Accessibility Guidance

What is accessibility?

Accessible content is beneficial for everyone. It is about making your content clear and simple so that everyone can use it, including disabled users. 

Why do I need to make my content accessible?

Public sector organisations are required by law to meet the accessibility regulations by 23 September 2020. As a University, we also have a moral and legal obligation to ensure that our materials can be accessed by anyone regardless of whether they have a disability or not.

1 in 5 people in the UK have a disability, long term illness or impairment and many others have a temporary disability such as a broken arm. Therefore we need to consider everyone when creating online content, including those who aren’t yet aware they have a special educational need.

It can be useful to convey information in different ways e.g. diagrams, videos, screencasts, podcasts, documents and presentations to create variety and encourage engagement.

Paddy Turner, Learning Enhancement and Academic Development Lecturer and Chair of the National Association of Disability Practitioners, gives a brief overview of the terms and how integrating accessibility, inclusive practice and universal design into our practice can benefit everyone, regardless of whether your audience is students, staff, or external to the institution.

What is accessible content?

There are a few principles we can follow to help web content to be accessible. This video covers some of the principles and why they are important.

Some quick fixes to make your content accessible

  • Structure documents using the inbuilt styles e.g. headings, bulleted lists.
  • Use plain English and short sentences.
  • Use sans serif fonts such as Arial and Verdana.
  • Avoid using italic text as it can be harder to read and use bold to emphasise words instead.
  • Use left align and avoid justified text as this creates large uneven spaces between letters and words.
  • Make web links descriptive so it is obvious what you are linking to e.g. ‘contact us’ instead of ‘click here’.
  • Add alternative text (or Alt text) to images to describe them for screen readers. If the image is purely decorative then alt text is not required as it doesn't provide and important information.
  • Use a good colour contrast.
  • Add captions to videos and text descriptions for infographics.
  • Avoid using merged cells in tables.
  • Add page numbers.

 
SHU Services

Make it accessible with Sensus Access - allows you to convert documents to a range of accessible media to help users access.

Accessibility Resources

Here are some resources to support you with creating accessible content: