better to post these materials directly to a Blackboard page or website, reducing the need to modify inaccessible PDFs?
    • Are you using images that are unnecessary or lack alt text?
    • Do your documents contain tables or other graphics that a screen reader cannot interpret correctly?
    • Are your websites accessible?
  4. Next, leverage accessibility checkers such as Ally in Blackboard and those built into Microsoft 365 and Adobe Acrobat to identify ways to improve the accessibility of your materials.

Not sure what to do? Review the Faculty & Staff Resource section here to access tools that will help you review each of your content types. This section contains links to training that will show you how to remediate your existing content or create new content that is accessible from the start. 

Ensure that the appropriate members of your team are aware of this regulatory change and their associated responsibilities.

This library is an ongoing project to compile all resources, videos, and tools available to faculty into one location for easy access and use. It will be continually updated as needs are addressed and resources are created. If you or your department would like more information on a topic, please contact Jennifer Roberts at jaroberts@usi.edu with your suggestions. 

Accessibility FAQs, USI general accessibility documents, and links to libraries with multiple resources

Faculty Resource Site

  • Utilize the Faculty Resources compiled and maintained by Online and Adult Learning for more in-depth videos, tipsheets, and other resources on a wide range of accessibility topics. If faculty are unable to access the Resource Site under Organizations in the left menu, please email online.support@usi.edu for assistance.  

Digital Accessibility at USI- Faculty Handout

Simply Accessible: Creating Inclusive Course Materials

FAQ- Web Content and Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)

7 Easy Steps to Creating an Inclusive Document

Accessibility Compliance PPT- University Day 2026

Cheatsheets from the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE)

Video Tutorials

Complete Tech Takeaway video library

Resources for faculty and staff who manage websites or create web content

USI Web Content's Digital Accessibility Page

Accessibility Fundamentals for the Web (training)

Accessibility for Content Creators (training)

Tip sheets and resources on creating accessible Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files

Microsoft Accessibility Tools

  • Each of our Microsoft products, including PowerPoint and Word, have built-in accessibility checkers. Using these FIRST when creating files can help eliminate issues later on when converting to PDF or posting in online spaces. 

Creating Accessible Word Documents article

Tip Sheet on Microsoft Word

Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations: Overview

Tip Sheet on Microsoft PowerPoint

Video Tutorials

Learn more about Accessibility in Word.

Learn more about Accessibility in PowerPoint.

Learn more about Accessibility in Excel.

Tip sheets and videos on creating accessible PDFs

Adobe Acrobat's Accessibility Checker

  • Adobe Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker can identify issues that may affect usability. Faculty can use this feature to review and fix problems so all students can easily read and navigate course documents.
  • USI signed a site license contract with Adobe, which allows USI to offer license access to Adobe Acrobat Professional 2020 for University employees.

Creating Accessible PDF Documents: Overview

Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)

Tip Sheet on Adobe PDF

Video Tutorials

Inaccessible PDF Example Read with Screen Reader

Learn more about Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat. 

Creating accessible tables, charts, figures, and diagrams

Creating alternative (alt) text to create more accessible documents, files, and websites 

Alt Text Best Practices Guide

Using Ally's AI Alt Text Assistant

Using headings to generate accessible documents from the start

Resources for creating accessible courses within Blackboard and for using the Ally Accessibility Tool

Ally in Blackboard

  • Ally works in Blackboard to test the accessibility of courses and the content inside of them. Ally allows instructors to see how accessible the content is and learn how to remediate it if there are issues. As course content improves, a meter tracks progress and provides guidance on overall quality.

Ally Guide for Instructors

Ally for LMS Help Center: Improve the usability and accessibility of your content 

Blackboard Title II Strategy Guide

Ally for Instructors Micro-Learning Series

Power Up: Blackboard Ally - Accessible Learning for Everyone Webinar

Resources for making video and audio files accessible

VoiceThread

  • The use of VoiceThread in online or hybrid courses supports accessibility needs through automatic captioning, keyboard navigation, and compatibility with screen readers.

Creating Accessible Video and Audio Content: Overview

Resources on how to improve accessibility using appropriate color contrast

WebAim Contrast Checker

  • This is a trusted resource for faculty to check the contrast of colors on web pages or documents. 

Other Resources

Not sure how to provide accommodations and make your course more accessible to all students? Take the Vector course “Best Practices for Providing Accommodations,” available through your myUSI portal under the"Training" menu.