Digital content accessibility is mandated by the US Department of Justice's Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All digital course content must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA, which is the technical standard for state and local governments’ web content and mobile apps. Failure to meet these standards could expose the college and its instructors to civil litigation. All digital content must meet these guidelines by April 24, 2026.
The resources here are intended to assist staff and faculty in ensuring that all of their digital content meets accessibility requirements.
Documents, text, and other content are provided in an accessible format.
When creating or providing documents and presentations for online courses, they must be offered in an alternative text-based format or in a format that is accessible.
When creating Microsoft Word documents and text with the Canvas rich content editor, it's important to use heading formats for text instead of merely changing the size, style, or type of font. This is crucial for learners with visual impairments who rely on assistive technology like screen readers.
Resources:
Alternative text is utilized
When using pictures, images, animations, charts, tables, or graphs, text alternatives must be provided for the non-text content and its functions. The words in the alternative text (alt text) should offer a text equivalent for an image, chart, table, or graph. If an image serves as a link, its function must also be included in the alternative text. For images that are purely decorative, alternative text is not needed. You can either check the box “Decorative Image” in Canvas or use the null alternative text, which is a single space between quotes (“ “). Additionally, avoid starting your alt text with “Image of…” or “Picture of…” as screen readers will automatically recognize it as an image, graphic, picture, etc. Captions or long descriptions can be utilized to clarify complex images, charts, or graphs.
Resources:
Color alone is not used to convey meaning
Color alone should not be used to convey meaning (unless a text-based alternative is available). For instance, consider a line graph in which color is employed to represent different lines and the data those lines illustrate.
Resources:
Sufficient contrast is utilized
Background and text colors should have sufficient contrast to ensure readability. Choose text and background colors that provide excellent contrast (consider black text on a white background).
Resources:
Create accessible hyperlinks
Hyperlinks used within the course are unique, self-describing, and possess meaningful names. Please avoid using links with names like “click here,” “more,” or “here.”
Resources:
Institution's Accessibility Policy and Services
A clear link to the accessibility and accommodations policy is provided, along with a description of the services available to learners.
Resources:
Office of Disability Services Contact Information
Contact information for the Office of Disability Services, including the phone number, website link, and email address, is provided to all learners at the beginning of the course (this can be included in the syllabus if desired). Note: OLIT office has included the information about VWCC Office of Disability Services in all Canvas courses, under “Student Resources” site.
Vendor Accessibility Statements
Accessibility statements are included in the course for all required technology and the Canvas learning management system. This encompasses statements for plagiarism detection software, presentation software, web conferencing applications, media players, social media tools, publisher materials or platforms, lab technologies, and more. The actual statements do not need to be included in the course; instead, a link to the vendor’s website containing this information will suffice and is preferable if the vendor updates their resources statement. Note: OLIT office has created and deployed a “Technology Requirements and Accessibility Statement” page in all Canvas courses with accessibility statement links for a wide variety of technologies and book publishers. Please check this page and make sure the accessibility statement that related to your technologies is included. If not, add it to the page accordingly.
Resources:
Do you have questions regarding accessibility in your online course materials or suggestions for needed resources/training? Please contact:
Office of Online Learning & Instructional Technology (OLIT)
Virginia Western Community College
Phone: 540-857-6202
Email: OLIT@virginiawestern.edu
Office of Disability Services (ODS)
Student Life Center S207
Fax: 540-857-7918
TTY: All users 711
Phone: 540-857-6488
Email: disabilityservices@virginiawestern.edu
Captioning
All multimedia (video, audio, etc.) must include captioning or a transcript that provides equivalent text-based alternatives to the media. YouTube and Canvas Studio (upon request) offer captioning, but the captions need to be reviewed for accuracy. Additional programs like Amara allow users to caption a video even if they are not the video's creator. If a transcript is utilized, it should be placed close to the multimedia element within the course. If a video lacks audio, a text description of the important visual content must be provided.
Resources:
Accessible Media Player
All multimedia content (audio, video, animations, etc.) provides playback controls (pause, fast forward, rewind, etc.) that are accessible via keyboard. All videos have the option for full-screen viewing and do not contain content that flashes or blinks. For audio, the controls must also allow the learner to speed up or slow down the playback. Additionally, the media does not auto-loop (play repeatedly without user intervention).
Resources:
Other Helpful Resources
Brown Library
3095 Colonial Ave. SW
Phone: 540.857.7303
