Accessibility Resources
Accessibility Checklists
- Cal Poly Course Accessibility Checklist
- Best Practices for Accessible Workshops and Presentations
- MN.gov Accessibility Quick Cards
- HHS.gov Accessibility Checklists
- Section 508 Video Trainings (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, Web)
- WebAIM Document and Media Accessibility: PowerPoint; Word; Excel; PDF
Canvas and Ally
- Ally: How to create accessible content
- Canvas: Accessibility and Universal Design for All: Cal Poly's support site
- Canvas Guides: How do I use the Accessibility Checker?
- Video: Creating an Accessible Home Page in Canvas
- Canvas Instructor Guide (Links to an external site.): This full guide with step-by-step instructions covers all Canvas features and functions, listed alphabetically for quick access.
Accessible STEM Resources
- Please visit the Accessible STEM Resources webpage.
- STEM Accessibility: This is a self-paced online course created by the California Community Colleges Accessibility Center. This course includes an overview of common STEM accessibility issues, as well as links to software and tools you can use to create accessible STEM content, including math equations, chemistry formulas, and more, in Canvas and Microsoft Word.
- Accessible Math Guide: Mathematics faculty from the North Carolina Community College System Virtual Learning Community developed this guide for higher education instructors.The guide covers authoring accessible math content for Word, EPUB, web, learning management systems, such as Canvas, and more.
Accessible Syllabi
- Cal Poly Accessible Syllabus Template.docx or PDF version: Cal Poly Accessible Syllabus Template.pdf. Sample accessible syllabus to guide the development of your own customized accessible syllabus. Please check with your department for specific syllabus content.
- Cal Poly DRC Sample Syllabus Statements: Cal Poly Disability Resource Center provides sample syllabus statements you may include in your syllabus.
Accessible Documents and Presentations
Helpful resources
- Five Habits for Creating Accessible Word Documents [PDF]
- Creating Accessible PowerPoint [PDF]
- CSU ATI Documents and Multimedia: The CSU Chancellor's Office provides tutorials, checklists and resources to help you create accessible course materials.
- NCDAE Cheatsheets: Find a full list of all versions of Microsoft Office and Adobe products. Screenshot tutorials of accessibility features. Created by the National Center on Disability and Access to Education.
- Find Free Images for Canvas and Presentations [PDF]
A note about PDFs
Please note that at this time the CTLT can help you create accessible documents; however Cal Poly does not have remediation services to fix inaccessible PDFs that were authored by others. If you create a source file for a PDF, such as a Word document, you can fix the Word document to make it accessible, and then save as PDF. The accessibility features will be retained in the PDF. However, if you did not create the original file for an inaccessible PDF, we recommend you do the following:
- Find an alternative resource that is fully accessible
- Check with the Cal Poly Kennedy Library to find an electronic version of your text or resource
- Use SensusAccess if your PDF is a scanned document, to improve readability
Section 508 Accessibility Checklists
Color Contrast Analyzers
- Color Contrast and Font for Accessibility [PDF]
- TPGi Color Contrast Checker: Created by The Paciello Group, now known as TPGi; available for free download to check pass/fail assessment against WCAG 2.0 color contrast success criteria.
- WebAIM Color Contrast Checker: Web-based color contrast checker. Enter color codes to check your contrast ratios.
- WCAG Contrast Checker: Web-based color contrast checker, similar to WebAIM checker above, with more robust features.
Accessible Charts
Accessible Charts: Penn State resource: Charts, graphs and maps are often inaccessible to colorblind users and users of screen readers. See the examples Penn State provides for details on how to make your charts more accessible.
Microsoft Word
- 5 Habits for Creating Accessible Word Documents [PDF] (created by CTLT)
- AED CoP YouTube videos: 3-5 minute videos with instructions to create accessible Word documents; created by the U.S. Department of Transportation
- WebAIM Word Tutorials: Screenshot tutorials to create accessible Word documents for all versions of Word on Mac and PC
- Microsoft: Create Accessible Word Documents: Microsoft Word video tutorials
- Microsoft: Make your Word Documents Accessible: Screenshot tutorials
- Document Accessibility Toolbar (DAT): Created by Vision Australia; free to download, the DAT is a dedicated accessibility ribbon menu for Microsoft Word that makes it quicker and easier to create accessible documents.
Microsoft PowerPoint
- Creating Accessible PowerPoint [PDF] (created by CTLT)
- WebAIM PowerPoint Tutorials: Screenshot tutorials to create accessible PowerPoint presentations
- Microsoft: Make your PowerPoint Presentations Accessible: Screenshot tutorials
Adobe PDF
- WebAIM PDF Accessibility: Screenshot tutorials to explore Acrobat DC capabilities, and file conversions to PDF
- Adobe PDF Accessibility Overview: Overview of PDF accessibility features and tools
- Create and verify PDF Accessibility (Adobe Acrobat Pro): Guide to create and remediate accessible PDF
Accessible Video
- Please see our Video Creation and Captioning Page
- Classroom Technologies: Media Captioning: Classroom Technologies provides transcription services for post-production videos that require captions
Cal Poly Portal Training
My Cal Poly Portal accessibility training:
- From the Cal Poly Portal, choose Staff and Faculty Training at the top
- Next choose Go to Skillsoft on the lower right
- Next choose the Quicklinks menu at the top to find a menu with accessibility training options
SensusAccess
SensusAccess: Self-service, alternate media solution made available by Kennedy Library to automatically convert files into a range of alternate media including audio books (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi) and digital Braille. The service can also be used to convert inaccessible files such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible and less tricky formats. This service is available at no charge for all Cal Poly students, faculty, staff and alumni. We call that Inclusive Technology.
Disability Resource Center
Cal Poly Disability Resource Center: The Disability Resource Center (DRC) provides services for students with disabilities, and facilitates student learning and access through partnerships with students, faculty, and staff.
Cal Poly Accessibility Resources
Access by Design: Accessible Instructional Materials Checklist for Cal Poly Faculty. Includes links to tutorials and resources.
