Accessibility Guidelines
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, colleges and public institutions are required to ensure that digital communications and electronic information are accessible to individuals with disabilities, including those who use screen readers or other assistive technologies.
This includes:
- Emails
- Attached flyers or images
- PDFs and digital documents
- Web content (Includes social media channels)
When a flyer or image is shared through email, important information should also be included in accessible text within the body of the email or through alternative text (alt text) / image descriptions. This ensures that individuals who cannot visually access the graphic are still able to receive the same information.
The U.S. Department of Justice and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) identify accessibility practices such as:
- Providing text alternatives for non-text content
- Ensuring documents are readable by assistive technologies
- Avoiding communication that relies solely on images
For campus communications, this means:
- Including event details in the email body
- Adding alt text or descriptions for images/flyers
- Creating accessible PDFs when distributing attachments
Accessibility is not only a legal compliance matter, but also part of creating equitable access for all students, employees, and community members.
