FAQs

Why should I strive for digital accessibility?

It is the right thing to do. Adhering to our web accessibility guidelines ensures that our students, faculty, staff, and campus community can access content online in a way that is equitable regardless of a person’s differing abilities.

It’s a legal obligation. The expectation that online content be accessible is not new; the college as a place of public accommodation  has an obligation to make its programs, course content, events, etc., accessible, which includes online content.

What fonts are the most accessible?

The most accessible fonts are Tahoma, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman. Slab serif fonts including Arvo, Museo Slab, and Rockwell are also considered to be accessible. These font types are mostly used in headings rather than the body text.

How do I check to see if the colors I am using are accessible?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define the different levels of contrast ratios depending on the level of success criteria. Below is helpful information for comparing the results from our tool to the level of success criteria you hope to achieve.

  • WCAG 2.0 level AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
  • WCAG 2.1 requires a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 for graphics and user interface components.

You can download a free Color Contrast Checker from TPGI 

Do I provide a transcript for a voice-annotated PowerPoint?

Yes. The narrator should describe all visual content audibly as they would in a normal presentation and provide an annotated transcript for the narration that contains all spoken content and note when each slide appears or when an animation activates.

How can I find training on D2L and digital accessibility?

The Center for Teaching for Learning (CTL) has created an in-depth training on your D2L platform called D2L Certification Course. The course covers everything you need to know on D2L and has many tips to get you started on creating accessible documents. 

Where can I find Ally training?

A variety of Ally resources can be found on the Resources page of this website. 

What screen reader do we use and how does it work?

Northeast State uses Read&Write as their preferred screen reader. This is a free program and will work across platforms. There is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to use Read&Write with PDFs that is available for download

I am using resources from a publisher and they are not digitally accessible. What can I do?

If you are using PowerPoints or other resources from your textbook publisher and they are not passing the Ally accessibility test, then contact the publishers representative to get accessible resources.  Tennessee Board of Regents also has a list of  Accessible Instructional Materials and Technology Conformance.

Is an auto-generated caption/transcript sufficient for accessibility?

No. Most automated caption/transcripts have errors from dialect, or specific technical language. For the captions/transcripts to meet the standard of accessibility, you must edit the auto-generated captions/transcripts.
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