Foundational Accessibility Concepts
Making digital content accessible means applying specific accessibility standards and content best practices in order to ensure websites, PDF files or other digital content can be navigated and understood by everyone, regardless of ability. Learning these foundational concepts will help you create more accessible content regardless of tool or platform.
New to Accessibility?
Every person at Texas A&M University has a role to play when it comes to digital accessibility. Use this checklist to begin your journey toward understanding accessibility and creating compliant courses, communications and other digital content.
Get StartedStructure Content With Headings
Websites and documents should use hierarchical headings to indicate the structure of the content.
Make Destinations Clear With Link Text
Words that are hyperlinked should reveal where they will take users without requiring them to read surrounding text.
Provide Alt Text for Images
Images and other visual elements need a text alternative that serves the equivalent purpose.
Consider Contrast When Picking Colors
Contrast between text (or design element) and background is important to ensure legibility.
Group Related Concepts With Lists
Using properly formatted lists can be a helpful way to provide structure and improve readability.
Provide Alternatives for Multimedia Content
Audio and video content require alternatives to ensure they are accessible without being dependent on a specific sense.
Structure Data With Tables
Tables should only be used to present related information in a series of columns and rows.
Make Content Clear By Writing in Plain Language
Using plain language ensures that your content is readable and usable for a broad audience.
Compliance and Accessibility
Texas A&M University must abide by multiple system, state and federal policies to ensure our digital content is more accessible for everyone, including individuals with disabilities. These policies use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the universal standard for measuring and testing compliance.
Keep Learning
From quick micro-learning videos to full online courses, find resources to learn more about accessibility and its incorporation in a wide variety of topics.
Get practical advice for creating accessible materials, communications and platforms — including instructions on how to make accessible documents, presentations, PDFs, websites and more.
Explore our in-depth glossary of terms to learn more about the words used to describe accessibility.