Accessibility Starts Before You Click Publish. If you want to ensure your document or webpage is accessible, consider this:
Before You Click Publish…
Ask yourself:
☐ Is my content organized?
☐ Can someone navigate it?
☐ Are images described?
☐ Are links meaningful?
☐ Does color communicate appropriately?
☐ Are documents accessible?
☐ Is multimedia captioned?
☐ Did I use an accessibility checker?
To begin, take stock of your content using the following strategies:
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.
For each item on your list, make a plan to assess its accessibility and note what would resolve any accessibility problems in those materials.
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?
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.
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)
Getting your course ready? Start here! Below are simple guides and checklists to ensure your course is ready to go.
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 for LMS Help Center: Improve the usability and accessibility of your content
Using Your Ally Course Accessibility Report
Blackboard Title II Strategy Guide
Ally for Instructors Micro-Learning Series
Power Up: Blackboard Ally - Accessible Learning for Everyone Webinar
Driving Accessibility with Ally: Fast Implementation, Actionable Insights, and Ongoing Support
USI Web and Digital Content's Digital Accessibility Page
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
Creating Accessible PowerPoint Presentations: Overview
Tip Sheet on Microsoft PowerPoint
Learn more about Accessibility in Word.
Learn more about Accessibility in PowerPoint.
Learn more about Accessibility in Excel.
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.
Request Access to Adobe Site License Software – submit the Team Dynamix service request, and once a license has been applied, you will receive an email from Adobe with instructions on how to download and use.
Creating Accessible PDF Documents: Overview
Create and verify PDF accessibility (Acrobat Pro)
Inaccessible PDF Example Read with Screen Reader
Learn more about Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat.
Coming soon!
Using Ally's AI Alt Text Assistant
Making STEM Content Accessible (University of California Irvine, 8.29.25; 8 min read)
Alternative Text That Actually Informs: A Guide for STEM Instructors (Inkable Docs; 11.10.25; 3 min read)
Accessibility in STEM Courses (University of Florida; 11 min read)
This is a trusted resource for faculty to check the contrast of colors on web pages or documents.
Coming soon!
Descriptive links are hyperlinks whose text provides clear, meaningful information about where the link leads. They act as signposts, guiding students to the resources they need.
Descriptive links are especially crucial for students using screen readers or other assistive technologies, but they also benefit all students by improving navigation and comprehension. A key problem with vague, non-descriptive terms such as “click here” or “link” is that a person using a screen reader to find a link will encounter a list of links with the words “click here” or “link.” This can also be confusing for any user if there is not sufficient context
The use of VoiceThread in online or hybrid courses supports accessibility needs through automatic captioning, keyboard navigation, and compatibility with screen readers.
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.
