Accessibility Resources

Books

Check out books at the WTAMU Cornette Library on how to apply accessibility to online teaching, organizations, web applications and design.

Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students with Disabilities by Norman Coombs (Call #LC4024.C66 2010).
Strategic IT Accessibility: Enabling the Organization by Jeff Kline (Call #HD30.2.K556 2011).
Universal Design for Web Applications: Web Applications That Reach Everyone by Wendy Chisholm and Matt May (Call #TK5105.888.C486 2009).
Just Ask: Integrating Accessibility throughout Design (opens new window) by Shawn Lawton Henry (Call #HV1568.H46 2007).

Content

Electronic content that communicates official University business, including documents, forms, educational and training materials must meet applicable requirements for State and University Websites.

Adobe

Adobe Acrobat Accessibility (opens new window) - resources and tutorials by Adobe Systems, Inc.

Adobe InDesign Accessibility (opens new window) - helps you apply accessibility features within your InDesign document for export to ePub, HTML, or accessible PDF by Adobe Systems, Inc.

Apple

Apple Accessibility (opens new window) - product resources by Apple, Inc.

Blackboard Learn

Accessibility Information (opens new window) - Blackboard Learn accessibility information by Blackboard Help.

Microsoft

Create Accessible PDFs (opens new window) - Create and save an Accessible PDF in Office for Mac, Office 365, Office 2019 or 2016, and Office for Web by Microsoft Office Support.

Accessibility in Excel 2016 for Mac (opens new window) - Excel 2016 for Mac tools and features that can help people with disabilities, by Microsoft.

Accessibility in Office 365 (opens new window) - features that are accessible and usable for people who have special needs or disabilities, from Microsoft Office.

Accessibility in PowerPoint 2016 for Mac (opens new window) - PowerPoint 2016 for Mac tools and features that can help people with disabilities, by Microsoft.

Accessibility in Word 2016 for Mac (opens new window) - Word 2016 for Mac tools and features that can help people with disabilities, by Microsoft.

Creating Accessible Microsoft Office Documents (opens new window) - online tutorials. Hosted by the Texas Office of the Governor. A Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities and multi-State agency collaboration.

Creating Accessible Word Documents (opens new window) - guidance article by Microsoft.

Make your Outlook email accessible (opens new window) - step-by-step instructions to make your email messages accessible, from Microsoft, Accessibility support for Outlook and Mail for Windows 10.

Microsoft Accessibility (opens new window) - resources and tutorials by Microsoft.

Accessibility in Windows 11 and Windows 10 (opens new window) - web developer resources and tools by Microsoft.

Qualtrics

Check Survey Accessibility (opens new window) - learn to check your survey's accessibility with this overview by Qualtrics.

Checklists

Cheatsheets (opens new window) - free, one-page resources for anyone who is creating accessible content, such as faculty and staff. Catered to those who are less technical, and hosted by the National Center on Disability and Access to Education (NCDAE).

Developer guidelines (opens new window) - IBM accessibility checklists to help content providers and developers understand why and what they need to do to make their information and technology accessible.

IT Accessibility Quick Guide (opens new window) - guides for a high-level understanding of how to use different types of campus technologies accessibly. Hosted by North Carolina State University.

WebAIM's WCAG 2.0 Checklist for HTML Documents (opens new window) - simple checklist of recommendations for WCAG 2.0 conformance of HTML content by WebAIM.

Distance Learning and Instructional Materials

AccessText Network (opens new window) (ATN) is a membership exchange network that helps college students with print disabilities by connecting their Disability Service Offices with leading textbook publishers to obtain electronic files, which are then used to create accessible versions of the textbooks.

The Center on Accessible Distance Learning (AccessDL) (opens new window) at the University of Washington shares guidance and resources on making distance learning courses accessible to students and instructors with disabilities.

Center for Universal Design in Education (opens new window) - educator resources. Directed by DO-IT at the University of Washington.

DIAGRAM Center (opens new window) - webinars focused on tools for creation and access of electronic books with image description, as well as best practices for creating image descriptions for students with print disabilities. DIAGRAM (Digital Image and Graphic Resources for Accessible Materials) Center established by the U.S. Department of Education (Office of Special Education Programs).

National Center on Accessible Education Materials (opens new window) - provides resources for educators, parents, students, publishers, conversion houses, accessible media producers, and others interested in accessible educational materials by NCAEM at CAST, Inc.

Universal Design in Higher Education: Promising Practices (opens new window) - an online book with applications, examples, and articles on Universal Design in Education, sponsored by the DO-IT Center at the University of Washington.

Video and Multimedia

508 Accessible Videos - Why (and How) to Make Them (opens new window) - a guide to creating accessible video content from the Digital Gov User Experience Program of the US General Services Administration.

Accessible Digital Media Guidelines (opens new window) of the NCAM (National Center for Accessible Media) offer specific ways to make web digital materials and activities, such as images, forms, tables, publications, graphs, multimedia, math and interactivity more accessible.

Captioning YouTube Videos (opens new window) - YouTube video and cheatsheet to walk you through making captions for your videos in YouTube by GOALS(Gaining Online Accessible Learning through Self-Study) at NCDAE.

Media Accessibility User Requirements (opens new window) - W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) Working Draft presents the accessibility requirements users with disabilities have with respect to audio and video on the web.

Using YouTube with a Screen Reader (opens new window) - information helpful for people using YouTube with screen readers, from YouTube Help.

Video Captions and Audio Transcripts (opens new window) - includes examples, tips and tools from Penn State University.

Websites

Accessibility website at WTAMU includes web general guidelines and practices, policy statement, and contact information for accessibility concerns.

Texas A&M University IT Accessibility website provides resources, guidelines, and information to help campus Webmasters, developers, and designers with issues of best practices and compliance.

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (opens new window) - WAI of the W3C develops support materials and resources to help understand and implement Web accessibility. WAI also develops the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) widely regarded as the international standard for Web accessibility.

Web Accessibility Tutorials (opens new window) - draft tutorials on how to create websites that meet WCAG from the W3C WAI.

Compliance Testing

Colour Contrast Analyser (opens new window) - check any colour combo in any file or app with this tool by the paciello group.

Easy Checks: A First Review of Web Accessibility (opens new window) - basic checks for specific aspects of a webpage by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

How to Meet WCAG 2.0 (opens new window) - customizable quick reference to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools List (opens new window) - list maintained by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Web Accessibility Testing Techniques (opens new window) - slide show presentation from Paul J. Adam.

Social Media

Facebook Accessibility for People with Disabilities (opens new window) - the Facebook Help Center answers frequently asked questions about accessibility and assistive technology.

Social Media Resource Guide (PDF) by Texas DIR.

Functional Performance

Content will perform and function as intended for everyone, including for people with vision, hearing, speech, and motor disabilities. People with disabilities will have equal access to inputs, controls and operations, and to visible and audible information through support for assistive technologies (AT), or an equal way to use the content will be provided.

Assistive Technology Videos (opens new window) - Product demonstration videos about the different types of AT provided by the Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program (CAP), US Department of Defense.

Effective Communication (PDF, opens new window) - U S Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section, A D A Requirements for Effective Communication. Published January 2014, duplication encouraged.

How People with Disabilities Use the Web (opens new window) - overview, stories of web users, and more by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative.

Texas Technology Access Program (TTAP) (opens new window) - The program gives short-term device loans and demonstration referrals to increase AT access for people with disabilities by the University of Texas at Austin.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)

AccessSTEM (opens new window) is the University of Washington Alliance for Students with Disabilities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, that helps K-12 teachers, postsecondary educators, and employers make classroom and employment opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics accessible to individuals with disabilities, and provides a place to share promising practices.

STEM (opens new window) from Perkins School for the Blind eLearning, topics and tips for science teachers.

Telecommunications

Telecommunications Access for People with Disabilities (opens new window) - information for consumers and enterprises from the FCC.

Training

Upcoming at WTAMU

Contact the accessibility coordinator, accessibility@wtamu.edu or (806) 651-1241, for more information.

Elsewhere

Accessibility Staff Training for Specific Roles, Peatworks (opens new window) - recommended resources by PEAT, Partnership on Employment and Accessible Technology

Accessing Higher Ground (opens new window) - annual conference presented and hosted by Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD), Accessing Higher Ground is conducted in collaboration with Access Technology Higher Education Network (ATHEN).

ADA National Network (opens new window) - training on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Funded by the US Department of Education, National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

EDUCAUSE (opens new window) - annual conference with virtual option. Hosted by EDUCAUSE.
E-Learning Symposium (opens new window) - annual conference in Austin, TX. Hosted by Texas DIR and the E-Learning Council.

John Slatin AccessU 2021, Knowbility (opens new window) - annual accessibility training conference in Austin, TX, presented by Knowbility, provides three days of instruction in how to make electronic information technology accessible to everyone - including people with disabilities.

National ADA Training (opens new window) - comprehensive ADA training resources. Hosted by ADA National Network and Southeast ADA Center.

Level Access Web Accessibility 101 Series (opens new window) - features short video demonstrations and tutorials.

EIR Accessibility Tutorials and Additional Resources (opens new window) - resources and online training. Hosted by Texas DIR.

WebAIM (opens new window) - web accessibility trainings in Logan, UT. A Center for Persons with Disabilities and Utah State University initiative.

Purchasing

Procurement and Resources (opens new window) - Texas DIR EIR Accessibility Tools, Training, and Related Resources.

FAQ Pages

Texas A&M University IT Accessibility (opens new window).

Demonstrations

A Personal Look at Accessibility in Higher Education (opens in new window) - YouTube video by GOALS at NCDAE.

Short video (opens new window) on why it is important to provide accessible course materials.

Email Discussion Lists

AccessDL (opens new window) - higher education list to discuss issues related to designing accessible distance learning courses, accessible website design, policy and practice, supported by DO-IT at the University of Washington.

Accessible Online Learning Community Group (opens new window) - focused on reviewing current W3C resources and technologies to ensure the requirements for accessible online learning experiences are considered, and identifying areas where additional resources and technologies are needed to ensure full participation of people with disabilities in online learning experiences.

Accessing Higher Ground Mailing List (opens new window) - Join our mailing list of the official annual Accessing Higher Ground Conference, to discuss conference and accessible media, web, universal design and assistive technology updates for university, business and public settings.

Accessibility_SIG (opens new window) - special interest group on Accessibility, moderated by the Austin, TX based non-profit, Knowbility.

AccessInfo, Join the AccessInfo Email List, FCC (opens new window) - list of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau and Disability Rights Office provides regular updates on accessibility-related FCC actions.

Alertbox: Current Issues in Web Usability (opens new window) - sign up for a short newsletter distributed weekly by Dr. Jakob Nielsen, user advocate and principal of the Nielsen Norman Group.

ATHEN-LIST (Access Technology Higher Education Network) (opens new window) - practical information and best practices by a professional association and network of those working in Access Technology in Higher Education, hosted by the University of Washington.

DIR-Accessibility Info Page (opens new window) - The DIR-Accessibility list was established to provide a forum for addressing policy and technology issues on topics related to electronic and Information Resources (EIR) accessibility of government information and services. Membership is open to all government entities and the public.

The Texas A&M University Center on Disability and Development (CDD) monthly newsletter (opens new window) shares CDD news and project updates for people with disabilities and their families, professionals and paraprofessionals.

ITACCESS (opens new window) - discussion list of the EDUCAUSE IT Accessibility Constituent Group used to assess the scope of IT accessibility issues, identify resources and initiatives, develop best practices on policy and assistive program and service development, and focus on campus-wide universal access to information available via technology in higher education.

Web Accessibility (opens new window) - for anyone interested in discussing web accessibility issues. Managed by WebAIM.

Professional Organizations

AHEAD (opens new window) - Association on Higher Education and Disability.
ATHEN (opens new window) - Access Technology Higher Education Network.
IAAP (opens new window) - International Association of Accessibility Professionals.

Workgroups

WTAMU TAC Accessibility Workgroup.

Opportunities

FCC Chairman Awards for Advancements in Accessibility (opens new window) - given annually to pioneers in accessibility. Hosted by Federal Communications Commission and Broadband.gov.