Accessibility
Let’s Discuss Accessibility
Creating accessible digital learning environments is essential to ensuring that all students can fully participate and succeed. Accessibility is not just a compliance measure, it’s a commitment to equity and inclusive excellence. Below is a practical checklist to help you design learning experiences that meet accessibility standards from the start.
Accessibility at Merced College
Accessibility Tools
- Use PopeTech Accessibility Tools to help make your Canvas course materials accessible
- Use Panorma (Yuja) for accessibility reports and overall accessibility of your Canvas course or files –
- Instructors: Getting Started with Panorama for Instructors – YuJa Help Center
- Students – Getting Started with YuJa Panorama for Students – YuJa Help Center
- Contact [email protected] for Staff to request access to Yuja to upload/ fix/ and download accessible documents.
- We also have access to Ally for Canvas (Ally access will expire June 2026)
Quick-Check for Course Materials
Use the following checklist to ensure your materials meet essential accessibility guidelines:
Headings & Structure
- Use consistent heading styles (H1, H2, H3, etc.) for clear navigation.
- Avoid using bold, italics, or color in place of proper heading styles.
- Ensure headings are properly nested and reflect a logical content flow.
Page Layout & Chunking
- Break content into sections using meaningful headings or page breaks.
- Avoid walls of text by chunking content after ¾ page or as needed for clarity.
Links & Lists
- Embed links within descriptive text (e.g., Explore our support center rather than showing full URLs).
- Use built-in bullet or numbered list tools—avoid manual formatting.
Color & Visual Emphasis
- Ensure strong color contrast between text and background.
- Do not use color alone to convey meaning, indicate action, or emphasize text.
Images & Media
- Provide accurate and meaningful alt text for all images.
- Avoid using “image of” or file extensions in descriptions.
- Tag banners appropriately; avoid using decorative images without purpose.
Tables
- Identify column and/or row headers so screen readers read in the correct order.
- Include table captions for clarity and context.
Hyperlinks & Text
- Reserve underlining for links only—avoid underlining for emphasis.
Slides & Presentations
- Use accessible slide templates with unique titles on each slide.
- Ensure content is visible in “Outline View” for screen reader compatibility.
Multimedia Content
- Caption all videos accurately (not auto-generated only).
- Provide transcripts for audio files.
- Disable auto-play on all media content.
- Avoid flashing, blinking, or moving content that may trigger sensitivity issues.