Library Guides: Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources (OER): Home [Updated 2024]

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This guide was created to assist CUNY Librarians, faculty, staff & OER developers create accessible content and accessible Open Educational Resources (OER). On this guide you will find information on:

Creating Accessible Content: Tips on how to create accessible content including, word docs, pdfs, Images, videos, social media posts and other multimedia
Platforms: What OER platforms are accessible? What are the pros and cons of using each platform?
Evaluating your OER site: Determine if your site is accessible and see how to fix issues on your site
VPATs: Voluntary Product Accessibility Template: Collection of VPATs from various vendors to see relevant information on how a vendor’s product or service claims to conform to the Section 508 Standards.

Accessibility Principles (go to page) [Updated 2023]
Learn about the four main principles of accessibility, described by the acronym POUR (perceivable, operable, understandable and robust) and how those principles are reflected in the international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) CUNY follows.
Content covered: Why Accessibility Matters, WCAG, POUR.

Accessibility Best Practices (go to page)
Detailed accessibility best practices information and instructions.
Content covered: Accessibility Best Practices for Titles, Text/Typographical Layout, Headings, Lists, Meaningful Link Text, Alternative Text (alt-text), Videos, Audio, Tables, Color and Color Contrast and Accessibility Design Do's and Don'ts.

Creating Accessible Content (go to page)
How do you make sure the content you are adding to your OER is accessible? What do you need to do to make sure a PDF is accessible? Do you know what "optical character recognition" is when scanning? What is "alt-text" and how do you add it to your images on your OER? What are the best practices when adding images, videos, pdfs, word documents, powerpoints or podcasts? This section will attempt to answer these questions and provide you with some useful information and tools to make sure your content is accessible to as many users as possible.
Content covered: Interactive Activities, EPUBS, Images, Word Documents, PDFs, PodCasts, PowerPoint, Videos and Social Media.

Create Accessible Social Media (go to page) [New 2023]
Social media is used to engage with others, share information and deliver services more quickly and effectively than ever before. If your course is going to use social media as a tool, it is important to make sure the content is accessible to everyone. This section contains helpful tips, real-life examples and best practices to ensure that your social media content is usable and accessible to all.
Content covered: Best practices, hashtags, emoji, memes, ASCII art, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube.

Platform Evaluations (go to page)
Which OER resource platforms are accessible? What are the pros and cons of each platform? How is accessibility different (if it is) between the users version and the creators version? Are there tips/helpful reminders to creators about accessibility issues as they are adding content? Read about how each OER platform meets accessibility standards and what you will have to do to ensure your OER is accessible if you use a specific platform.
Platforms covered: Brightspace, Canvas, Dropbox, ePortfolio (Digication), GitHub, Google Sites, LibGuides (Springshare), Lumen Learning, Manifold Scholarship, MyOpenMath, OER Commons (ISKME), OpenLab, Pressbooks, Scalar and WordPress (.org & .com).

Evaluation Tools (go to page) [Updated 2024]
Is your site accessible? Do all your images have "alt-text"? What is "alt-text"? Can someone who is colorblind see your site? Can someone navigate your OER without using a mouse? Use these tools to determine if your site is accessible and how to fix any issues you find.
Evaluation Tools covered: WAVE, AChecker, aXe: the Accessibility Engine (Deque Systems), tota11y, Nu Html Checker, Accessibility Bookmarklets, Color Contrast Checker, Colorblind Web Page Filter, PDF Accessibility Checker and EPUB Validator (beta).

Search for VPATs (go to page) [Updated 2023]
Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) are one of the tools to see how a electronic resource or platform addresses accessibility. They are filled out by vendors. Search here for a product's VPAT and see is that OER platform accessible? Is that database usable by a person with low vision? Does the vendor check all the PDFs on that OER you are wanting to adopt? A vendor's VPAT will provide this information.

Guide Creator

Amy Wolfe, Accessibility Librarian, MLS, MA

Email Me

Subjects: Accessibility, Open Educational Resources

Disability Statistics

A 2015-2016 survey found nineteen percent of undergraduates and twelve percent of graduates reported having a disability.

View full chapter: Digest of Education Statistics - Chapter 3: Postsecondary Education external link.
View disability table specifically: Table 311.10. Number and percentage distribution of students enrolled in postsecondary institutions, by level, disability status, and selected student characteristics: 2015-16

Citation: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2019). Digest of Education Statistics, 2017 (2018-070)

Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources (OER): Home [Updated 2024]

Accessibility Principles (go to page) [Updated 2023]

Accessibility Best Practices (go to page)

Creating Accessible Content (go to page)

Create Accessible Social Media (go to page) [New 2023]

Platform Evaluations (go to page)

Evaluation Tools (go to page) [Updated 2024]

Search for VPATs (go to page) [Updated 2023]

Guide Creator

Disability Statistics