Additional Accessibility Resources

Commitment to Accessibility at Montclair State University

As an institution that receives federal funding under the Assistive Technology Act, we are committed to making our electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities (required by Section 508).

Accessible Instructional Materials

All course materials should be posted in an accessible format. We’ve outlined some actions you can take to ensure your courses are accessible to all students.

Montclair State has an accessible course syllabus available for download in the Microsoft Word format. This follows best practices, as explained below, to ensure this critical document is accessible to all students.

Documents

MS Office files (Word, PowerPoint and Excel)

Word: Use heading styles and ALT text for images. Run the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker. See additional tips for creating accessible word documents.
PowerPoint: Use built-in slide layout templates and add ALT text for images. Use the built-in accessibility checker
Excel: Specify column headers. Run the Microsoft Excel Accessibility Checker. It will guide you through making it accessible.

Portable Document Format (PDF)

If you are converting your documents from MS Word to PDF: Convert MS Office file to PDF
All materials scanned or converted to PDF must use Optical Character Recognition (OCR). Refer to the Adobe Acrobat “How to” guide.
WebAIM PDF Accessibility tutorial
How to tag an existing PDF
Fixing Inaccessible PDFs using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Google Docs or Slides

Google Docs or Slides should be formatted so that they are readable by all – Review Accessibility for Docs editors

Canvas Specific Tips

Use the Canvas Accessibility Checker – The Accessibility Checker verifies content created within the Rich Content Editor to check on common accessibility issues. Check out the Canvas Guides to learn more.
Ally for Canvas is embedded in all University Canvas courses and automatically checks for accessibility issues and generates alternative accessible formats. Ally also guides instructors on how to improve the accessibility of course content.
- Ally for Faculty tutorial
- Ally Help page
- The Ally Accessibility Checklist describes what Ally checks for in document types.
Use Canvas to provide extended time on quizzes for students who need it.
Canvas can also allow for differentiated assignments.
When offering Canvas conferencing sessions, share presentation materials prior to the live session to ensure students can access them. Other accommodations may be required based on students’ needs such as live captioning or alternative content formats.
Review the Canvas General Accessibility Design Guidelines

For additional guidance please consult with the Montclair State Disability Resource Center.

Layout, Design and Color

Use headings to make pages easy to navigate.
Font size should be larger than 10pt, to ensure legibility.
Links should be labeled in a descriptive way. Avoid “click here” or URLs to web addresses
Tables should be formatted to include row and column headers.
Color should not be used to convey important information.
Ensure color contrast is strong.

Images and Graphics

All images and graphics need alternative text or descriptions (e.g. “ALT”) which allow visually impaired students to understand what they represent.
- Accessible Charts (View how to use visuals to convey complex images to users, from Penn State).
- Equations (View how to make math equations accessible, from Penn State)

Video and Audio

Audio files should include transcripts.
All videos should have captions.
Panopto is now available – Panopto is an all-in-one video platform. It not only provides desktop lecture recording and automatic captioning services, but also offers pedagogical features to add learning interactions within a video. It is seamlessly integrated with Canvas. You can review our Panopto Documentation for both the PC (Windows) and Mac (Apple) or attend a training workshop.
NJVid, known as the New Jersey Digital Video Repository, is a service for video streaming and publishing of videos for higher education institutions. NJVID provides a common online platform for presenting, accessing, and hosting Montclair State University’s licensed and locally produced videos that educate and enlighten viewers in support of hybrid and online teaching and learning.
The University’s NJVID accommodates two types of video collections: Academic/Administrative Collections and Commercial Video Collections (the Sprague Library Collection). NJVID Digital Media Repository

Email

Formatting – Use a sans serif font such as Arial, Helvetica or Verdana, 12 point or larger and left aligned.
Hyperlinks – Use the link tool instead of copying and pasting the URL: First, click on the Insert Link icon; next, type a meaningful descriptive title for the link under Text to display, then paste the URL under Web Address.

Images – Any pictures and graphs within an email must include alternative text or descriptions.

SensusAccess E-Learning

SensusAccess is a self-service alternative media solution for educational institutions. SensusAccess allows students, faculty and staff to automatically convert documents into a range of alternate media including audiobooks (MP3 and DAISY), e-books (EPUB, EPUB3 and Mobi) and digital Braille. The service can also be used to convert inaccessible documents such as image-only PDF files, JPG pictures and Microsoft PowerPoint presentations into more accessible and less tricky formats.

Watch the following video to learn more about SensusAccess. Learn how to create more accessible documents with SensusAccess (https://www.montclair.edu/digital-accessibility-initiative/sensusaccess/)

The following e-learning courses are available to instruct students, faculty and staff how to create more accessible documents with this tool.