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Document Remediation

It is everyone’s responsibility to meet the requirements of the Federal Law (WCAG 2.1, Level AA).

Documents in course sites

Documents used in course sites can be checked for compliance using YuJa Panorama in Canvas. Canvas site owners must follow the remediation steps in the accessibility report.

Verify using authoring tools

Other documents can be verified directly in authoring tools, for example:

  • Microsoft Word shows accessibility status in the bottom toolbar.
  • Adobe Acrobat Pro includes a “Prepare for accessibility” tool (under “All Tools”).

DocumentA11y: remediation service

For documents that cannot be remediated using these methods, UMass has an agreement with CoVantage DocumentA11y at a per-page cost:

  1. Review the UMass guides to prepare your documents.
  2. Create an account and select your department (for example, Academic Affairs for faculty documents).
  3. The requester receives a quote.
  4. The department administrator reviews and approves the request.
  5. Documents are remediated by the service.
  6. The requester processes payment for the service.

Eligible documents for DocumentA11y remediation

  • Web forms that support university business processes.
  • Documents required to be distributed in document format due to regulatory, accreditation, or legal requirements.

Not eligible for DocumentA11y remediation

  • Documents that violate copyright.
  • Documents that meet the exception criteria.
  • Scanned books and articles.

Training

  • CITS offers training for YuJa Panorama (integrated into Canvas), which assists with accessibility remediation of course content as well as accessibility tools across platforms such as Word, Adobe, and TerminalFour.
  • Digital Accessibility Training is an asynchronous training program that covers the basics of web accessibility for anyone who edits, manages or contributes to university websites.

Resources

Working with accessible documents

When documents are necessary, they must be designed with accessibility in mind. Explore the resources below for guidance on creating and remediating PDFs, Word documents, spreadsheets, and presentations that meet accessibility standards.