High-Impact Accessibility Actions

Accessible design is good teaching, not a checklist

The most effective accessibility practices are not about running a checker once before a course goes live. They are about building habits that make your materials clearer, more flexible, and more equitable for every student, every semester.

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) asks us to design for the widest range of learners from the start, rather than retrofitting materials after the fact. When you use clear headings, provide transcripts, or choose readable sources, you are not just meeting a requirement. You are making your course better for everyone.

The steps below are a starting point. Return to them each time you revise a course, and make it a habit to create new materials with accessibility as one of your underlying foundations.

This page covers accessibility for course materials in Blackboard. The UAS Employee Hub covers high-impact steps for web materials more broadly.

Declutter Your Course

Over time, courses fill up with old files, duplicates, and outdated materials. Cleaning up reduces student confusion and makes it easier to focus on what matters.

• Review your Content Collection and delete unused files.
• Un-publish or remove outdated assignments, quizzes, and folders.
• Simplify your Course Menu — fewer, clearly named items help everyone navigate.

Before you clean up: If you'd like to keep a backup, archive the course first. Email CELT if you need help with archiving.

Choose readings with better accessibility

Some documents may not be properly structured, and PDFs are often unreadable by screen readers. When you can, replace PDFS with full-text web pages, open educational resources (OER), or library materials. Some steps you can try: 

• Search the UAS Library databases using the "Full Text" or "Available Online" filters to find accessible web versions of readings.
• Browse open educational resources (OER). Many offer freely licensed, accessible materials ready to use.
• If a reading is only available in an inaccessible format, contact CELT or the library. We can often help source an accessible version or provide other guidance.
• If the material is your content, it is often easiest to go back to the original version if you have one in a document editor such as Word or Google Docs

If you aren't sure how to check if a PDF is accessible, run it through Word, Grackle for Google, or Foxit's Accessibility Checker and ensure text is selectable (not just an image). You can find more details on CELT's accessible documents page. 

Use Blackboard's built-in accessibility tools

Blackboard Ultra includes tools that make it easier to identify and improve accessibility without starting from scratch.

• Use the Ally accessibility indicators (the colored gauges next to your files) to identify and prioritize fixes.
• Format content using the built-in headings, lists, and alt text fields — these are more effective than manual formatting.
• Use Blackboard Pages (HTML content) where possible — HTML adapts better to assistive technologies than uploaded Word or PDF files.

Explore more: Accessibility with Blackboard Ally (CELT Knowledge Base)

Check the basics

A quick review of your materials can catch the most common barriers. Work through this checklist for each item in your course:

• Captions or a transcript exists for any video or audio content.
• Text in PDFs and documents is selectable — not just a scanned image.
• Content passes a readability sense-check: sufficient color contrast, no flashing elements, clear plain language.
• Built-in formatting is used — headings, lists, bold and italic — rather than conveying structure through size or color alone.
• Images have alt text, and complex images (charts, diagrams) have a longer description nearby.

Explore more: Caption your videos (CELT Knowledge Base) 

Keep the Momentum Going

Accessibility work is ongoing. Each small improvement contributes to a more equitable learning environment for all students. Start with one or two of the actions above and build from there.

Don't forget to ask for help when needed.