Digital Accessibility (a11y) Resource Hub

"A11y" is shorthand for "accessibility", with "11" representing the letters between 'a' and 'y.' In tech, it refers to designing websites, apps, and digital content for all users, including those with disabilities.

Ensuring digital accessibility is essential for inclusivity and compliance with federal regulations and WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. We encourage all VCSU employees to follow a11y best practices to create an accessible online environment.

Explore our resources to enhance accessibility skills, whether you're a beginner or looking to improve. Start making content that everyone can access and enjoy!

Federal Resources:

Read about Section 508 IT Accessibility and the criteria required to meet digital accessibility compliance.

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 - U.S. government IT accessibility standards.
W3C Web Accessibility - Guidelines, tools, and best practices for web accessibility.
WCAG 2.1 AA Standards - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by W3C.

VCSU Passport Experience:

The Passport Experience helps us understand and simulate accessibility barriers.

Vision Passport - Simulating vision impairments.
Hearing Passport - Understanding challenges for users with hearing impairments.
Learning Difficulty Disorder - Navigating digital content with cognitive impairments.

Core Topics:

Key accessibility topics to help create inclusive digital content:

Core Topic: Digital Accessibility - Ensuring all digital content is accessible.
Core Topic: Alt (alternative) Text - Writing effective descriptions for images.
Core Topic: Structure and Headings - Using proper heading structures for readability and navigation.

Toolkits: NEW!

Digital A11y Toolkit - Tools and software recommended by VCSU to create accessible content.
WebAim Tools - Resources for document, web, and multimedia accessibility.

Checklists: NEW!

These downloadable checklists help make emails, documents, and presentations clear, accessible, and easy to use.

Guidelines:

Headings:

Using headings properly improves navigation and screen reader accessibility.

Image Descriptions - Alternative Text (Alt Text):

Creating effective alt text ensures that images are accessible to people with vision impairments who rely on screen readers.

Descriptive Links:

Link text should be clear, descriptive, and meaningful.

Link Text and Appearance (WebAIM)

PDFs:

Ensuring PDFs are accessible requires tagging, alt text, and proper structure.

Tables and Data Accessibility:

Tables should be structured properly to be accessible to screen readers.

Video Captions and Text Transcriptions:

Captions and transcripts enhance accessibility for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Color and Contrast Accessibility:

Text and background colors must have sufficient contrast to be readable by all users.

Related resources:

National Center on Accessible Educational Materials

New to WCAG? That's OK! Check out this short video from Silktide:

For more information or to schedule training, please contact:

Debbie Dramstad

Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC)

Web Accessibility and Applications Specialist

Technology Services

debra.dramstad@vcsu.edu