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Making Online Content Accessible

All BYU–Hawaii online content is required by law to meet accessibility standards. Please use these tips and processes to ensure that all content is accessible to people of all abilities.

Tips for making text and images accessible

Content management systems do a lot to make online content accessible however it is in the hands of the content editor to develop content that follows accessibility guidelines. Following these tips will help make your content more accessible.

  1. Include proper alternative text (alt text) for images.
    Alt text should describe what is in an image for those who are unable to see the image clearly. This allows additional software to read the alt text to persons of other abilities.
  2. Use actual text instead of images of text.
    The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend avoiding using images of text if you expect the text to be read by the user unless it is absolutely necessary such as in a logo or brand name.
  3. Use unique and descriptive names for links.
    Do not use the full URL or words like ‘click here’. Instead, use a word or phrase that describes the information you are linking to. Example: Learn more about IWORK requirements from Financial Aid & Scholarship.
  4. Use headings correctly to organize the structure of your content.
    Just like the hierarchy of an outline with roman numerals and letters used to create organization and structure, headers are used to create organization and structure on a page. Using a bold, italicized, or underlined font is not enough. Using header tags, indicated by "H2" or "H3", to organize your page allows people using screen reading software to easily navigate page content

Check Attachments for Accessibility

This recommended process will help content editors be sure that any documents (PDFs, Word documents, etc.) being uploaded are accessible to people of all abilities.

  1. Run the Microsoft checker on your Microsoft Office files (Word Document, Excel, etc.) first.
  2. Make necessary updates to pass all ADA requirements.
  3. Save the file.
  4. Convert the file to a .pdf.
  5. Run the checker on .pdf file.
  6. Make necessary updates to pass all ADA requirements.
  7. Save the file.

Accessibility Checkers

Microsoft Office Accessibility Checker

Run your Microsoft Word documents and Excel sheets through Microsoft's Accessibility Checker.

Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker

Run your Adobe Acrobat PDF documents through Adobe's Accessibility Checker to determine how accessible your PDFs are.