Creating Open Educational Resources

Recommendations for making the web more accessible. VCU requires accessibility on the AA level.

Provides guidance on making web resources accessible. Includes for specific pages for key topics, such as alternative text for images and tables.

Posters clearly outlining dos and don't for designing for users: on the autism spectrum, utilizing screen readers, with low vision, with dyslexia, with physical or motor disabilities, who are deaf/hard of hearing, and with anxiety. Created by the UK Home Office.

A guide for faculty authors, instructional designers, librarians, and others involved in open textbook projects that helps ensure accessibility for all students. Includes key concepts and best practices in accessibility.

Webinars from February 2019 on Inclusive Design, Accessible Presentations, Accessibility in Pressbooks, and Inaccessibility.

This resource reviews a wide range of document authoring applications, including the tools they contain for creating accessible documents, and tests them to ensure they do not contain potential barriers. Learn how to create accessible word processed documents, spreadsheets, presentation slides, and PDF documents, among others, so they are accessible to everyone.

Guidelines from University of Washington on how to create accessible documents, including using Word, PowerPoint, and PDFs.

Guidance from Ryerson University of creating accessible documents.

Guidance on how to make Microsoft Word documents accessible.

Guidance on making and checking accessibility for PDFs using Adobe Acrobat

Guidance from Penn State on creating accessible documents using Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

This PDF Accessibility training series was provided to Microsoft employees on creating accessible PDF documents. Use these videos, along with documentation from Adobe Accessibility to learn to create, remediate, and check for accessibility issues.

Website providing guidance for instructors building syllabi that plan for diverse student abilities and promotes an atmosphere in which students feel comfortable discussing their unique abilities.

Website focusing on accessibility in the technical and professional communication classroom. Contains a glossary and a list of resources for design and accessibility checking.

The National Center on Accessible Educational Materials provides resources and technical assistance for those interested in learning more about and implementing Accessible Educational Materials (AEM).

Free extension for both Chrome and Firefox to assess accessibility within the browser. To meet VCU requirements, change the filters to AA conformance level and prioritize errors by deselecting Review and Warning.

Check accessibility of a website through URL or HTML.

Accessibility Checklist, from BC Campus's Open Education Accessibility Toolkit