Research Guides: NYU LibGuide Accessibility: Document A11y

Overview

Linked documents you own/created are accessible

This includes PDFs, Slides, Docs, Sheets, etc. Use the accessibility checker tools listed in the resources section.

PDFs are especially challenging for accessibility and difficult to correct. If you make the original document accessible, and then save as a PDF, there's more likelihood it will be accessible, but if you do not have access to the original, remediation is quite difficult. Contact lib-ux-group@nyu.edu for more support.
- Become familiar with the accessibility functionality of Microsoft and Google products to create original documents that are accessible.

Best practice if you own or created the document:

Utilize the Linked Asset tool for adding documents to your guides. This will make it easier to update content in the future.
Avoid PDFs and link to a view-only version of the document in Google Suite or Microsoft Office that’s been checked for accessibility.
Go to the original document (not the PDF of the original) and use Grackle Docs (for Google Suite documents) or the Microsoft Office accessibility tools to correct the original.
Re-upload/link the remediated version to your guide. If your document was already a linked asset it will now be changed across all your guides that use that asset.

PDF that you own but can’t find the original

Copy the content from the PDF into a Google or Microsoft Office document, use the accessibility tools, and re-upload the view only version. Use the linked asset tool when you can.

PDFs and documents you don’t own

Ideally, select resources that are accessible over ones that aren’t.
Make it clear in the file name or link text that the document is a PDF and may not be accessible.
If you know the creator of the document, reach out to them, they may be willing to provide you with an accessible version or work with you to create one.
Use SensusAccess remediation tool and PDF Accessibility Checker to improve accessibility. Contact lib-ux-group@nyu.edu for more information.

LibGuide Help Center Resource:

How to add, reuse, and edit Link assets - Help Center
Link assets are ideal for adding web links to your guides. Because Link assets are stored in your assets library, once someone creates a link it can be reused over and over in other guides. Plus, unlike adding links inside of a Rich Text/HTML content item, Link assets provide statistics on the number clicks they receive throughout your guides.

NYU Resources

NYU Digital Accessibility How-To Guides: Documents
NYU Digital Accessibility knowledge base article about building accessible documents.
Grackle Docs Tool for Google Suite Accessibility
NYU Knowledge base support for Grackle, a third-party accessibility checker tool that can be added to GSuite applications.
NYU Assistive Technology
NYU provides institutional wide access to SensusAccess, a document conversion software that will assist with remediating for accessibility and Read&Write, an application for your computer, browser, and tablet that helps make reading, writing, and comprehending text easier.

Microsoft Accessibility Tools

How to save an accessible PDF in Office
Adding accessibility tags to PDF files makes it easier for screen readers and other assistive technologies to read and navigate a document, with Tables of Contents, hyperlinks, bookmarks, alt-text, and so on. Accessibility tags also make it possible to read the information on different devices, such as large type displays, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile phones. In Windows, Office for Mac, and Office for web, you can add tags automatically when you save a file as PDF format.
Word: Make your documents accessible
PowerPoint: Make your presentations accessible
Excel: Make your spreadsheets accessible
Windows: Use the Accessibility Checker on your desktop to find accessibility issues
You can use the accessibility checker that is built into your favorite Office products to check documents yourself.
Mac: Use the Accessibility Checker on your Mac to find and resolve accessibility issues

Google Accessibility Tools

Make your document or presentation more accessible
When you create a document or presentation, follow the tips in this Google resource to make it more readable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
Present Slides with captions
When you present slides, you can turn on automatic captions to display the speaker's words in real time. This feature is available on Chrome devices in U.S. English.
GSuite User Guide to Accessibility
Google's guide regarding accessibility features in the GSuite of offerings.
GrackleDocs
This software is available through NYU Digital Accessibility, but more information about the product can be found here.
Grackle Docs Tool for Google Suite Accessibility
NYU Knowledge base support for Grackle, a third party accessibility checker tool that can be added to GSuite applications.

PDF Accessibility

PDF Accessibility Overview
A document or application is considered accessible if it meets certain technical criteria and can be used by people with disabilities. This includes access by people who are mobility impaired, blind, low vision, deaf, hard of hearing, or who have cognitive impairments. Accessibility features in Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader and in the Portable Document Format (PDF) make it easier for people with disabilities to use PDF documents and forms, with and without the aid of assistive technology software and devices such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, text-to-speech software, speech recognition software, alternative input devices, Braille embossers, and refreshable Braille displays.

Best practice is to start with an accessible document created in an application like Word or Docs.
Workflow for creating accessible PDFs
Accessibility Checker: Adobe Acrobat Pro
Acrobat tools make it easy to create accessible PDFs and check the accessibility of existing PDFs. You can create PDFs to meet common accessibility standards, such as Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and PDF/UA (Universal Access, or ISO 14289).
Accessibility Checker: Acrobat Reader
Note: In Adobe Reader, you can use the Read Out Loud feature to see how readers who use the text to speech conversion tool experience it.

Additional Resources

WebAIM: Accessible PDFs
When people talk about "accessible" PDF files, they are usually referring to "tagged" PDF files. PDF tags provide a hidden, structured representation of the PDF content that is presented to screen readers. They exist for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file. There is more to an accessible PDF file than tags, but an untagged PDF would not be considered "accessible".
Accessible U: Documents
Creating accessible documents (MS Office, Google Apps, PDFs) will go a long way toward making the U more accessible to more people. And it doesn't even take a lot of work. (In fact, it can SAVE time!)
Accessible U: Presentations
Presentation slides are structured using layouts that are comprised of placeholder fields. Content in the placeholder fields is accessible to screen readers. Use layouts wherever possible, rather than text boxes you create manually, and make sure each of your slides has a unique title.
Accessible U: Spreadsheets
Place a title or summary of each spreadsheet's content in the A1 (first) cell. Label all columns and rows with unique, descriptive names. Avoid blank cells, rows or columns where possible. Provide descriptive alt-text for all charts and graphs.
Library Publishing Coalition: Creating Accessible PDFs
This webinar covers the requirements for PDF accessibility, including how to create an accessible PDF and how to evaluate and confirm the accessibility of existing PDFs.
Creating Accessible Presentations for PLA 2018 and Beyond
As part of PLA’s commitment to working toward making its educational events accessible to all, this webinar offers practical recommendations for creating accessible presentations for the PLA 2018 Conference and beyond. Learn how to design presentation materials that are accessible and to deliver educational content, including facilitating discussion, in a way that reaches all audience members. This webinar includes specific advice on slide structure, font choices, and file formats, and provides examples of the accessibility features of popular presentation software options.