Quick Actions (30-second read)
- Caption every video and provide a full transcript.
- Share documents as structured, tagged, searchable files — never scanned images.
- Add meaningful alt text to every image and diagram.
- Use sans-serif fonts, left-aligned text, and strong colour contrast.
- Check documents work with text-to-speech and screen reader software before sharing.
Why this matters
Materials built around sighted, hearing, and neurotypical assumptions by default exclude students before learning even begins. Students have described receiving locked, image-only exam papers their screen reader couldn’t process, and slides that couldn’t be navigated by keyboard — barriers that had nothing to do with the students’ ability and everything to do with how the file was made.
Student Voice
“I just didn’t use the equipment — it was more like, this is what a blind person gets, so this is what we’re giving you.”
Practical Examples
- A lecturer runs a document through a structure/heading check before uploading it, rather than uploading a scanned photocopy.
- A video is captioned and reviewed for accuracy before publication, rather than relying on unreviewed auto-captions.
Full Checklist
- Is this PDF a real, structured document — not a scan or flattened image?
- Does every image in my slides have meaningful alt text?
- Are my videos captioned, and have I checked the captions for accuracy?
- Would this document work with a screen reader if I tried it myself?