Content Creators | Accessibility at Arizona

What this page helps you do

Create documents, slides, and PDFs that work with screen readers and magnifiers.
Use the right checklists and templates to reduce remediation time.
Know when to self-remediate and when to request a consultation.

Executive summary

Every document must be ready for screen readers and magnifiers before it leaves your desktop:

Structure: apply heading styles, real lists, and table headers so assistive technologies can announce content correctly.
Descriptions: write concise alt text and include captions/transcripts for media.
Validation: run Microsoft/Google accessibility checkers and remediate flagged issues.
Distribution: share both source files and tagged PDFs; avoid image-only emails.

Use the sections below for quick direction and drill into format-specific playbooks in the Document & Media hub.

Top tasks

Task	Steps	Primary Tools
Author accessible Word/Google docs	Use heading styles add alt text run checker export tagged formats.	Microsoft 365, Google Workspace
Create inclusive slide decks	Use templates confirm reading order describe visuals caption embedded media.	PowerPoint, Google Slides
Remediate PDFs	Fix source tag in Acrobat verify reading order publish statement.	Adobe Acrobat Pro

Impactful principles & tools

Accessible content is faster when you rely on shared rules plus automated checks. Tie every document and campaign to theWCAG 2.2 AA highlightsbelow.

Structure & alternative text

Apply built-in heading styles (SC 1.3.1) and keep link text descriptive.
Write alt text using theWebAIM decision tree; note when images are decorative.
Confirm lists and tables read correctly by previewing in screen-reader mode.
Follow theMeaningful Links guidefor descriptive, format-aware link text.

Testing & monitoring

Run theMicrosoft Accessibility Checker(Word/PowerPoint/Excel) orGrackle(Google) until no errors remain.
Scan published pages withAccessibility InsightsorWAVEto confirm headings, contrast, and form labels.
Use the campusDubBotlicense for ongoing newsletter/archive audits; export issues to Trello/Jira.

Adobe PDF remediation

When PDFs are required, follow theAdobe remediation workflow:

Tag the document tree and set reading order.
Label form fields and buttons; add tooltips where necessary.
Re-run Accessibility Checker in Acrobat and attach the report to Trellis/consult tickets.

Manual review before publishing

Use this five-minute sweep to catch issues before files go live:

Keyboard through the document or email template to ensure the tab order makes sense.
RunMicrosoft Accessibility Checker(or Grackle) and fix every error.
Open the exported HTML/PDF in a browser and runAccessibility Insights FastPassfor quick WCAG coverage.
Spot-check headings, alt text, and contrast withWebAIM WAVE; note findings in your content log.
Schedule (or append to) the nextDubBotcrawl so newsletters/archives stay compliant.

This checklist keeps reviews content-focused—no developer tooling required.

Guidance

Microsoft 365 & Google Workspace

Follow theWord/PowerPoint basicsandGoogle Workspace checklist. Always run built-in accessibility checkers.

Drill down:PowerPoint slides,Excel tables,Outlook email.

PDF creation

UsePDF remediation workflowfor legacy files. Provide accessible source files alongside PDFs.

Email & newsletters

Useemail guidanceplus Outlook/Gmail checklists to ensure alt text, contrast, and descriptive links.

Template snippets:Do/Don’t library,event statements.

UA branding & color schemes

Start from official UA templates and Quickstart patterns to maintain the Block A logo, typography, and approved palettes.

Reference theUA Brand & Accessibility guidefor palette ratios and template links.
Use color pairings documented inColor & Contrast guidanceto keep text 4.5:1.
When exporting graphics, test them in grayscale/high-contrast modes to confirm UA colors remain distinguishable.

Plain language & alternative text

Pair UA templates with inclusive writing tips from WebAIM.

FollowWebAIM’s alt text guidanceso descriptions convey intent, not decoration.
Write headings and link text that describe the outcome (“Download syllabus (accessible PDF)”).
Use theWebAIM evaluation quick referenceduring peer review.

Articulate Rise & Storyline (E-Learning)

Articulate's Rise 360 and Storyline 360 broadly support WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Follow these best practices when creating accessible e-learning:

Captions & transcripts: Provide accurate captions and downloadable transcripts for all audio/video. Use the UA captioning workflow and audit auto-generated captions.
Keyboard navigation: Ensure all interactive elements (buttons, slides, quizzes) are reachable via Tab/Enter/Space with visible focus indicators.
Semantic structure: Use headings, lists, and native text blocks—avoid images of text.
Alt text: Add meaningful descriptions for informative images; mark decorative images appropriately. Include long descriptions for complex visuals.
Color & contrast: Verify text meets WCAG AA contrast ratios (≥4.5:1 for normal text).
Accessible alternatives: For drag-and-drop or complex interactions, provide a text-based or keyboard-accessible alternative.
Testing: Test published output with NVDA/VoiceOver and keyboard-only navigation across browsers.

Key Articulate resources:

Articulate Accessibility Overview
Conformance reports (VPATs): Rise 360 | Storyline 360 | Reach 360
Implementing WCAG for Instructional Designers (Rise 360)
Free course: Intro to Digital Accessibility
E-Learning Heroes: All About Accessibility series
Accessibility training webinars

UA-specific resources:

Questions? Contact accessibility@arizona.edu or Articulate directly at a11y@articulate.com.

Tools & contacts

Document & Media hub

Executive summaries, format tabs, checklists.

Open hub

Grackle / Accessibility Checker

Automated review add-ons for Google Workspace; built-in Microsoft checker.

View steps

Accessibility consults

Request template reviews or remediation support.

Request help

WebAIM checklists

Quick reminders for headings, contrast, tables, and media descriptions.

Open checklist

Assistive technologies to account for

Documents must be usable for readers relying on:

JAWSandNVDAfor Windows-based document reading and editing.
VoiceOverandTalkBackfor PDFs and cloud docs opened on mobile devices.
FusionandZoomTextfor large-print review and color adjustments.

Include alt text, meaningful headings, tagged tables, and avoid scanned-only PDFs so these AT solutions can interpret content. ReferenceAssistive Technology Coverage.

Training & community

Accessible Documents Essentials (monthly).
PDF remediation labs (bi-monthly).
Communications & Marketing accessibility roundtable.

Self-serve:Document & Media hub,training calendar.

Feedback

Emailaccessibility@arizona.eduor join the Content Creator Teams channel. Last reviewed: 2026-01-05.

Next steps for content creators

This week:Run the Accessibility Checker on your top 3 shared templates and fix any errors.
This month:Adopt UA templates and add tagged PDFs for required materials; schedule a remediation session if you have legacy scanned files.
Ongoing:Add source files and tagged exports to your publishing workflow and log issues in the unit tracker for DubBot follow-ups.

If you need help, request a consultation via theAccessibility consultation form.

Learn from the source

These organizations define best practices for accessible documents and media.

Documents

Images & Media

Vendor Docs

From content creators like you

"I used to spend hours trying to figure out PDF accessibility. Now I just follow the Word checklist before exporting and everything works. My PDFs are tagged correctly the first time."

— Program Coordinator, Graduate College

Your work may overlap with these roles:

Teaching Faculty?

Course-specific accessibility and Brightspace guidance.

Faculty guide

Marketing & Comms?

Campaign-specific guidance and brand accessibility.

Communications guide

All Roles

Browse all role-based guides.

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