Digital Accessibility: Accessibility Checkers

Overview

Accessibility checkers are powerful tools that help ensure digital content is inclusive and usable by individuals with disabilities. Many commonly used platforms, such as Canvas, Microsoft Word, and Adobe Acrobat, include built-in accessibility checkers that quickly identify and resolve accessibility issues.

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Step-By-Step Guide

Why Use Built-in Accessibility Checkers?

Built-in accessibility checkers are essential for maintaining accessible digital content because they:

  • Quickly identify common accessibility issues such as missing alt text, skipped heading levels, and improper table structures.
  • Save time by allowing you to fix problems before they become barriers.
  • Improve usability for all users, not just individuals with disabilities.

However, accessibility checkers do have limitations:

  • They cannot guarantee full accessibility, human judgment is needed for certain elements.
  • They do not assess meaningfulness of alternative text or proper table use.

Accessibility Checkers in Canvas

Canvas includes a built-in accessibility checker to help improve course content.

How to Use the Accessibility Checker in Canvas:

  1. Navigate to your content (Pages or Assignments).
  2. Click Edit to modify the content.
  3. Locate the Accessibility Checker icon (a person within a circle at the bottom of the editor).
  4. Review flagged issues, which will appear in a panel on the right.
  5. Follow prompts to fix issues, such as:
    • Skipping heading levels → Convert bold text to proper headings.
    • Image alt text issues → Provide meaningful descriptions.
    • Tables missing captions → Add a short caption explaining the table’s purpose.
  6. Apply all fixes and Save changes.

If no number appears next to the checker, no issues were detected. However, always manually review content for additional improvements.

Accessibility Checkers in Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word provides an accessibility checker to review documents for potential barriers.

How to Use the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word:

  1. Open your Word document in OneDrive, Teams, or locally.
  2. Go to the Review tab and select Check Accessibility.
  3. The Accessibility Checker panel will open on the right side, listing detected issues.
  4. Review flagged issues, such as:
    • Missing alternative text - Add meaningful descriptions to images.
    • Decorative images - Mark as decorative if they do not convey essential information.
    • Improper use of shapes and objects - Ensure important visuals are properly described.
    • Hard-to-read text contrast - Adjust colors for better visibility.
  5. Fix issues by following Word’s recommendations, then save the document.

Some design elements, like company logos in headers, may be flagged but can be left unchanged if they do not impact accessibility.

Accessibility Checkers in Adobe Acrobat (PDFs)

Adobe Acrobat offers accessibility checking tools to ensure PDF documents are readable by screen readers and meet accessibility standards.

How to Use the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Acrobat:

  1. Open a PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
  2. Go to the Tools menu and select Prepare for Accessibility.
  3. Click "Check for Accessibility", then Start Checking.
  4. Review flagged issues in the right-hand panel:
    • Logical reading order - Manually check that content flows naturally.
    • Color contrast - Ensure text is readable.
    • Missing document title - Add a meaningful title.
    • Figures missing alternative text - Provide descriptions for charts and images.
  5. Right-click an issue to fix it or mark it as reviewed.
  6. Save the PDF once all issues are addressed.

Some manual checks, such as reading order and contrast, must be verified by a person rather than the automated checker.

Best Practices for Accessibility Checking

  • Regularly run accessibility checks before publishing content.
  • Fix flagged issues using the recommended solutions.
  • Manually verify elements like alternative text and table structures.
  • Avoid vague link text (e.g., use "Engineering Design Process: Steps to Follow" instead of "Click here").
  • Ensure high color contrast for readability.

Support and Resources

If you have questions or need assistance, Mines IT is here to help.

  • Call us: 303-278-HELP (4357)
  • Visit the IT Service Desk: CTLM 156
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