Accessibility Week!

Accessibility Week for Staff and Faculty

Please join us this Accessibility Week to learn how to create and design accessible digital materials for courses and departments. Staff and Faculty are welcome. 

This fall we are introducing a new presentation for MS Excel accessibility.

Accessibility Week Fall 2026

These workshops will help all employees at CCRI learn about accessibility requirements and prepare for the April 2027 deadline.

Choose the Dates and Times That Work for You!

Register Now

Creating Digital Documents with MS Word 

Learn how accessibility standards impact the work we do at CCRI and gain practical skills for creating inclusive, accessible documents. In this interactive session, we will explore effective practices for document structure, fonts, headings, hyperlinks, color, tables, images, and SmartArt. Using both MS 365 Word and the desktop version, you will also learn how to identify and resolve accessibility issues with the MS Accessibility Checker. This session is offered online and in-person and is ideal for anyone looking to build a strong foundation in document accessibility. 

• Monday, October 19, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, KN4104

• Monday, October 19, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Zoom

• Monday, October 19, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, Zoom

Creating Accessible PowerPoints 

Learn how to design presentations that are accessible, engaging, and inclusive for all students. In this interactive session, we will explore best practices for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations, including the use of slide titles, font sizes, color contrast, alt text, SmartArt, reading order, and the Accessibility Checker. This session will also cover the effective use of Master Slides, text boxes, as well as line and paragraph spacing to improve consistency and accessibility. You will work with both MS 365 PowerPoint and the desktop version while gaining practical skills you can immediately apply to your presentations. 

• Monday, October 19, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, KN4104 

• Tuesday, October 20, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, Zoom

• Wednesday, October 21, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, Zoom

Accessibility and Blackboard Ultra 

Learn how to use Blackboard Ultra's accessibility tools to create a more inclusive learning experience for all students. In this interactive session, we will explore the Accessibility Report, Alternative Formats, and Ally Gauge to identify and improve course content accessibility. Effective practices for accessible documents, images, videos, and uploaded files, along with demonstrations of the Convert a File and Unused Files tools, are shared as well. You will also learn how to use the Roster tool to create and manage student accommodations. This session is offered in-person and is ideal for faculty and staff looking to enhance the accessibility of their Blackboard Ultra courses. 

• Tuesday, October 20, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, KN4104

• Wednesday, October 21, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, KN4104

Creating Accessible Excel Workbooks 

Learn how to create accessible and organized Microsoft Excel workbooks that are easier for all students to navigate and understand. In this interactive session, we will explore effective practices for worksheet structure, headers, color usage, charts, metadata, and worksheet organization. This session will also cover common accessibility challenges, including merged cells, empty rows, whitespace, frozen panes, SmartArt, and text boxes. This session is ideal for developing practical skills for creating more accessible, and effective workbooks. 

• Tuesday, October 20, 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm, KN4104

• Tuesday, October 20, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, Zoom

• Wednesday, October 21, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, KN4104
• Thursday, October 22, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Zoom

PDF Accessibility

Learn how to transform scanned and photocopied documents into accessible, compliant PDFs. In this interactive session, we will explore the essential tools and techniques for creating accessible PDFs, including scanning, tagging, heading structures, metadata, alt text, and accessibility checking. This session also covers the use of the Order and Reading panels to ensure content is presented correctly for screen reader users. It is helpful if participants have a basic understanding of HTML, as some accessibility concepts and PDF remediation techniques rely on document structure and markup. 

• Wednesday, October 21, 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm, Zoom 

• Thursday, October 22, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, KN4104

• Thursday, October 22, 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm, KN4104 

• Thursday, October 22, 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm, Zoom 

 

Register Now

Can't Make Any of These Dates?

Guide to Creating Accessible Digital Documents will walk you through the basics of accessibility for digital documentation.

EZ Accessibility Checklist now available!

Accessibility Resources

• Accessibility @ CCRI

Changes to ADA Regulations

As of April 2024, a new amendment was added to the American Disabilities Act (ADA). This amendment requires all public institutions to be 100% accessible to users by April 2027 and establishes WCAG 2.1 AA as the quality rubric. The amendment includes all areas of the college, as well as both digital and physical materials.

Qualified individuals with disabilities must be allowed to acquire the same information, engage in the same interactions, and enjoy the same benefits and services within the same time frame as a person without a disability, with substantially equivalent or alternative ease of use.

This amendment includes, but is not limited to:

1. all course materials, regardless of copyright or course modality,
2. all Blackboard courses,
3. all publisher textbooks and content platforms,
4. all third-party hardware and software,
5. all documentation, digitally or physically handed to the public, including pathway information, handbooks, guides, list of major requirements, registration information, etc...,
6. all forms,
7. all PowerPoints, PDFs, tables, images, charts, graphs, and illustrations,
8. all syllabi and schedules,
9. all third-party websites,
10. all audio closed captioned at 100% accuracy,
11. and all videos are closed captioned at 100% accuracy.

At CCRI, we are committed to providing an inclusive community that is accessible to all. As a faculty, staff, or administrator, it is your responsibility to ensure that all persons have equal access to your digital and physical content, marketing, brochures, forms, auxiliary materials, handouts, and websites in a timely manner.