OERI Accessibility Checklist

Draft – last updated 11-13-22.

To ensure that all projects supported by the Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI) are accessible, the OERI requires authors to participate in related training or demonstrate their accessibility-related competence. While many projects may include additional accessibility considerations, the OERI Accessibility Checklist is intended to delineate the baseline accessibility standards that resources will be reviewed for. Please see the OERI Accessibility Checklist Overview for additional information.

Headings

  • All headings are styled using the platform’s Heading styles.
  • Every page has a heading at the top, H1 or H2 depending on the platform.
  • If a page of content begins with a box the first H2 or H3 should be under the box.
  • The heading structure is consistent throughout the page, with no skipped levels.
  • Headings are substantially unique and are not repeated on a page.

Images

  • All images have concise, descriptive alternative text (alt text).
  • Alt text does not repeat the figure caption and is no longer than 120 characters.
  • Alt text does not begin with “image of”, “picture of”, or other redundant language.
  • The alt text does not contain the image file name.
  • Complex figures are described or explained in the caption or surrounding text.
  • Any text that appears in an image is included in the figure caption or the alt text.
  • Figures are numbered consecutively and referenced in the adjacent text.
  • Every image has a caption.

Text Styling and Spacing

  • All capitals are only used for acronyms and abbreviations.
  • Bold formatting is used sparingly, such as for special terms or glossary terms.
  • Italics are used sparingly, for emphasis.
  • Text is not underlined (unless the platform’s style is to underline hyperlinks).
  • All text is legible. The font size must not be less than a 12-point font.
  • Overly decorative fonts are not used and the text color has sufficient contrast against the background.
  • Words are used rather than symbols.
  • Blank lines are not used for formatting purposes.

Links

  • Websites are linked to meaningful text, not URLs.
  • Terms such as “click here” do not appear in linked text.
  • Links are not repeated on the same page unless the repetition is employed for pedagogical purposes.

Lists

  • All lists are styled properly, using the List option.
  • Numbered lists are only used when the items are sequential or the numbering serves a communication purpose.
  • Bulleted lists are used for non-sequential items.
  • Headings are not formatted with the List feature.

Tables

  • All tables are produced using the platform’s Table features.
  • Each table has a caption.
  • Each table has properly formatted header rows and columns.
  • Any images provided within tables have descriptive alternate text.
  • Table cells do not include images for character symbols.

Media Elements

  • Every video and/or audio clip is introduced in the run of text.
  • Every video has accurate, human-generated captions.

Audio Content

  •  An accurate transcript is provided in addition to the audio content.
  • The audio content has been recorded with as little background sound as possible.
  • Speech is clear and pauses allow listeners to process what has been said.

Accessibility Checkers

ASCCC OERI Accessibility Checklist, November 9, 2022. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.