Why do our documents need to be accessible?

• It's CVTC Policy
  • CVTC Accessible Information and Technology Policy
• It's Federal Law
  • Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998, requires all electronic documents to be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes the requirement that they should be able to be read with screen readers. Note that all files produced, even if they are not placed on the web, are required by Section 508 to be accessible since these files can be distributed to students and the public using other methods besides the web. This includes all Microsoft Office documents such as Word and PowerPoint or any other document storage that could be used for student or public use or distribution.
• Most importantly, it's the right thing to do. 
  • 3 out of every 100 individuals on average have a low vision issue or are blind, and need to use a screen reader. Additionally students with cognitive disorders like dyslexia, estimated to be between 5-15% of the population, can benefit from accessible technology.
  • Making documents and web pages accessible allows these individuals to use a screen reader to maneuver through documents, to jump from one part of a document to another, to hear descriptions of images, and to have equal access to information that most of us take for granted.

Learning about accessibility

Resources to help:

1. CVTC's CPD Department

   • CPD has training available for faculty and staff. Please contact CPD for more information.
   • Commons CPD Page

2. Office 365: Microsoft Word Accessibility Features

   • Word has built-in accessibility scanning, guidlines and recommendations for accessibility issues it finds.
   • Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities

3. Adobe Acrobat DC

   • PDF Accessibility Overview (www.adobe.com)
   • Make your PDF documents accessible to people with disabilities (CVTC)
   • Using Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker

Related Articles:

Video Creation
Office Training Center