Accessibility

Text

• Use a font such as Times or Arial; nothing fancy.
• Use size 11-point font and above.
• Use black and white; there is no reason to use colored text.
• Stay away from using background colors. Someone with low visibility might have trouble reading the text if there isn't enough contrast.

Images

• When creating email messages, your email body should not be an image or flyer. If you can't grab the text in the email by highlighting it to copy and paste somewhere else, then it is not accessible. In addition to the image or flyer, provide the important text in the email body. The text should include:
  • The 5 W’s (who, what, where, when, and why)
  • Contact information
• Images must have alternative text or a brief description. Alternative text describes images to visually impaired users.
• Make sure the image is not central to the message. If you were to take out the image or photo, would the message still make sense to someone who is blind?
• Do not use image links.

Links

• When inserting links, use descriptive text instead of the a long URL. The screen reader will read the links and tell the user where they might choose to navigate. It's helpful to the user to hear descriptive text rather than a long line of URL jargon they may not understand.
  • Bad Example: For more information about TCC's meningitis vaccination requirements, visit https://www.tccd.edu/admission/meningitis-vaccinations/.

• • Better Example: Find more information about TCC's meningitis vaccination requirements.
• Do not use the words Click Here. That doesn't tell the person where the link will take them.

Audio and Video

• For audio-only recordings (podcasts, audio recordings, etc.), provide a transcript.
• For videos with audio, captions are required. If possible, also provide a transcript.

Note: Automatic captions are not enough unless they are checked and confirmed to be fully accurate.

PowerPoint

• Use alternative text for all graphics and pictures so a screen reader or Braille display can output the text.
• All slides should have a unique slide title. This can be verified by running the accessibility checker.
• The reading order of the slide should be logical.

Recording and Captioning

• For Microsoft Teams presentations, record the presentation.
  • Turn on transcription before recording to include captions. Check the captions for accuracy before sharing the recordings.
  • The recording can be shared on demand with people who are blind or have trouble seeing the presentation screen.
• During in-person presentations, turn on live captions (automated) or use a real-time (human assisted) captioning service.
• If you play video clips, make sure they have captions or provide a transcript.
  • This supported people who are deaf or hard of hearing—and it also helps everyone if the audio is unclear.

Presentation Materials

• Make sure your presentation materials are accessible. For more information, see how to create accessible Microsoft Office documents.
• Provide accessible presentation slides or documents ahead of time (by email).
• For any PDFs you share, run the Adobe Acrobat accessibility checker to make sure they are accessible.