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Open Educational Resources and Zero-Cost Learning

General syllabus accessiblity tips

A few key Word Document accessibility points:

  • For printed text, serif fonts such as Times and Times New Roman are regarded as the most readable font family.
  • Use 12 point or larger.
  • Give documents descriptive titles.
  • Use the built in styles to structure and organize your document.
  • Use built-in headings.
  • Use built-in lists for related items.
  • Use page layout/columns to create columns, do not use tabs or spaces to create columns.
  • Use tables to display data, not for layout. Keep tables simple.
  • Use alternative text (alt-text) for images, tables, charts and graphs you include in your document so they are “visible” to everyone. 
  • For complex tables and charts provide a detailed transcript.
  • Use descriptive text for links, don’t use  “click here” or “more”
  • Include a table of contents for long documents (Word can generate if you use styles).
  • Be cautious as to the colors you choose.
  • Provide sufficient color contrast.
  • Don’t use color as the sole way you relay information.
  • Check how document looks for colorblind individuals.

Checklist to create accessible syllabus

This is a broad checklist of things to think about in your creation of an accessible course.

Instructions on Creating Accessible Word & PDF

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