For Faculty

Seven Steps to an Accessible Syllabus

by Jackie L. Luft, Ed.D.

Accessibility is a process. I am often asked what is the one thing instructors can do to start to make their courses accessible and I tell them to start with their syllabus.

An accessible syllabus takes seven easy steps. These steps can be completed if you are writing a new syllabus or just updating a current one.

1. Format your document using styles
2. Assign alternative text
3. Make your tables accessible
4. Utilize descriptive hyperlinks
5. Don't use color for emphasis
6. Consider color contrast
7. Keep your fonts simple

A person with a visual disability uses an assistive technology called a screen reader. A screen reader can assist a user in two ways. First, it allows a user to decipher what is on the computer through reading or speaking the contents. Secondly, through translating the content on the computer to a braille reader, which is a separate piece of hardware that is attached to the computer.

Because a screen reader does not use a mouse, documents and other information on the computer screen must be navigable with commands on the keyboard. Each screen reader has specific commands to help the user navigate the document or page. The seven steps above take into consideration the navigation and abilities of a screen reader, ensuring accessibility for people with and without disabilities.

There are several software screen reader programs: the most popular are Jaws, NVDA and VoiceOver. VoiceOver is free on every Apple product and NVDA is free for PC users. Many people without visual disabilities utilize these programs to be able to get an auditory and visual representation of a document or webpage. You can easily download these programs and use them for yourself to test your documents or have long passages read to you.

In the next few months, I will continue to provide more detailed information on developing the accessibility of your syllabus. Next month, I will explain how to format your documents using styles and alternative text. These two steps will increase the usability for screen readers more than any of the other steps, although they are all important. Stay tuned for upcoming articles and be sure to register for one or more of the Steps to Accessibility workshops offered this fall at the TLPDC.