OEP Accessibility Guide

Slide titles help students and assistive technology users navigate your presentation.

What to Do

Add a Visible Title

1. Select Home > Layout.
2. Choose a layout that includes a title placeholder, or insert a text box at the top of the slide to serve as the title.

Add a Hidden Title

If a visible title does not fit your design:

1. Add a title placeholder or text box with the slide title.
2. Position the title just outside the visible slide area so it is not seen during presentation mode but remains available to assistive technology.

Best Practices

• Use descriptive slide titles.
• Make each title unique.
• Avoid multiple slides named “Overview.”

What to Do

• Right-click the image.
• Select View Alt Text.
• Enter a concise description.
• Mark decorative images as decorative.

Best Practices

• Focus on information relevant to learning.
• Keep descriptions concise.
• Avoid starting with “Image of” or “Picture of.”
• Review AI-generated alt text from Qualified Health (external link) or Copilot (external link) for accuracy and relevance before approving it.

What to Do

• Select Review > Check Accessibility.
• Open the Reading Order Pane.
• Review the order in which slide content will be read.
• Use Sort by Column to arrange content from top to bottom.
• Use Sort by Row to arrange content from left to right.
• If needed, manually rearrange items in the Reading Order Pane.
• Check that all meaningful content is included and decorative items are marked as decorative.

Best Practices

• Arrange content in the order you want students to experience it.
• Review complex slides carefully, especially slides with multiple columns, tables, charts, or text boxes.
• Check the reading order after making changes to the slide layout.

What to Do

• Add a clear, descriptive title or heading for the table.
• Use the first row as header cells when appropriate.
• Keep the table structure simple and consistent.
• Make sure information is presented in a logical reading order.
• Avoid using merged or split cells when possible.
• Add alt text to the table when needed to provide important context.

Best Practices

• Use tables to organize data, not to create page layouts.
• Keep tables as simple as possible.
• Make sure column and row headers clearly describe the information in the table.
• Avoid unnecessary blank rows or columns.
• Check that the table can be understood when read from left to right and top to bottom.

What to Do

• Highlight heading text.
• Select the Home tab.
• Apply a built-in Heading style.
• Use headings in sequential order.

Best Practices

• Heading 1 for major sections.
• Heading 2 for subsections.
• Don’t create headings by only changing font size or bolding text.

What to Do

• Highlight the list items.
• Select Bullets or Numbering.
• Avoid manually typing dashes or numbers.

Best Practices

• Use built-in list tools.
• Use numbered lists when sequence matters.

What to Do

• Right-click the image.
• Select View Alt Text.
• Enter a concise description.
• Mark decorative images appropriately.

Best Practices

• Describe educationally relevant information.
• Keep descriptions brief and meaningful.
• Review AI-generated alt text from Qualified Health (external link) or Copilot (external link) for accuracy and relevance before approving it.

What to Do

• Select the table.
• Open Table Design.
• Enable Header Row.
• Add meaningful column headings.
• Keep the table structure simple and consistent.

Best Practices

• Use tables to organize data, not to create page layouts.
• Keep tables as simple as possible.
• Use clear headings that describe the information in each column or row.
• Avoid merged or split cells whenever possible.
• Avoid unnecessary blank rows or columns.

CampusMind is provided by UTHealth. It leverages AI to make PDF files accessible and compliant with WCAG standards, and each page processed incurs a cost to the university, approximately $0.10 per page.

What to Do

• Request a CampusMind account through ServiceNow (external link).
• Sign in to the CampusMind Accessibility site (external link).
• Open the Accessibility area and upload your PDF.
• Review the available remediation options and select the one that best fits your document.
• Run the remediation.
• Return to the dashboard to monitor the status.
• When the remediation is complete, review the remediated PDF and comparison or output results.
• Download the remediated PDF and remediation report when available.

Best Practices

• Start with one PDF at a time while learning the CampusMind workflow.
• Review the remediated PDF before considering it final.
• Compare the remediated file with the original to make sure content and formatting are correct.
• If a document contains highly sensitive information, confirm your department’s approved process for handling that information before uploading it.
• Once you are comfortable with the process, you can use the bulk upload option for multiple files.

What to Do

• Create an accessible Word or PowerPoint file first.
• Export the file to PDF.
• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Run the Accessibility Check.
• Review and correct any identified issues.
• Manually review the PDF to verify that content is accessible and in a logical reading order.

Best Practices

• Accessibility starts in the original document.
• Check the PDF after exporting to make sure accessibility features were preserved.
• Use the Accessibility Check as a starting point, but don’t rely on it to identify every accessibility issue.
• Don’t wait until the PDF is created to address accessibility issues.

What to Do

• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
• Select File > Properties.
• Enter a title in the Title field.
• Save the PDF.

Best Practices

• Use a meaningful title that identifies the document and its purpose.
• Make sure the document title is different from the file name when appropriate.

What to Do

• Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
• Open the Tags panel.
• Review the tag structure and confirm that meaningful content is tagged.
• If tags are missing or incorrect, use Acrobat’s accessibility tools to add or correct them.
• Review the tag order to make sure it follows the logical reading order of the document.

Best Practices

• Tagged PDFs provide structure that helps screen readers interpret document content.
• Verify that headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and other meaningful content are tagged appropriately.
• Don’t assume a PDF is accessible just because it has tags; review the tag structure and reading order.

What to Do

• Upload or provide the image to Copilot (external link) or Qualified Health (external link).
• Ask the tool to generate a concise alt text description.
• Review the generated alt text for accuracy and relevance.
• Ask yourself: “What information would students miss if this image disappeared?”
• Edit the alt text to include important information students need for learning.
• Approve the alt text only after you have reviewed it.

Best Practices

• Focus on information relevant to the learning objectives.
• Be concise and specific.
• Make sure the description accurately reflects the image and its purpose.
• Avoid starting with “Image of” or “Picture of.”
• Mark decorative images as decorative.
• Do not approve AI-generated alt text without reviewing it first.

Example

• Good: Histology slide showing villi and crypts of the small intestine.
• Poor: Picture of tissue.

What to Do

• Use dark text on light backgrounds whenever possible.
• Avoid light gray text.
• Test color combinations using a contrast checker.
• Increase contrast when readability is questionable.

Best Practices

• Black text on white backgrounds.
• Dark blue on white backgrounds.
• Avoid
  • Yellow text on white backgrounds.
  • Light gray text on white backgrounds.

What to Do

• Use descriptive link text that tells students where the link goes or what it does.
• Ask: “If a student heard only this link, would they know where it goes?”
• Replace vague link text such as “Click Here” with a clear description of the destination.

Best Practices

• Describe the destination or purpose of the link.
• Include keywords from the destination page when helpful.
• Make link text meaningful when read on its own.

Example

• Good Example: View the Canvas Accessibility Guide
• Bad Example: Click Here

What to Do

• Use plain language when possible.
• Break up long paragraphs.
• Use headings and lists.
• Avoid excessive jargon when not instructionally necessary.

Best Practices

• One idea per paragraph.
• Use white space effectively.

What to Do

• Use common, easy-to-read fonts.

Recommended Fonts

• Aptos
• Calibri
• Arial
• Verdana

Best Practices

• Avoid decorative fonts.
• Maintain consistent font usage.

Word Documents

• 11-12 pt minimum for body text

PowerPoint

• 24 pt minimum for body text
• 32 pt or larger preferred

Best Practices

Larger text improves readability for everyone.