Digital Accessibility at Southern Miss

Digital Accessibility: How to Help

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responsibilities   Tips   Tools   Workshops

 

Shared Responsibility

Digital accessibility is not the job of a single office. We depend on everyone who creates or shares digital content on our behalf.

	Faculty Faculty are responsible for the accessibility of the course materials, presentations, and Canvas content they create and share.
	Staff Staff are responsible for the accessibility of the documents, webpages, flyers, and communications they produce and post on behalf of their department.
	iTech Information Technology (iTech) establishes our technical standards, reviews new and purchased technologies for accessibility, and maintains our Accessible Technology Policy.
	CFD and Compliance The Center for Faculty Development and the Office of General Counsel provide training and consultation.
	Students and Visitors Students and visitors help us by speaking up when something is not accessible.

FACULTY

1. Use Word or PowerPoint’s built-in heading styles for titles and section headers, not just bold or larger text.
2. Add alt text to every informative image, and mark purely decorative images as decorative. (Right click image and choose "View Alt Text.") Learn more about creating meaningful alt text at Section 508.gov.
3. Write link text that describes the destination, such as “view the grading rubric” instead of “click here.”
4. Run the Canvas Accessibility Checker on every page, quiz, or announcement before publishing (see Tools below).
5. Add captions to videos, and check auto-generated captions for accuracy, especially with discipline-specific terms.
6. For videos with essential visual information, such as charts or on-screen demonstrations, add a brief audio description or explain what is shown directly in your narration.
7. Share native Word or PowerPoint files instead of scanned or “printed” PDFs when possible.

STAFF

1. Add document titles and metadata (File > Properties) to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files before sharing.
2. Use real tables for data only; never merge cells or build tables for page layout.
3. Check color contrast on flyers, newsletters, and slides, and never rely on color alone to convey meaning.
4. When a PDF is required, complete the accessibility work in the source file first, then export as a tagged PDF (avoid “Print to PDF”).
5. Link to external accessible documents rather than re-uploading copies whenever possible.
6. Before purchasing or adopting new software, ask the vendor for a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) and confirm the product works with screen readers and keyboard navigation.
7. Add meaningful alt text to images posted on official department social media accounts.

STUDENTS

1. If a course material, document, or campus website is not accessible to you, you have the right to ask that it be fixed. This is not a special favor.
2. For disability-related accommodations, such as extended time, alternate formats, or note-taking support, contact Student Accessibility Services.
3. Found a broken link, missing caption, or unreadable PDF? Submit our web accessibility issue form or request an alternate format.
4. Explore built-in tools on your own device (Apple • Android ), such as screen readers, live captions, and dictation. These can make coursework easier, whether or not you have a documented disability.

Top 10 Tips for Accessible Content

Grounded in the Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) Faculty Digital Accessibility Toolkit and widely used accessibility guidance. We believe a few of these habits, used consistently, make a meaningful difference for every student.

	Semantic Headings Apply Heading 1, 2, and 3 styles in order so screen readers can navigate your document’s structure. About 61% of screen reader users scan by headings first.
	Real Alt Text Describe what an image shows and why it matters, such as “line graph showing enrollment increasing from 2015 to 2025.” Mark decorative images as decorative.
	Color & Contrast Check contrast with a free online checker, and pair color with text or an icon rather than relying on color alone to communicate.
	Descriptive Links Write link text that names the destination, such as “view the syllabus,” instead of a bare URL or “click here.”
	Simple Tables Use tables for data only, with clear header rows. Avoid merged or nested cells that confuse assistive technology.
	Consistent Layout Keep headings, navigation, and formatting predictable across your pages and documents so people know what to expect.
	Keep It Text Put essential information in real, selectable text rather than embedding it in an image. Text inside an image cannot be resized, searched, or read aloud.
	Comfortable Spacing Avoid tiny or condensed text. Stick with standard font sizes and generous line spacing so content stays easy to read.
	Plain Language Write for your audience in clear, direct sentences. Plain language helps everyone, including multilingual readers and screen reader users.
	Captions & Transcripts Add accurate captions to video and transcripts to audio so your content is usable without sound.

 

Tools

Canvas Accessibility Checker (Rich Content Editor)

Available any time you are editing a Page, Assignment, Quiz, or Discussion in the Rich Content Editor. We recommend running it before every publish.

1. Open any item that uses the Rich Content Editor (Pages, Assignments, Quizzes, Discussions, Syllabus).
2. Look for the accessibility icon in the toolbar below the editor. A number badge shows how many issues were found.
3. Click the icon to open the Accessibility Checker panel and review each flagged issue, such as missing alt text, low contrast, heading order, or table structure.
4. Fix each item using the tool’s suggested corrections, then click Apply.
5. Save your changes and re-run the checker any time you edit the content again.

Note: the Rich Content Editor checker only scans content built inside the editor. 

Workshops & Training

We offer sessions throughout the year on accessible course design, Canvas tools, and document remediation. Sessions are open to faculty and staff, and we list them on our calendar as they are scheduled. We would love to hear what topics you would like us to cover next.

Browse Workshops & Events    Suggest a Training Topic

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