Conclusion

Put this training into action right away.

Apply what you’ve learned to evaluate the webpages and documents you create, edit, or upload. Correct accessibility issues as you find them, and make inclusive choices when building new content.

Things to consider

Before sharing anything digitally (documents, emails, webpages, etc), the following items should be verified:

All words are spelled correctly and grammar is accurate.
Links function as expected and are written for accessibility.
The page appropriately uses headers and they are in the correct reading order.
University formatting styles have been followed.
Images have alt text assigned to them or have been marked as "decorative", and have been added to webpages using T4's blue "Select media" button and not the html editor.
Take note of the number of documents used on your webpage and ensure they are accessible.

Explore additional training opportunities.

W3C, the Web Accessibility Initiative, offers some courses on various accessibility topics. Additionally, LinkedIn Learning, which is available to all UMass Dartmouth employees (using your SSO credentials), offers many courses such as:

Utilize tools to audit your site.

Use the resources you've learned about in this training to advise you on making your content accessible. Use a screen reader to listen to your presentation - does the reading order make sense? Is your chrome SEO plugin skipping paragraphs because you're not using headings properly? These tools will better help you determine how some of your audience may consume your subject matter.

Many of apps and plugins can be found on their sites, the Chrome Web Store, Firefox Add-ons page, or in the Safari Extensions page.

Thank you for joining UMass Dartmouth’s commitment to digital accessibility.

Your efforts help ensure that everyone — students, faculty, staff, and visitors — can fully engage with our online content. There are many ways you can continue this important work.

If you have questions on your results or need help identifying opportunities to make your webpages and documents stronger, contact the university webteam to schedule a meeting.

Share what you’ve learned. Talking about digital accessibility with your colleagues raises awareness and helps make inclusive design a shared priority across campus. Even small conversations can lead to big improvements.

No matter what steps you take next, the university webteam is here to support you. Thank you for helping us create a more accessible digital campus for everyone.