Tools for Digital Accessibility
Resources to ensure accessible content
No one person can determine if something is completely accessible just by looking at it. That's why the University Marketing Web Development team uses a number of tools, including both desktop apps and web browser plugins, to measure accessibility, quality assurance, and other key indicators.
Content enhancing features
Immersive Reader
Microsoft's Immersive Reader supports users who benefit from text-to-speech, adjustable spacing, enhanced focus, or simplified page views.
Available in:
- Word
- Outlook
- OneNote
- Teams
To activate this function:
- Go to View > Immersive Reader.
- Use Read Aloud to listen to your content and identify are
Microsoft Dictation
Microsoft's Dictation feature allows speech-to-text so users can create content without typing. Voice commands and automatic punctuation allow the user to create content with ease. Although this feature is not for testing accessibility, it can be beneficial for those users with limited mobility or vision.
Available in:
- Word
- Outlook
- OneNote
- Powerpoint
To access this feature, find the Dictate button in your app's ribbon. If using Outlook, you may need to create a new Message first and click into the body of the message. The Dictate button will then be located on the ribbon for you to click.
Automatic alt text
This Microsoft function uses automation to apply machine-generated descriptions to images. This can be a time-saver if your content includes many images, but the alt text should always be reviewed for accuracy.
Available in:
- Word
- Powerpoint
To utilize this feature, right-click your image and click View alt text or Add alternate text in the dialog box. In the window that pops up, you are able to enter in your own alt text or click Generate alt text for me.
Screen readers
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a built-in screen reader for Apple devices (eg. iPhone, iPad, Macs, Apple Watch, etc). You can use Siri to enable VoiceOver by saying, "Turn on VoiceOver," or go to your device's system settings.
Microsoft Narrator
Narrator is the built-in screen-reader for Microsoft products. You can customize this product but installing "natural" voices to make listening easier. To start Narrator, pres sthe Windows logo key + CTL + Enter.
JAWS (Job Access with Speech)
JAWS is a very popular screen reader available to Windows users. There are both paid and free versions of this screen reader. Once installed, JAWS can typically be enabled by pressing CTL + the Windows key + Enter.
Review JAWS hotkeys (also known as keyboard shortcuts)
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
NVDA is an open-source platform available for Windows. NVDA's creators, who met as children at a camp for the blind, believe that everyone deserves access to computers. Once downloaded, the program can be started by pressing CTL + ALT + N.
Accessibility checkers
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Although most PDFs can and should be converted into web content, there are exceptions to every rule, and occasionally a document needs to be hosted online or shared. To ensure accessibility, a remediator should be used on the document, until a tool is available for the university, you can use the Adobe Accessibility Checker to start the process. To start the checker, open your pdf, and click Check for accessibility in the left panel. From the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, select the options and then select Start checking.
Microsoft Accessibility Checker
- available in:
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Powerpoint
This tool identifies problems such as missing alt text, inconsistent structure, low contrast, and navigation issues. It also explains why each issue matters and suggests actionable fixers. Once turned on, the Accessibility Checker tool can run in the background and alert you if issues appear while you're working. It will scan the document and flags issues categorized as:
- Errors: Content that is impossible for some users to access.
- Warnings: Content that may be difficult to access.
- Tips: Suggestions to improve usability. (Each issue includes an explanation and recommended fix.)
How to run the Accessibility Checker
- Go to Review on the ribbon.
- Select Check Accessibility.
- In some older versions: File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility.
- Review flagged items in the Accessibility pane.
- Apply suggested fixes and recheck your document as needed.
Qualtrics' checkers
Available in: Qualtrics forms
Check survey accessibility
This tool automatically scans your survey for common issues and flags items such as inaccessible question types and poor configuration and suggests fixes for missing question number, ambiguous titles, etc.
Go to the Survey tab, click Tools, then Review, and select Check Survey Accessibility to see a report with actionable suggestions and jump to problem areas for fixes like adding alt text, adjusting color contrast, or clarifying question text.
ExpertReview function
The ExpertReview function in Qualtrics is more of a quality assurance checker, rather than an accessibility checker. However, by providing a quality user experience, the higher the chances are that your survey will be accessible.
SiteImprove
SiteImprove is a software platform that helps improve web accessibility as well as SEO. Similar to SEO META in 1 click, it can be found on Google Chrome as a plugin that can be used to scan your webpage(s) to identify accessibility and SEO issues such as size requirements, code issues, improper structure heading and more.
WAVE Evaluation Tool
The WAVE evaluation tool is a comprehensive plugin that allows for testing directly within your browser. Once installed and enabled in your browser, it provides visual indicators directly onto your page, giving a clear idea of errors in contrast, structure, missing alt text and more.
SEO (Search engine optimization) and metadata information
SEO META in 1 Click
A free plugin on Google Chrome, SEO-META in 1 Click displays meta and SEO information clearly so that your page(s) can easily be found on the web. This plugin for your browser helps make sure you proper heading structure, that your images have alt text, and even ensures your links are all unique.