Course Content Accessibility—Getting Started for Instructors

UND recognizes that accessibility is a continuous journey that requires us to adapt to changing standards and technologies. While it can feel overwhelming, progress is built over time, and you don't have to do it alone. There are numerous resources available to guide you along the way.

Step-by-Step Guide to Starting your Accessibility Journey

1. Review your current content. What types of documents do you have (PowerPoint, Word, PDFs, etc.)? What needs to be improved?
2. Check your document score in Blackboard Ally.
3. Learn accessibility best practices. Consult the Quick Guide to Improving Document Accessibility for ten of these best practices. As you progress in your accessibility journey, consider adding more nuanced accessibility measures outlined in the Accessibility Essentials Checklist.
4. Explore available resources, and participate in accessibility trainings, workshops, and tutorials to deepen your understanding.
5. Seek help from your department’s Instructional Designer if you don’t know where to start or run into issues.
6. Implement changes gradually. Accessibility is a process. Focus on small improvements and build on those over time.

Available Resources:

• Explore TTaDA’s Creating Accessible Content page for more accessibility resources, content tutorials, and help with specific document types.
• Enroll in the 2025 10-Step Accessibility Challenge.
• Attend accessibility workshops on a variety of content.
• Watch pre-recorded tutorials at your convenience.
• Reserve a time in the Accessibility Lab to test the accessibility of your content.
• Ensure syllabus accessibility using Simple Syllabus.

Specific Document Types or Programs:

If you need help with specific document types or programs, consult the following list of resources.

Microsoft Word

Ensuring accessibility in Word is key to creating inclusive documents. Accessible design makes content easy to read and understand for everyone, including those using assistive technologies like screen readers. This involves using proper formatting, predefined styles, and adding alternative text to images.

• Review the Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft Word to learn what steps you should take to make your Word document accessible.
• Consult the Microsoft Word page for best practices regarding Headings, Lists, Tables, Links, Images, and Color Contrast.
• Utilize Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker to monitor your document as you work.

Microsoft PowerPoint

Ensuring accessibility in PowerPoint is essential for creating inclusive presentations. Accessible design makes content clear for everyone, including those using screen readers. This includes proper slide structure, clear headings, readable fonts, and alternative text for images.

• Review the Accessibility Checklist for Microsoft PowerPoint to learn what steps you should take to make your PowerPoint document accessible.
• Consult the Microsoft PowerPoint page for best practices regarding Headings, Lists, Tables, Links, Images, and Color Contrast.
• Utilize Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker to monitor your document as you work.

PDFs

Content creators typically generate PDFs using one of two methods: exporting to PDF or scanning in a PDF. While exported PDFs tend to be more accessible than scanned in PDFs, both present significant accessibility challenges. Making PDFs accessible often requires a significant amount of time, training, and money. For exported documents, consider uploading the original file format to your course. For scanned-in PDFs, consider replacing your document with a more updated source or using a permalink to the UND library.

• Review the Accessibility Checklist for PDFs to learn what steps you should take to make your PDF accessible.
• Consult the PDF page for best practices regarding scanned-in and exported PDFs.
• If you are working with PDFs in Adobe Acrobat, consult our page on PDF tags.
• Utilize Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker to monitor your document as you work.

Ally

Blackboard Ally scans your new and existing course content, and then it provides you an overall accessibility score. In addition to providing this score, it also offers robust help for specific issues in different document types. For most issues, you will need to download your document in its original program (Word, PowerPoint, etc.) to make the suggested changes. Then, you will need to re-upload it to Blackboard.

• Learn more about Ally Scoring.
• Access your Course Accessibility Report.
• Check your Individual Document Ally Score

Blackboard Ultra

Bypass the document upload process and build documents directly in Blackboard Ultra. Documents built directly in Ultra allow you to utilize the Ultra Accessibility Checker to scan for accessibility issues. Streamline the process by making changes directly in the document.

• Review the Accessibility Checklist for Blackboard Ultra.
• Check out the Blackboard Help Center for guidance on Creating Content in Blackboard Ultra.  

YuJa Videos

All students, faculty, and staff have access to a personal YuJa account, allowing them to host video content and record video lectures for curriculum use. YuJa automatically applies various accessibility features to videos upon upload, with options for further modifications to enhance accessibility.

• Learn how to generate captions in YuJa.
• Automatically generate transcripts in YuJa.
• Explore the Media Player in YuJa.