S – Style
Use clear fonts with easily distinguishable letters (sans serif like Arial or Verdana)
Use headings (H1, H2, H3) to organize your content clearly
Break up long blocks of text into shorter paragraphs or bullet points
Sparingly use bold and italic fonts for emphasis / use underline only for links / avoid using all caps
RESOURCE: Styles & Style Guides
L – Links
Use descriptive link text (e.g., “Read the full article about the first man on the moon” not “Click here”)
Ensure all links are underlined
Give hyperlink text a different color from surrounding text
Check that all links work and go to the correct page
Ensure web pages have breadcrumbs to assist user navigation
RESOURCE: Creating Accessible Hyperlinks
I – Images
Add alt text that describes the image’s purpose or content (ASU’s Image Accessibility Creator Tool)
Keep alt text concise (<180 characters) and relevant (avoid “image of” or “picture of”)
Mark decorative images as decorative so screen readers skip over them
Avoid GIFs; all images should be JPG, PNG, or SVG files
Do not place text in images because the text cannot be read by screen readers
PDFs are images; they must be converted to OCR documents and reviewed for accessibility
RESOURCE: How to Write Alt Text
D – Design
Use consistent navigation and layout across pages
Maintain strong contrast between text and background (Checkers: WCAG Color Contrast Checker and Colour Contrast Analyzer).
Avoid using color alone to convey meaning (e.g., red for incorrect, graph, or map legends).
Ensure videos have captions and transcripts if spoken content is key
Tables are only used to convey data relationships
E – Evaluation
Use built-in accessibility checkers (LMS, Microsoft, etc.)
Review your content with students’ needs in mind
Ask: Can this be understood without seeing, hearing, or using a mouse?
Try your content with a screen reader or keyboard navigation
Test online content using WAVE WebAIM and correct errors.
Ask for feedback—accessibility is a journey, not a one-time fix