Accessibility

A: While you are not legally responsible for the source code or captioning file of a video created by a third party, you are responsible for ensuring the instructional materials you select are accessible. If a video is essential to your curriculum, it must have accurate captions. We recommend choosing videos that already provide high-quality closed captioning or providing a text transcript as a supplement.

For videos created with YuJa, videos will be automatically captioned; however, they should be reviewed and edited for accuracy before being shared with students. Even minor errors in captions can impact comprehension, particularly for technical terminology, names, or discipline-specific language. Taking a few minutes to review captions helps ensure all students have equitable access to the content.

A: Yes, but with a "Digital First" mindset. PDFs must be properly tagged for screen readers, have a logical reading order, and include Alt-text for images. Whenever possible, we encourage faculty to move content directly into the Blackboard/Canvas environment or native HTML pages, as these formats are inherently more responsive and accessible than a static document. If a static document must be used, we recommend Microsoft Forms (for fillable fields), Qualtrics,  Microsoft Word, and its built-in Accessibility Checker for content documents.

A: According to new DOJ rules, you don't have to update old web archives for accessibility if they meet a few specific conditions.  However, if requested by a user with a disability, an accessible version must be provided.

A: SIUE utilizes Acquia Optimize to regularly scan the siue.edu domain. This tool identifies broken links, spelling errors, and, most importantly, accessibility barriers (like missing Alt-text or poor color contrast). Content managers can request access to these reports to see a prioritized list of issues that may need remediation on their specific pages.

A: Yes. Accessibility extends to our social presence (Instagram/Facebook/X/YouTube). This includes adding descriptive alt-text to images, ensuring videos have captions, and avoiding "emoji-heavy" posts that can be disruptive for those using screen readers.

A:We can provide guidance and support.

• For Course Materials:Review CFDI Inclusive Pedagogy Resourcesor contact the ITS Instructional Design and Learning Technologies (IDLT)center for assistance with Blackboard content, document tagging, and video captioning.
• For Web Content:Reach out to the acting Director of Web Strategy (cbray@siue.edu) within University Marketing and Communications for assistance with website content.
• For Social Media: Review SIUE Social Media Guidelines or reach out to the Social Media Specialist (jebrack@siue.edu) within University Marketing and Communications for assistance with social media content.