K-State Accessibility Checklist

Checklist Information

• This checklist was last updated on May 2, 2025.

Preparing for Accommodations

• I have planned to adjust response time if needed per a letter of accommodation for any timed actions (such as quizzes).
• I have chosen materials from publishers, websites, journals, and other media repositories that are accessible.

Text Formatting, Writing Style, and Document Structure

• Text uses the preset “styles” to apply headers in documents and pages created in Canvas or Word
• Text uses consistent style types, headings, sizes, and orientations throughout the course (hint: consider using the preset “Styles” feature for both plain text and headings)
• Ornate fonts are not used (hint: use sans serif fonts like Veranda and Arial)
• No fonts are smaller than 12-point font.
• Color and highlighting are not the only means of providing information, important words are also bolded when necessary.
• Acronyms and abbreviations are spelled out the first time they are used (screen readers pronounce these as single words)
• All Word documents have been made accessible
• Word files have only been saved as PDFs when necessary
• Scanned PDFs have been OCRed (i.e. all words can be individually highlighted with a cursor). When in doubt, content should be made into Canvas content whenever possible.
• Links have meaningful descriptive text (hint: use “Insert Hyperlink” feature for “K-State Homepage" rather than https://k-state.edu).

Audio and Video

• Video files you have created have been put into Mediasite (K-State’s licensed video management tool) and the automatic captions have been edited for spelling, grammar, and mechanics.
• If external videos are necessary (e.g. YouTube, Vimeo), they have been selected to include high quality captions that are accurate and free of errors.
• Written transcripts have been provided for all audio-only files
• When visual information is critical to comprehension and is not described in the narration of a video, audio or textual descriptions have been added to the files in Mediasite
• Flickering text, animations, and gifs are not used

Images, Charts, and Visual Elements

• ALT tags (alternative text) has been added to all visual elements including charts, graphs, mathematical/scientific notations, images, figures, etc. If the image is only decorative, it has been marked as such.
• Extended descriptions have been provided for all complex images, including charts, graphs, mathematical/scientific notation, figures, etc. in the text above the content.
• Color combinations provide sufficient contrast between foreground and background.

Tables and Spreadsheets

• All tables have row and column headings.
• Tables have no empty cells (hint: use “n/a” when necessary)
• Tables are free of merged cells as screen readers are not able to make sense of these.
• Excel worksheets are appropriately labelled (not just Sheet 1 or Sheet 2)

PowerPoint

• PowerPoint slides have simple layouts and avoid busy, themed backgrounds. Slides use the slide layout format provided in the software.
• The content of the slides has been organized in a logical structure.
• The slide deck has been reviewed for accessibility and the reading order set.
• Narrated PowerPoint presentations have been put into Mediasite and automatic captions have been edited.