Digital Accessibility

Faculty are responsible for reviewing and making sure all digital course content, including that in D2L, used in their course, meets the accessibility guidelines.

• Begin reviewing your upcoming Summer 2026 and Fall 2026 now.  Using the Spring 2026 semester to get those courses read.
• Reviewing a course for accessibility and remediating its content takes time. You do not need to do it all in one sitting, but you should budget enough time to complete the task.

• The university is providing training and resources, including tools like YuJa Panorama.
• Support services through the Center for Faculty Excellence and Learning Technology Services are available.
• Accessibility checkers are also available in Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office products, and D2L’s editor, and should be utilized when creating new content.
  • Microsoft Office Accessibility Checkers(opens in new window)
• External linked content must also meet the accessibility guidelines if it is of educational value to the course. Faculty can use an accessibility checker to see if the external content is accessible.
  • Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools – You can download browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Edge to scan and identify accessibility issues on web pages.
• Section 508 Resources
  • There are a number of training resources available from the GSA section508.gov website on how you can create digital products that are accessible to everyone.

The following 7 practices will help you create accessible course materials that meet WCAG  standards. These should become the standard as you create syllabi, D2L course material, documents, presentations, and multimedia content.

Updating and making your digital course materials accessible can seem like a big task, but with a step-by-step approach, it becomes much more manageable. The 5R Framework—Review, Retire, Replace, Remediate, Request—provides a practical, step-by-step process for evaluating your existing materials and prioritizing accessibility improvements. This framework is adapted from Ohio State University (n.d.) 3R Framework and helps you focus your efforts where they will have the greatest impact for students.

Following the 5-R framework will lessen the workload by helping you systematically identify priorities and streamline the accessibility process.

No. YuJa Panorama supports instructors by identifying accessibility issues and providing remediation guidance within D2L; however, instructors are responsible for completing the remediation.

Major issues create substantial barriers for students using assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, keyboard navigation) or for students with visual, auditory, or cognitive disabilities. 

• High Priority – Address First
• All Major issues MUST be addressed.

Minor issues generally do not block access, but they can reduce usability, clarity, or efficiency for some learners. They are considered "polishing" or "best practice" items. They do not usually prevent a student from accessing the information, but can make the experience less fluid or consistent.

• Lower Priority – Work to improve.

Recommended Faculty Workflow

1. Start with red or low-scoring items
2. Fix major issues in high-use materials (syllabus, weekly readings, assignments)
3. Work to address minor issues over time
4. Aim for continuous improvement, not perfection

Here is a Microsoft video that highlights how improperly formatted content can affect assistive devices such as screen readers.

Yuja Panorama is just a tool to help identify accessibility issues, not an absolute test of accessibility.

Thus, it is a difficult question to answer definitively, so the best response is: as close to 100% as possible.

• The Federal rule requires that all digital content meet the guidelines.
• Digital content that scores under 70% has a severe or major barrier to accessibility.

That being said, there are some items that Yuja Panorama flags as issues (as they are), which do not block access for assistive technologies.

• For example, text smaller than 9 pt should not be used in the body of something and thus is flagged as a minor issue; it is acceptable to use 9 pt or smaller if it is subscript, or in a footnote/reference page, but YuJa does not distinguish that, it just says you have small text.

In addition, YuJa Panorama may also miss some things.

• For example, it does not scan the content of quizzes, that has to be reviewed manually.

Ultimately, all major issues need to be addressed, with the understanding that all content had to be accessible.

No.  While the D2L Quiz process meets the guidelines, the quiz content may not.  Quiz questions that are text-only and do not use a small font are most likely compliant.  Any images used in quiz questions, formatting, etc., must be manually reviewed by the instructor to ensure they meet the guidelines.

Most major content creation programs (e.g., Word, Adobe Acrobat) have accessibility checkers that can also assist in identifying accessibility issues in content.

• In Office Products you can use the built-in Accessibility Checker by selecting Review > Check Accessibility.

If saving out as a pdf from a Microsoft Product, be sure to use “Save As” and then “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility.”

After making changes, re-upload the file to Brightspace-D2L. YuJa Panorama will rescan automatically.

For support in creating accessible content, please visit the Digital Accessibility Community in D2L.

In Microsoft Word, using proper headings is the single most important step for creating accessible documents. Headings provide a "programmatically determinable" structure that allows assistive technologies like screen readers to understand the document's organization and enables users to jump directly to specific sections.

Accessibility Rules for Word Headings

• Use Built-In Styles: Do not create headings by manually changing font size or making text bold. Screen readers do not recognize these as structural elements. Use the Styles section on the Home tab to select Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.
• Follow a Logical Hierarchy: Always start with
  • Heading 1 and proceed in numerical order.
  • Heading 1: Use for the main document title (typically once per document).
  • Heading 2: Use for major sections.
  • Heading 3–6: Use for sub-sections within a Heading 2.
• Do Not Skip Levels: Never jump from a Heading 1 directly to a Heading 3. This disrupts the document outline for screen reader users.
• Avoid "Title" and "Subtitle" Styles: For maximum accessibility, use Heading 1 for your document's main title. The specific "Title" and "Subtitle" styles in Word are often not correctly recognized as navigable structural elements by screen readers.

Here's a nice video training on using Word Headings to make a more accessible document.

Next to linked course content (HTML, PDF, Word, PowerPoint, etc.) YuJa Panorama will include an icon that students can click to access alternative formats of the material (e.g., immersive reader, EPUB).

Students DO NOT see accessibility scores, icons, or reports in D2L.

Video recordings uploaded to PennWest’s media service – MediaSite – are automatically closed captioned.

Zoom recordings can be automatically uploaded to MediaSite and then linked to a D2L course shell.

The closed captioning can be edited and should be reviewed for accuracy. While MediaSite has about an 85% accuracy rate, the guidelines require 99% accuracy.

If there are essential visual elements, an audio description should be added.

For support in creating accessible content, please visit the Digital Accessibility Community in D2L.

Moving forward, as faculty create digital content for their courses, they should keep accessibility in mind. Content creation programs such as Word, PowerPoint, and Excel include built-in accessibility tools to support this process.

YuJa Panorama’s Privacy and AI use statement: YuJa does not use client data to train AI models. All AI models are trained using publicly available datasets specifically designed for AI training. Any data used for model development is obtained with the explicit consent of the data owners, ensuring ethical and transparent AI training practices.

• YuJa AI Use Statement
• YuJa Privacy Policy
• YuJa Security Policy  

Identifying the right contact for accessibility questions can be challenging. If you're not sure where to start, contact the Center for Faculty Excellence: they can help direct you to the appropriate department for your specific needs. Additionally, please keep in mind that complex questions may require connecting with multiple offices.

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