Q. What if a journal’s or funder’s formatting conflicts with accessibility guidance?
A. Many requirements can be met and remain accessible by customizing Word heading styles to match the requested look while preserving semantic structure, perceivability and operability (e.g., headings, alt text, reading order, contrast). Journals and agencies are increasingly expected to meet accessibility standards as well. If conflicts remain, prioritize the journal’s formatting requirements for submission, however, if those journals, etc. are posted by SDSU then we are required to make them accessible.
Q. Funding agencies require specific fonts/sizes — how do we handle that?
A. Use the required font/size but keep accessibility fundamentals: heading styles, adequate contrast, meaningful links, and logical reading order. If a requirement reduces legibility (e.g., tiny footnotes), provide accessible alternatives or annotations.
Q. Does the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker guarantee 100% accessibility?
A. No. The checker is helpful but does not ensure 100% accessibility. You still need manual checks for items the checker can’t fully validate (e.g., reading order, link purpose, some contrast/structure issues).
Q. Alternatives to layout tables — how do I keep information “in place”?
A. Prefer headings, lists, and paragraph styles; use columns and spacing styles rather than tables for layout. Use tables only for data, with headers identified. (We’ll add examples in the written guide.)
Q. Difference between Word for the web (Office 365 online) and desktop Word for accessibility?
A. Capabilities vary. The desktop app generally offers fuller features (checker, styles tools, advanced settings). Word for the web supports many essentials but may lack some advanced controls; when in doubt, finalize in desktop Word. (We’ll publish a short comparison chart.)
Q. Images with text: Could the text in the image be included in Alt Text?
A. Avoiding including text in images is best. If it's needed, it should be included in text of document and as well as described in alt text.
Q. Is there a font we should be using?
A. The recommended fonts for accessibility are Arial, Verdana, Calibri, and Aptos.
Q. Do we need to avoid split and merged cells?
A. Yes - it is best to avoid merged and split cells. Screen readers move through tables cell by cell, mapping each cell’s row and column to its corresponding header. Merged cells disrupt that navigation through the table.
Q. Is there a requirement that all PDFs that need a signature need to be Docusign?
A. DocuSign is our approved Signature Solution. So, if a signature is needed it needs to be in DocuSign.
Q. Can a DocuSign be edited after it is sent out?
A. Yes, you can edit prior to the document being completed. When a document is completed and there are no more steps, it can no longer be edited. That will void the signatures already gathered.
Q. Using the link, http:, with APA format – which do I use to comply, APA or digital accessibility?
A. APA Style Accessible URLs and Accessibility of APA Style
Q. What to do with third Party documents that are posted publicly and not meeting accessibility?
A. Content that is posted by third parties on a state or local government’s website or mobile app would not need to meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA: Policy Content posted by a third party.
Third party content posted by SDSU is required to be made accessible prior to posting.
Q. Posting written journals that are not accessible?
A. See “Third party documents” question. Best strategy is to add the article link or refer to SDSU Library.
Q. Branded PowerPoint has title in all caps, can we adjust that?
A. We should use the official PP template. All caps is ok for shorter titles. It is not recommended for longer titles and in general text.
Q. Would we have to remove the ampersand, &, and use the word "and" instead?
A. Screen readers read the ampersand as “and.” For cognitive accessibility, “and” is usually better than “&”.
Q. Are these requirements needed for Graduate student presentations and is it required for students if they need to make a PowerPoint for a class?
A. This is at the discretion of the instructor.
Q. Do we have to have headings in all our emails or only when have an actual heading?
A. You do not have to use heading styles in all emails. Use them when it’s applicable and the email information calls for it.
Q. The email accessibility is for all future emails? Do we need to check accessibility for any emails we send?
A. Yes, it is best practice to check accessibility for emails we send.
Q. What if you have courses that are not in English?
A. If the course is not in English:
- Set the document language to the language of the course
- Write the title in that language
- If mixed languages within the document, tag each portion separately
- If a section of a document is in a different language, you should highlight that section and modify the language.
- To modify language preferences, go to Review > Language > Set Proofing Language and make modifications as needed.
- Avoid leaving the default as English — screen readers will mispronounce content
Q. During the bootcamps I think Goran had suggested making a webpage within D2L as an alternative option. Is this ok? Should we avoid this? What alternatives within D2L would you suggest, or should we exclusively make changes outside of D2L?
A. Making a page in D2L is not “alternative”, it’s the best route. Reference the Practical Guide for Faculty.
Q. Does Panorama also check accessibility for slide decks created with Google Slides, Keynote, etc. or is it strictly PowerPoint?
A. Google Doc, Mac, and Keynote are not scanned.
Panorama scans: DOC, DOCX, PPT, PPTX, PDF, HTML, GIF, XLS, XLSX, ODT, ODP, ODS, RTF files.