In a previous post, we went over some general guidelines about web accessibility. Now let’s look at how to make some different kinds of content accessible.
Multimedia Content
All components of your webpages must be accessible, including multimedia content. All information conveyed by multimedia must also be conveyed in text:
- Videos must be close-captioned.
- Transcripts must be provided for sound recordings.
Documents
If your webpage includes a link to a document, the document must be accessible. Our preferred text-based file type is portable document format (PDF). You should convert other file types to PDFs before uploading them to Cascade. Learn how to create an accessible PDF from a Microsoft Word document.
If you have an existing PDF, make sure that it’s accessible before you upload it. First, check that it’s composed of recognizable text. If it’s a scan of a page of text, it’s most likely in an image format that is not accessible. Try selecting a word or section of text. If you can’t, it’s not accessible. You can convert it to text in Adobe Acrobat Pro by selecting View, Tools, Recognize Text.
Read more about fixing inaccessible PDFs in Adobe.
A Note on Color
When determining color schemes for documents or other web content, use a simple scheme with high contrast. Avoid bright or light shades. Be sure that you’re not using color as the only method of organizing or identifying information. If you do so, the information won’t be accessible to individuals who are blind or color-blind.
Read more about understanding contrast and color requirements.
Additional Resources
- Content Accessibility (NIU Web Strategy and Services)
- Technology Accessibility (NIU Ethics and Compliance Office)
- Required Fixes for PDF Files (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
- Audio/video accessibility checklist (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services)
