Start here, start now
You don't need a big budget or months of training to improve accessibility. These quick wins can be implemented immediately and make a real difference for users with disabilities.
💡 Pro tip
Pick ONE thing from this list and do it today. Small consistent actions beat grand plans that never happen.
📄 Document quick wins
Add alt text to images 30 seconds/image
Describe what the image conveys, not just what it shows.
How: Right-click image → Edit Alt Text (Word/PowerPoint/Google Docs)
Example: Instead of "chart" → "Bar chart showing 40% increase in enrollment from 2020-2024"
★★★ High impact
Use real headings 2 minutes
Don't just make text big and bold—use the Heading styles.
How: Select text → Home → Styles → Heading 1, 2, 3...
Why: Screen readers use headings to navigate. Big bold text looks like a heading but isn't "seen" as one.
★★★ High impact
Add meaningful link text 30 seconds/link
Links should make sense out of context.
Bad: "Click here" or "Read more"
Good: "Download the registration form" or "Read the full accessibility policy"
★★★ High impact
Run the accessibility checker 1 minute
Word, PowerPoint, and Google Docs have built-in checkers.
How: Review → Check Accessibility (Microsoft) or Tools → Accessibility (Google)
Fix: Address the issues it finds before sharing your document.
★★☆ Medium impact
Add table headers 1 minute
Tell screen readers which cells are headers.
How: Click in table → Table Design → check "Header Row"
★★★ High impact
🌐 Web quick wins
Add a skip link 5 minutes
Let keyboard users skip navigation and jump to content.
★★★ High impact
Add alt text to all images 30 seconds/image
★★★ High impact
Ensure visible focus indicators 2 minutes
Never remove focus outlines without adding a replacement!
★★★ High impact
Use buttons for actions, links for navigation Ongoing
★★☆ Medium impact
Add labels to form fields 1 minute/field
★★★ High impact
Check color contrast 2 minutes
Text needs 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background.
Tool: WebAIM Contrast Checker
Common fails: Gray text on white, light blue links, colored text on images
★★★ High impact
🎥 Video & media quick wins
Enable auto-captions 1 minute
YouTube, Zoom, Teams, and Panopto can auto-generate captions.
YouTube: Studio → Subtitles → Add → Auto-generate
Zoom: Enable Live Transcription in meeting settings
Important: Review and edit auto-captions for accuracy!
★★★ High impact
Say what you're showing During recording
When presenting, describe what's on screen.
Instead of: "As you can see here..."
Say: "This chart shows enrollment increasing from 5,000 to 7,000 students..."
★★★ High impact
Upload transcripts 5 minutes
Auto-captions can generate a transcript. Download and post it.
Benefits: Searchable, scannable, works for deaf-blind users, helps SEO
★★☆ Medium impact
📱 Social media quick wins
Add alt text to images 30 seconds
Most platforms now support alt text.
Twitter/X: Click "Add description" when uploading
Instagram: Advanced Settings → Write Alt Text
LinkedIn: Alt text option when adding image
★★★ High impact
Use CamelCase hashtags 2 seconds
Screen readers can read CamelCase hashtags as separate words.
Bad: #accessibilitymatters
Good: #AccessibilityMatters
★★☆ Medium impact
Add captions to video posts 5-10 minutes
Many people watch videos without sound (85% of Facebook videos are watched muted!).
Tools: CapCut, Kapwing, or built-in platform tools
★★★ High impact
Limit emoji use Awareness
Screen readers read each emoji aloud. 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 = "party popper party popper party popper party popper party popper"
Better: Use 1-2 emojis, placed at the end of text
★★☆ Medium impact
📧 Email quick wins
Use descriptive subject lines 10 seconds
Bad: "Important" or "Meeting"
Good: "Action required: Submit grades by Dec 15" or "Wed 3pm: Accessibility Committee meeting agenda"
★★☆ Medium impact
Use built-in heading styles 1 minute
In Outlook: Format Text → Styles → Heading 1, 2, 3
In Gmail: Use the formatting toolbar (it creates semantic HTML)
★★☆ Medium impact
Add alt text to inline images 30 seconds
Outlook: Right-click image → Edit Alt Text
★★★ High impact
🎤 Meeting quick wins
Enable live captions 10 seconds
Zoom: Click "Live Transcript" → Enable
Teams: Turn on "Live captions" in meeting controls
Google Meet: Click CC button
★★★ High impact
Share materials in advance 5 minutes before
Send slides, agenda, and documents before the meeting. This helps:
- Screen reader users prepare
- People who process information slowly
- Non-native speakers
- Anyone who wants to follow along
★★☆ Medium impact
Identify yourself when speaking 2 seconds
Say your name before speaking, especially in large meetings.
Example: "This is Sarah. I have a question about the timeline..."
★★☆ Medium impact
🧪 Testing quick wins
Navigate with keyboard only 2 minutes
Tab through your page without using a mouse. Can you:
- Reach all interactive elements?
- See where focus is?
- Get past the navigation to content?
- Open menus and dialogs?
★★★ High impact
Zoom to 200% 30 seconds
Press Ctrl/Cmd + until page is at 200%. Is everything still usable?
- No horizontal scrolling?
- Text doesn't overlap?
- Buttons still clickable?
★★☆ Medium impact
Run WAVE or axe DevTools 1 minute
Browser extensions that check for common issues.
WAVE: wave.webaim.org/extension
axe DevTools: deque.com/axe/devtools
★★★ High impact
🎯 Take the challenge
This week's challenge
- Pick 3 quick wins from this page
- Implement them today
- Share what you did with your team
- Come back next week for 3 more
In a month, you'll have made 12+ improvements! 🎉