Please contact accessibility@purchase.edu if you need any help with ensuring your documents are accessible for everyone. Please read through all the pages contained in the “Electronic Accessibility How To Guides Section” to ensure you  understand all relevant accessibility topics.

Textbooks

  • Are my course textbooks available from the publisher in a digital format?
  • If a textbook is not available in an accessible format, contact the Office of Disability Resources for guidance.

Learning Management System Content

Content created in a learning management system such as Moodle is one of the easiest ways to make instructional materials accessible.

  • Is the navigation structure in my Moodle course clear and consistent?
  • Did I create accessible content (e.g. pages, labels, assignments, etc.) using the text editor in Moodle?
    • Did I use a sans-serif font (such as Arial or Verdana)?
    • Did I add heading styles to my content?
    • Did I add alternate text to images?
    • Did I provide an explanatory paragraph for graphs, diagrams, timelines, or other complex images?
    • Did I format lists as proper list styles?
    • Did I avoid using color alone to convey information?
    • Did I provide enough color contrast? (See the WebAIM Color Contrast Checker)
    • Did I provide self-describing links?
    • Did I use tables for tabular data (rather than for layout purposes), with appropriate table headers?
    • Did I use Advanced forums for my online discussions?
    • Do my quizzes contain one question per page?
    • Did I adjust the settings of timed tests for students who require extended time on tests?
  • Was the content in my Moodle course (such as Word documents, PDFs, PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, etc.) created following the accessibility guidelines on this website?
  • Contact the Accessibility Team: accessibility@purchase.edu for more details.

Class documents

Make accessible documents using built in accessibility checkers

Software

All software / hardware purchased or use at Purchase College, must be reviewed by the Office of Campus Technology Services(CTS). Please submit a work order to CTS for any new software requests.

  • Did I select accessible software for student use?
  • If the software is inaccessible, have I looked at alternate software in conjunction with ATS or consulted DSS for appropriate accommodations?

Hardware

  • If I use an iClicker or a similar audience response system, does the manufacturer provide a response system that is accessible?
  • Are questions provided in an accessible electronic format that a student can access during the exercise?
  • Do my iClicker questions require the use of inaccessible hardware/software (e.g. graphing calculators to complete statistics exercises)? If so, do I allow my students to work in groups or do I have a plan for providing additional time/assistance?

Library Electronic Reserves

  • Are my course reserve materials in an accessible and readable format?
  • Did I choose materials from publishers and journals that provide accessible electronic content?
  • Did I submit my course reserve materials to the Purchase College Library a minimum of 2 weeks in advance from the date they will be used in class? See Placing Materials on Course Reserve for information about the Library’s guidelines on placing course materials on e-reserves.
  • Did I establish a plan to provide an equal alternate form of access to content I placed on electronic reserves and traditional reserves, if either are not accessible by the first day of class?

Websites

  • Did I follow Web accessibility guidelines when designing faculty or course webpages, blogs, wikis, etc.?
  • Did I select accessible websites for class activities and resources?

Webinars & third party educational products

  • Do I manage web conferences (normally Moodle or Zoom) in an accessible manner?
  • Do I select additional educational technology and educational resources that are accessible?
  • Are the third party elements of my course and class activities accessible?

Video and Audio

The Purchase College Library, web team and accessibility team looks for captioned versions of needed video and audio content. If needed, rev.com provides captions (opens in new window).  

  • Are my videos closed captioned?
  • Are transcripts available for my audio-based materials?
  • If I could not locate a closed captioned/audio described version of my video, did I request assistance from the Mansfield Library?
  • Did I establish a plan to caption videos that will be spontaneously identified and/or generated throughout the semester for use in my course curriculum?

Standards

These guidelines are based on recommendations from the following national organizations:

For Additional Assistance:

For additional assistance Contact the Accessibility Team: accessibility@purchase.edu.