As a content creator at UCSB, you are responsible for ensuring that all documents, PDFs, presentations, webpages, and other forms of media posted publicly are accessible.
This primarily consists of the following principles:
- Titles and headings: Must be unique, descriptive, and provide a hierarchical structure
- Readability: Design must be clear and reduce cognitive load
- Links: Must be distinct, easy to find, and descriptive of what happens if the link is clicked
- Color: Ensure text has enough contrast and color is NOT the only way of conveying meaning
- Alternative text: All meaningful images should have a descriptive text alternative for screen reader software
- Multimedia: All audio and video must have appropriate alternatives (i.e. transcripts, captions, descriptive audio)
Information Technology Services has curated detailed guides, checklists, and resources to assist content creators with remediating digital content and media. We recommend starting with the following resources:
- Digital Document Accessibility Strategy & Remediation Guide: Inventory and prioritize the content in your area that will require remediation
- Digital Accessibility Testing & Remediation Tool Kit: A comprehensive beginner’s guide to test website content, documents, and PDFs for accessibility compliance
There are also guides, templates, and tools available to assist you with creating accessible content in common software applications:
Guides
Remediation Tools
- Adobe Acrobat Pro (for Windows and macOS)
- PAC Accessibility Checker for PDF Files (for Windows)
- PDFix Desktop (for Windows, MacOS, and Linux)
Guides
- Accessible Microsoft Word Document Checklist
- Accessible Slide Decks Checklist
- Spreadsheet Accessibility Checklist
Templates
- UCSB Letterhead Templates (MS Word)
- UCSB Document Template (MS Word)
- UCSB PowerPoint Template (MS PowerPoint)
- UCSB Basic Spreadsheet Template (MS Excel)
Guides
Templates
- UCSB Basic Spreadsheet Template (Google Sheets)
Accessible UCSB branded Google Docs and Slides templates can be accessed from your campus Google account when starting a new document/slide deck and selecting “From a template”. Please update any existing departmental Google Workspace templates to ensure they utilize the new accessible campuswide template.
Remediation Tools
- Grackle for Google Chrome
Need assistance?
The ITS Training & Development team provides one-on-one assistance with remediating digital documents and multimedia.
Please make an appointment using the Digital Assets Accessibility Consultation calendar.