It is important to make sure that your documents are accessible to as many people as possible. Please write reports and other research documentation with accessibility in mind. For tutorials, checklists, and guidelines, see https://www.section508.gov/create/documents/
General Resources
- Use the accessibility tools built into MS Office and other products that you use to create documents. Checklists for specific applications: https://webaim.org/resources/evaloffice/
- AASHTO RAC Presentation about Accessibility: AASHTOSummerRAC2019_Section508ComplianceFinal_7-19-2017.pdf
- NOAA Central Library Accessibility LibGuide: https://libguides.library.noaa.gov/Section508/CreatingDocs
- National Transportation Library Accessibility LibGuide: https://transportation.libguides.com/accessibility/resources
- Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities Access to Information: https://gov.texas.gov/organization/disabilities/accessible_communications
- TxDOT Research Library indexed authorship resources (including accessibility): https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/search/SearchResults_ClearCriteria.aspx?q=(catalog.category:writing)
Alt-Text
Non-text content (images and equations) must include alt text that screen readers can use to describe the content.
A decision tree for creating alt-text https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/decision-tree/
tip
Before finalizing a document, screenshot and re-insert multi-component charts, graphs, equations, or graphics designed using Smart Art so that alt-text can be added to describe the whole image instead of writing alt-text for each individual component (e.g., chart lines, arrows, photo collages, photos with overlay drawings, etc)
Images
Mathematical symbols, calculations
Color Contrast
Color contrast between background and text must be compliant to WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards, at a minimum. See A11y Color Palette, WebAIM Contrast Checker, Paciello Group's Colour Contrast Analyser.
TIP
To test color contrast, you need the exact value for each color used. If testing colors that are on a website, try a color picker browser add-on to find this value. For desktop applications, free software such as Paciello Group's free Colour Contrast Analyser may help.
Graph design, color, and accessibility
Make sure that graphs and other images do not rely solely on color to convey information. If necessary, use online tools such as Coblis or Sim Daltonism to test your images.
Bar Chart design, color, and accessibility
Even if you are color-coding charts, make sure values or labels are included with each bar for screen readers. If the color differences are significant to understanding the chart, make sure that they have sufficient color contrast and difference in darkness for a colorblind user to interpret.
To check the foreground (text) against the background (bar), check the color codes on WebAIM's Contrast Checker or other tool.
Tables
Accessible Tables: A PowerPoint presentation by Michael Molina, Oklahoma DOT, June 9, 2021. https://transportation.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=61899149