UF Electronic Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Policy
The full text of the UF EIT Accessibility Policy can be found at the UF Accessibility webpages.
Policy
The June 1, 2017 draft version of the Policy states:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.0, AA
The University adopts the World Wide Web Consortium’s standard:
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.0, AA conformance level as the minimum accessibility standard for all EIT, and Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.0 to Non‐Web Information and Communications Technologies (WCAG2ICT). In addition, all EIT shall comply with federal and state laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), as amended, and Sections 504 and 508 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, as amended.”
Definition
Accessible EIT
EIT that can be equally accessed and independently used by individuals with disabilities. Accessible EIT enables individuals with disabilities to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as individuals without disabilities, with substantially equivalent ease of use, using reasonable accommodations when necessary.
Inclusive of Instructional Materials
All EIT instructional materials shall be compliant to the standard
"Instructional materials include, but are not limited to, syllabi, textbooks, presentations, handouts, electronic instructional materials delivered within the University’s learning management system, face‐to‐face classes, or an alternate method, and electronic instructional activities such as online collaborative writing, web conferencing, and other similar activities.”
The Principles Underlying the WCAG 2.0 Standards
WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
As stated in the abstract for the guidelines:
“Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 covers a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. Following these guidelines will also often make your Web content more usable to users in general.”
POUR Design
There are Four Principles of Inclusive Design underpinning the WCAG guidelines. ( The W3C places its focus on web pages (such as Canvas course sites), but the same principles apply to electronic documents (such as student resources created in MS Office or PDF formats). These principles can be condensed into the acronym POUR:
Accessible Design Principle 1
Perceivable
“Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.” (The content should be provided with recognizable structure, meaningful sequence, text alternatives, closed captioning, audio descriptions, and adequate contrast.)
Accessible Design Principle 2
Operable
“User interface components and navigation must be operable.” (The content should be accessible by keyboard, allow time for response, provide reliable navigation, meaningful link language, and “help users avoid and correct mistakes”.)
Accessible Design Principle 3
Understandable
“Information and the operation of user interface must be understandable.” (Text is readable and understandable; pages appear and operate in predictable way; help is provided to assist with avoiding and correcting mistakes.)
Accessible Design Principle 4
Robust
Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. (Markup language aligns with proper specifications and protocols; headings and tags properly convey structure; links make contextual sense.)
Tools and Tips for Creating Accessible Course Materials
Putting People at the Center of the Process
Constructing a POUR Website
WebAIM provides a helpful 5-page tutorial on POUR design.
Creating Accessible Documents
Microsoft Word
WebAIM provides a helpful 6-page tutorial on how to optimize the accessibility of your Word documents.
Creating Accessible Documents
Microsoft PowerPoint
WebAIM provides a helpful tutorial on how to optimize the accessibility of your PowerPoint documents
Lessons for Outlook, Word, EXcel & PowerPoint
Microsoft Accessibility Video Training
Microsoft has an array of video lessons for learning how to create accessible content using their software tools.
Lessons for Using the Built-In Accessibility Checker
Microsoft Accessibility Checker
Microsoft provides resources for making the most of its accessibility checker.
templates that optimize accessibility
Get Accessible Templates for Office
Microsoft provides options for downloadable templates that consider accessibility from the start and ideas for creating accessible templates from scratch.
Helpful Tools Available at UF
Canvas Integrated Tool
Ally
Ally launched in e-Learning in Canvas during summer 2018. It is an integrated tool to assist with improving the accessibility of your resources and materials.
Canvas Integrated Tool
UDOIT
UDOIT is available via the Settings tool in your course site. It was developed by the University of Central Florida as a tool for identifying and correcting common accessibility issues.
