Accessibility Resources
Creating Accessible Course Materials
Each resource below will help guide your design of accessible instructional materials.
Steps Faculty Can Take to Make Course Materials Accessible [PDF]
Universal Design for Learning Basics [PDF]
Common Barriers and UDL Strategies [PDF]
Searching for Free Images for PolyLearn and Presentations [PDF]
Accessible Syllabi
Cal Poly SLO 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
5 Habits for Creating Accessible Word Documents [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.
Section 508 Accessibility Checklists
- Microsoft Word 508 Checklist
- Adobe PDF 508 Checklist
- PowerPoint 508 Checklist
- Excel 508 Checklist
- Multimedia 508 Checklist
Color Contrast Analyzers
Color Contrast and Font for Accessibility [PDF]
Color Contrast Analyzer: Created by The Paciello Group; 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
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
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
Adobe InDesign
Please note: The resources below may be useful for those creating PDFs using InDesign, but are not supported by Cal Poly IT.
Current Faculty and Staff have access to Lynda.com tutorials via the Cal Poly Portal
Adobe InDesign Accessibility: Overview of InDesign features to create accessible InDesign files and convert to PDF
InDesign Accessibility At Penn State: Quick steps to address key elements in making a short InDesign document accessible
Creating Accessible Adobe InDesign CS5.5 PDF Documents: Screenshot tutorials created by the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE)
Preparing Accessible PDFs with Adobe InDesign CS5.5: Part 1 (video) New accessibility features in InDesign CS5.5
Preparing Accessible PDFs with Adobe InDesign CS5.5: Part 2 (video) Exporting and finalizing your 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
PolyLearn Accessibility
PolyLearn Universal Design and Accessibility features
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.
MIDAS: Document Remediation Services
MIDAS Pilot Program: Document remediation service, designed to make progress bringing online course materials up to accessibility standards. Learn more from this short video: MIDAS: Cal Poly Accessibility Service Contact John Lee with the Disability Resource Center at jlee245@calpoly.edu for more information.
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.
