Electronic Accessibility Resources Index

The Accessibility Minute

Short, weekly insights into building a more inclusive web.

Episode 2: A Picture is Worth... Text

[Upbeat transition music plays]

Host: Welcome to The Accessibility Minute! I am your host, Alx Sanchez, and today we are building better documents.

A picture is worth a thousand words—but only if everyone can actually perceive it! To support users relying on screen readers, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines require that all non-text content must have a text alternative that serves an equivalent purpose.

When you drop an image into a document or presentation, you must add 'alt text.' Keep it concise and describe the information it conveys. However, if your image is purely decorative or just for visual formatting, it should be implemented so that assistive technology can ignore it. Usually, you do this by applying a null (empty) alt attribute, denoted by a pair of empty quotes with no space or text inside!

[Upbeat transition music plays]

That is your Accessibility Minute! Remember, true inclusion starts with proper structure. See you next week!

Resources for Web Developers

Resources for Content Creators

Document Accessibility Guides:

Digital Document Accessibility Strategy & Remediation Guide (Google Docs)
Digital Accessibility Testing & Remediation Tool Kit (Google Docs)
Google Slides Accessibility Guidance (Google Slides)

Document Checklists:

Accessible Slide Decks Checklist (Google Docs)
Accessible Microsoft Word Document Checklist (Google Docs)
Canva Accessibility Best Practices (Google Docs)
DocuSign Accessibility Checklist (Google Docs)
Qualtrics Best Practices Checklist (Google Docs)
PDF Remediation Checklist (Google Docs)
Spreadsheet Accessibility Checklist (Google Docs)
Video Accessibility Checklist (Google Docs)

UCSB Document Templates:

MS Word Templates (Box, requires UCSB login)
MS PowerPoint Templates (Box, requires UCSB login)
Basic Spreadsheet Template (MS Excel)
Basic Spreadsheet Template (Google Sheets)
Google Doc and Slide Templates - Available in Google Drive accounts
- From your Google Drive, select New > Slides or Docs > From a template

Webpage Testing Tools:

Silktide Accessibility Checker (Chrome extension)
TPGI ARC Toolkit (Chrome or Firefox)

UCOP Resources

UCSB Accessibility Resources

Learning and Training Resources

Tier 1 Digital Accessibility: Creating Content that Everyone Can Use (Tier 1): A self-paced, introductory course on digital accessibility fundamentals for creating inclusive digital materials (requires UCSB, UCLC login).
Tier 2 A11y Instructors and TAs: This course introduces practical approaches instructors and teaching assistants can use to improve course clarity, usability, and flexibility for a wide range of learners (requires UCSB, UCLC login).
Tier 2 A11y Developers and IT Roles: This course introduces practical, developer-centered approaches to accessibility in web and application development (requires UCSB, UCLC login)
Tier 2 A11y Content Creators: This course introduces a set of core practices that apply across common content creation tools, including documents, presentations, PDFs, and web content (requires UCSB, UCLC login).
Tier 2 A11y Supervisors: This course focuses on the role supervisors play in supporting accessible outcomes across team workflows and student work (requires UCSB, UCLC login).
Tier 3 Local A11y Enthusiasts: This course introduces practical accessibility awareness for faculty, staff, and others who create, review, publish, or manage digital content and services within a university environment (requires UCSB, UCLC login).
LinkedIn Learning (UCSB-Curated Recommended Trainings)
Unlocking Digital Accessibility Series (Webinar Recordings)
The UDL Guidelines | CAST Universal Design

Additional Tools

Screen Readers:

Color Contrast Analyzers:

PDF Testing and Remediation Tools:

Adobe Acrobat Pro (for Windows and macOS)
PAC Accessibility Checker for PDF files (for Windows)
PDFix Desktop (for Windows, macOS, and Linux)