Digital Accessibility Committee

Attend an Accessibility Training.  
eLearning offers a variety of training opportunities to support the creation of accessible content.  We can even provide a customized session tailored to your department’s needs.

Know what needs to be accessible.
All required course materials in Blackboard must be accessible. This includes documents, videos, embedded content, and assessments. Focus first on materials students need to engage in the course or complete graded work, including the syllabus, readings, lecture slides, assignments, quizzes, and exams.

Choose the right format for content.
Whenever possible, use native Blackboard items (web pages, text, assignments) instead of relying only on PDFs or images of text. This is usually more accessible and easier to maintain.  Replace scanned PDFs with OCR versions generated from Ally’s alternative formats. You can also upload files to create Blackboard documents to improve accessibility, rather than converting digital files to PDF.

Plan for captions and transcripts.
If you use lecture videos or recorded content, build in time to review and correct captions in Panopto. Don’t wait until students request accommodations. 

Download Adobe Acrobat Pro.
 As part of our Adobe Express license, all students, staff, and faculty have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro.  Accessing Adobe products for GVSU faculty and staff for guidance on accessing and installing Adobe.

Have questions?  Get assistance from eLearning.
Schedule appointments and consultations with our eLearning liaisons.

Delete files from your Blackboard courses that are no longer in use. 
Removing files that are no longer necessary will improve your digital accessibility metrics generated from Blackboard Ally.

Use Ally while you build. Pay attention to Ally’s red, orange, and green indicators as you add files to your Blackboard courses. Click the indicator to see what the issue is and follow Ally’s guidance to fix it (add alt text, fix headings, replace scanned PDFs, etc.). 

Refer to the Blackboard Ally Help Center for resources and guidance on course cleanup and content development, or consult with your eLearning liaison.

Add missing alt text directly through Ally. Ally can help generate missing alt text, but instructors should review the text for relevance and accuracy. 

Tag your PDFs through Ally.  Ally can help generate missing tags, but instructors should review tags for accuracy. 

Ensure your syllabus is accessible. Faculty should use built-in accessibility tools to check and improve their syllabi before sharing them with students. If your syllabus is created in Microsoft Word, use the Microsoft Accessibility Checker to identify and fix common issues such as headings, color contrast, and alternative text. If you distribute your syllabus as a PDF, Adobe Acrobat’s Accessibility tools can help you review and remediate accessibility concerns.
 

Avoid images of text when possible.
If content is important, it should be available as real text in Blackboard or in an accessible document, not only inside a graphic or screenshot.

Run your Ally Course Accessibility Report regularly.
Review your report for red and orange items and work on the most impactful issues first. Required materials include the syllabus and any content students must access to participate or complete graded work, such as readings, lecture slides, assignment instructions, quizzes, and exams, should be prioritized.  Aim for at least 88% in your overall Bb Ally course score, but the higher the better! 

Check third-party content for accessibility issues.
While you are not responsible for the accessibility of external websites or other third-party materials, you should not require inaccessible content to complete coursework. If such content is required, an accessible alternative must be provided.

Spot-check your course as a student. 
Use Student Preview in Blackboard. Make sure pages are readable, content is easy to find, links work, and instructions are clear.

Show your students Ally.  
Blackboard Ally also works to provide accessible course content in a format that works best for students. Next to each content item in a Bb course, they have the Bb Ally icon.  Students can use Ally to convert files to alternative formats, such as audio, ePub, electronic braille, and translated versions, so they can choose the format that best suits their learning needs and preferences. See this knowledge base article for more information about Bb Ally for students.