Digital Accessibility | Waubonsee Community College

Tips for Creating Accessible Content

Accessible content makes it easier for everyone to read, access, and can help improve overall quality and usability. These are some simple adjustments to help create more accessible content. You can also use the Ally File Transformer to convert existing course files into alternative formats.

Use an adequate font size.

Typically a font size of at least 12 pixels (9 points) ensures that text will remain legible and display properly on most devices.

Be careful not to confuse pixels (px) with points (pt)! Many document editors such as Word, default to using the point system for selecting font sizes. Points are measured as a fraction of one inch (1/72) whereas pixels are equal to the smallest division of a digital display. A 1px font size is roughly equivalent to .75pt.

webSemantics has an excellent resource page with detailed information about font sizes and conversions.

Point

8pt: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
10pt: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
12pt: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
14pt: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
18pt: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Pixels

8px: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
10px: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
12px: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
14px: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.
18px: The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

Have sufficient contrast between text and backgrounds.

Color contrast ratios range from 1 - 21:1. Low contrast can cause text to be difficult to read, especially for individuals with low vision, poor eyesight, or color blindness. Text with a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 is preferred for legibility.

Black text on a white background has a ratio of 21:1

Blue text on a white background has a ratio of 8.59:1

Yellow text on a white background has a ratio of 1.07:1

Two great tools for checking contrast are

WebAIM Color Contrast Checker
CCA Colour Contrast Analyser

ColorZilla is a helpful browser plugin that assists with color related tasks. It is available for both Chrome and Firefox:

Properly utilize heading styles.

Add alternative text to images.

Accessibility is a Value

Presentation Video

Presentation Slides

Presented by:

Emily Hinton, Access Center for Disability Resources Manager
Zach Petrea, Professor of English, Heartland Community College

Accessible Content for You and Me

Presented by:

Dr. Hoitung Leung, Instructional Designer and Technologist
Daniel Rische, Senior Access Center Specialist

Creating Accessible Content

Presented by:

Dr. Hoitung Leung, Instructional Designer and Technologist
Daniel Rische, Senior Access Center Specialist

Digital Accessibility at Waubonsee

Fall 2019

Fall 2021

Ally

Ally is a tool integrated into Waubonsee's Learning Management System. Ally automatically creates alternative formats for files and provides insight for how existing files can be made more accessible. More information is available on the Ally page.

Accessibility Resources

Accessible Syllabus Template
Assistive Technology
Formal Student Referral Form for Access Center
Accessibility in Canvas Checklist (Word Document)
Creating Accessible Canvas Content (Word Document)
Accessible Electronic Documents (Word Document)
QM Resource: Address Accessibility Challenges with AURS

The Office of Faculty Development and Engagement Accessibility Statement

The Office of Faculty Development and Engagement is committed to ensuring accessibility of its website for all users; we strive to maintain compliance with web content accessibility guidelines.

We understand that accessibility is an ongoing effort, and we are committed to improving the accessibility of facultydae.waubonsee.edu. We are actively working to ensure that all users can access the information they need on this site.

If you have any difficulty accessing our website or have suggestions for improving accessibility, please contact us at facultydae@waubonsee.edu.