Staff Resources

Use concise, descriptive alt text for all meaningful images. For decorative images, mark them as decorative. This ensures that students using screen readers can understand visual content. Utilize this resource for everything you need to know to write effective alt text.

Write link text that clearly describes the destination, such as writing "Review our available scholarships" instead of "Click here." Descriptive hyperlinks improve clarity for all users, especially those using assistive technology. 

Apply built-in heading styles (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2) in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Brightspace. Do not use bold or large font alone to indicate structure. Utilize this resource for a tutorial.

Before sharing Word, PowerPoint, or Excel files, use the built-in Check Accessibility tool under the Review tab. 

For Brightspace: Run the Ally Accessibility Checker in Brightspace and fix flagged issues to improve usability for all students. The ideal score is 90% or higher. 

PDFs can be difficult to fix. Use Microsoft Word or HTML formats when possible. If you must use a PDF, ensure it has proper tags, reading order, and pass accessibility checks.  

• Avoid using PDFs as much as possible and only use them as optional downloads.
• If using PDFs, ensure they are tagged and pass accessibility checklists. 

• Organize content with built-in heading styles. Avoid using bold, underline, or all caps to designate sections of a document. 
• Use headings without skipping levels (H1, H2, H3, H4 ...).
• Use style buttons (e.g., bullets) for lists.
• Avoid using the Enter/Return keys to create a vertical space; instead, use built-in line spacing options and page breaks. 

• Do not rely on color to convey meaning.
• Use sufficient color contrast.
• Avoid using red and blue colors.
• Do not use backgrounds.  

• Write a functional alternative text ("alt text") for informative images to convey their purpose. Informative images include pictures, illustrations, and charts.
  • Utilize this resource for more instruction on alt text for images.
• Provide an equivalent user experience with your alt text (e.g., an appropriate alt text description of a search button would be "search," not "image of a magnifying glass).
• Mark decorative images as such (no alt text needed).
  • Utilize this resource for more details on how to mark decorative images.

• Caption all video content. Captions give people the textual equivalent of audible information in video and audio-only content.
• Edit and correct all automated captions.
• Provide a transcript for audio files, including descriptions of non-speech audio and speaker names. Transcripts provide a complete textual description of a video.
• Provide a verbal description of all visual components (e.g., graphs, charts, etc.).
• Provide an audio narration of the context of the video.  
  • Utilize this resource for more details on audio narration.

• Use descriptive hyperlink text (for instance, write "Read the 2025 report" instead of "Click here" or "Read more").
• Ensure all links make sense outside of context, as screen readers jump from link to link.
• If a link will open or download a file such as a PDF, include a textual reference link in the information (e.g., "[PDF]").
• Do not direct links to open in new windows or tabs. If a link must open in a new window or tab, a textual reference should be included in the link information (e.g., "[Open in New Tab]"). 
• For citations and references, hyperlink the title of the resources instead of the full URL. 

• Use tables to structure data. Tables should not be used for layout purposes.
• Create tables with columns and row headers.
• Assign the correct scope to columns and row headers.
• Set the correct reading order of tables for screen reading.
• Label charts and graphs accordingly.
• Include table captions, typically positioned at the top of a table.
• Avoid merged or split cells in tables.
• Use adequate cell padding in tables.