Accessibility and Accommodations
Web content accessibility standards should comply with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
These guidelines include:
- Use HTML whenever possible. If using other formats, choose accessible ones or offer multiple formats.
- Use a simple layout for easy reading and navigation by assistive technologies and mobile devices.
- Use headings (Heading 1 for title, Heading 2 for major sections, etc.) to improve navigation for screen readers and users with cognitive disabilities.
- Ensure unique names for headings, items, and files.
- Include a table of contents and "Back to top" links for longer documents.
- Include alt text for images (use null for decorative elements, "Link to" for links).
- Include captions for tables and graphs that explain the information presented.
- Use descriptive text for links that matches the action clicking the link performs.
- Include text alternatives for multimedia content (full transcript or summary).
- Avoid blinking/flashing multimedia and use animation purposefully. Use a combination of color, size, and text labels to highlight information.
- Do not rely solely on color to convey meaning. Ensure good contrast between text and background colors.
- Use relative font sizes and ensure proper layout adjustment for users who change font sizes.
- For PDFs, use optical character recognition (OCR) and scan pages one column at a time. Add bookmarks for major sections.
- For PDFs created from word processors, format titles and sections using headings for proper tagging.
- Test your content with assistive technologies to ensure compatibility with the specific tools and settings you use.
D2L Brightspace offers several options to ensure accessibility and meet student accommodations. Please refer to this guide from D2l Brightspace for more on accessibility options in both the classic and new content experiences, as well as instructional design considerations for accessibility in your courses.
The written instructor guides and video simulations on the D2L Solutions site are developed and brought to you by the
Faculty Development and Innovation Center
phone 217-581-7051 :: email fdic@eiu.edu :: web www.eiu.edu/fdic
Contact the FDIC for questions about the instructor guides, to suggest topics for new guides, or to schedule a consultation appointment. The FDIC staff can recommend integration solutions using D2L and other instructional technologies for your online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses.
For Help with D2L
Send your request for assistance to fdic_help@eiu.edu and an FDIC staff member will assist you.
