When we talk about accessibility, the goal is simple: make sure all students can access and engage with your course materials. Some students rely on assistive technologies like screen readers, speech-to-text software, or screen magnifiers to interact with digital content. If a digital file isn’t structured in a way that those tools can interpret, the information may be difficult or impossible for those students to use effectively.

Accessibility is also increasingly important from a compliance perspective. Updated ADA Title II regulations require digital content at public institutions to be accessible, including materials shared through learning management systems like Moodle. This includes the files many instructors use every day, such as Word documents, PowerPoint slides, and PDFs.

The good news is that improving accessibility usually doesn’t require rebuilding your materials from scratch. In most cases, it just means making a few small adjustments when creating or editing your files. Even better, many of the tools you're already using include built-in accessibility checkers that help identify potential issues and guide you through fixes. For example:

• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint include an Accessibility Checker that flags things like missing alt text, unclear headings, or table structure problems.
• Adobe Acrobat provides tools to check and improve the accessibility of PDFs.
• Google Docs and Slides support accessibility through add-ons like Grackle.
• Panorama allows you to remediate text content and files on Moodle and eSpace.

Often, accessible files come down to a few simple best practices, like organizing content with headings, adding alternative text to images, and structuring tables properly. Below is a simple workflow you can use when creating and remediating course files.

A Simple Workflow for Remediating Files

Start with the Accessibility Checker

Open your file in its original program and run the built-in accessibility checker (for example, in Microsoft Word / PowerPoint, select “Review,” then “Check Accessibility”).

The checker will generate a list of potential issues, such as:

• Missing alt text for images
• Missing document headings
• Tables without headers
• Low color contrast

These tools walk you through issues one at a time, making the process much more manageable.

Use Headings to Structure Content

Headings help all readers, including screen reader users, navigate a document. Instead of manually bolding or enlarging text, apply built-in heading styles:

• Heading 1 → Major sections
• Heading 2 → Subsections
• Heading 3 → Subtopics

Add Alternative Text to Images

If your document includes images, charts, or diagrams, add alt text that describes the purpose of the image. Examples:

• Image: Graph showing enrollment growth
• Alt text: Line chart showing enrollment increasing from 10,000 students in 2015 to 14,000 students in 2024.

Without alt text, screen readers simply announce “image,” leaving students without access to the information the image conveys.

Ensure Tables Are Structured Properly

Tables should include a header row, clear column labels, and a simple structure. Screen readers rely on table headers to interpret relationships between rows and columns. View this webpage for more information about table headings.

Use Meaningful Links

• Insert a link instead of writing “click here.”
• Use descriptive links such as “download the APA formatting guide.”

Screen readers often generate lists of links. Descriptive text helps users understand where each link goes and improves overall readability and information scanning for sighted readers.

Export PDFs Carefully

If you convert files to PDFs, accessibility should begin with the original document. A good workflow is:

1. Make the Word or PowerPoint file accessible first.
2. Export the file to PDF.
3. Upload your PDF to Moodle, eSpace or Panorama DocHub and have Panorama scan the file. For full-time faculty, you can run the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker if additional fixes are needed.

Whenever possible, avoid scanned PDFs, which are often unreadable by screen readers. If you have a scanned PDF in your course, you can use Panorama to create an OCR-overlaid PDF, which is more accessible for students. To do so, go to the Moodle course or eSpace where your scanned PDF is stored, click on the Panorama smiley face icon, click on OCR and then select OCR overlaid PDF. After you click OCR overlaid PDF, it will take 5-10 minutes to generate this PDF and then you will be able to download the PDF and upload it to replace the scanned PDF.

When in Doubt, Panorama It Out

In addition to fixing files directly, instructors also have access to an accessibility tool inside Moodle. YuJa Panorama automatically scans course materials for accessibility issues. If you are new to Panorama, please reference the Panorama User Guide. Panorama can analyze:

• Uploaded files (Word, PowerPoint, PDFs)
• Moodle pages and course content
• Common accessibility barriers within course materials

After scanning your course, Panorama generates a Course Accessibility Report showing an overall accessibility score, files and content with accessibility issues, and suggested improvements. In some cases, Panorama can fix issues automatically or generate alternative formats for students. For issues that require manual corrections, Panorama identifies the problem so you can revise the original file and make the necessary changes.

Keep Moving Toward More Accessible Content

Accessibility can feel overwhelming at first, especially if you’re thinking about years of course materials at once. The key thing to remember is that accessibility is a process, not a one-time task. You don’t need to fix everything overnight.

Instead, make improvements as you update your course materials. When you revise a lecture, update slides, or upload a new document, take a moment to run the accessibility checker and address any issues it flags. Small improvements over time can make a big difference.

Tools like the accessibility checkers built into Word, PowerPoint, and Acrobat, along with YuJa Panorama in Moodle, are designed to make this process faster and easier.

Overall, accessibility helps ensure every student can engage with your course materials. The goal isn’t perfection, it’s progress.

References and Resources

• Oakland University Digital Accessibility Webpage
• ADA Title II Compliance QuickStart eSpace

About the Author

Chad Bousley is a Senior Instructional Designer at e-LIS, who helps faculty with online course design, creating interactive activities, and implementing online teaching best practices. Outside of the classroom, Chad enjoys learning foreign languages and playing guitar.

Others may share and adapt under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC.

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