A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings

Ensuring Online Files and Documents are Accessible

Eliminating barriers in information technology is addressed by the ADA. Documents and online content should be accessible and optimized for screen readers and other assistive technologies used by people who are blind or have low vision, as well as people with other types of disabilities. The following sites and tools can help you create and maintain accessible web­-based material:

• The American Council of the Blind’s publication, A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired, is available on their website.

• Microsoft Office offers an online tipsheet, Ten Tips for Accessible Documents, which provides recommendations on text colors, size, and more.

• Documents and content created for the Internet should meet the most up-to-date Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Guidelines are maintained by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). WAI is an international community of member organizations, staff, and individuals who work to promote accessibility, and issues guidance and technical tools to help improve accessibility online. The National Federation of the Blind recommends that level "AA" of the most current WCAG be followed.

• The Berman Accessibility Ribbon is an add-on to Microsoft Word for Windows (versions 2010, 2013, and 2016) that is available free for download (though a donation is suggested). The tool will help you create documents that are accessible for everyone and that comply with WAI's WCAG 2.0 criteria (the current version of the criteria).

• Braille Works also provides tools for remediation of older documents.