Digital Accessibility at PCOM | Resources and Best Practices
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Digital Accessibility 
Resources and Best Practices

Digital accessibility helps ensure that all individuals, including those with disabilities, have equal access to digital resources and services.

Accessible digital content enables:

  • Individuals who are blind or have low vision to use screen readers or magnification tools effectively.
  • People with hearing impairments to fully engage with audio and video content through captions and transcripts.
  • Users with physical disabilities to navigate digital resources using keyboard shortcuts or alternative input methods.
  • People with learning disabilities, like dyslexia, to better interact with content through enhanced readability and supportive software.

Accessibility also improves usability for those accessing content via mobile devices, slow internet connections, or in busy environments.

We are committed to ensuring that our digital environment is accessible to all, including individuals with disabilities. We believe that digital accessibility is essential for fostering fairness and equal opportunity for all members of our community. We aim to create web content that is usable, navigable, and meaningful for everyone, regardless of ability. We strive to meet or exceed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA) to ensure our website supports the diverse needs of our users. By prioritizing accessibility, we align with our core values of providing equal access to information and services for all students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

By following these best practices, you can ensure your content is accessible to a wider audience, including those with disabilities, enhancing the overall user experience.

1. Use Plain and Clear Language

Avoid jargon, idioms, and acronyms. Use concise, direct, and logically organized language that can be easily understood by a wide audience, including people with cognitive disabilities and those using screen readers.

2. Headings and Structure

Use proper heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) to structure your content. This helps users, especially those using screen readers, navigate and understand the document’s hierarchy.

3. Fonts

Choose clear and readable fonts (e.g., Arial, Tahoma, Verdana). Avoid decorative fonts that might be hard to read for users with visual impairments.

4. Color Contrast

Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background (following WCAG guidelines). This helps users with low vision or color blindness differentiate content. Additionally, don't rely on color alone to convey meaning. For example, use both color and text or shapes to differentiate buttons and other interactive elements.

5. Lists

Use list styles for any content that needs to be presented as a list. This makes the document scannable and tells screen readers that the items are related.

6. Tables

Create tables that can be read row-by-row by screen readers. Use clear headers and avoid merging cells to ensure the table is accessible.

7. Descriptive Links

Make link text descriptive and avoid using “click here.” Links should indicate what will happen when clicked, such as “explore our social programs.”

8. Alternative Text (Alt Text)

Provide descriptive alt text for all meaningful images. Don’t just say “image of”; describe the image’s content and purpose in the document. And offer accessible text descriptions for multimedia content like video, including descriptions of non-text content.

9. Transcripts and Captions

Provide transcripts for audio content and captions for videos to ensure accessibility for users with hearing impairments.

10. Regular Accessibility Checks

  • Manual Review: Ensure that all interactive elements (links, forms, buttons) are reachable and usable by keyboard alone, without the need for a mouse. WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) offers a comprehensive overview of keyboard accessibility.
  • Test with Screen Readers: Helps identify usability barriers, ensuring that people who rely on these assistive technologies can effectively navigate and understand your digital resources.
  • Accessibility Tools: Use free accessibility checkers to quickly reveal potential issues.

11. Archive and Maintenance

Periodically review and remove outdated content. Alternatively, you can clearly label outdated content as "Archived."

12. Ask for Help

If you need assistance, please reach out to Laura Lachin (ITS Accessibility Coordinator) at laurala1@pcom.edu for support with digital accessibility preparation.

For further assistance and background on accessibility, connect with the Equal Opportunity and Access Team: Alina Torres-Zickler (Equal Opportunity and Access Manager, Title IX Coordinator - alinato@pcom.edu) and Kimberly Lopez (Equal Opportunity and Access Coordinator - kimberllo@pcom.edu).

 

Alt Text Generators

Color Contrast

Screen Readers

Accessibility Checker

WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool: This free tool will analyze your webpages and offer a summary of any potential accessibility issues.

Email Messages

Accessible Design

Accessibility applies to more than just webpages—documents hosted on pcom.edu must also meet accessibility standards. Following the steps in the Best Practices for Content Creation section will help ensure your documents are inclusive and user-friendly.

If you have documents on pcom.edu that were created without accessibility in mind, now is the time to review and update them. While the web team works to remediate as many documents as possible, it is far more efficient to design documents with accessibility built in from the start.

To streamline this process, it's recommended to create your documents in Microsoft Word and then convert them to PDF. Be sure to review the accessibility guidelines and tutorials available and make use of tools that support accessible document design.

Accessibility Checkers

Guidelines and Tutorials