Colleagues,
As referenced in the letter dated April 29, 2025, there will be a series of ongoing communications on the very important subject of our compliance with the requirements of WCAG 2.1 AA.
This communication is focused on the content residing within Brightspace and specifically the content that will be used for the Fall 2025 semester and beyond, whether it is new content or content copied from prior semesters.
As a reminder, all content that is created and shared electronically must be accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring that they have equal opportunity to benefit from it.
More information about accessibility requirements for digital tools and resources can be found on the SUNY Electronic and Information Technology (EIT) Accessibility Webpage.
To assist in determining the accessibility of the materials in Brightspace look for the green, yellow, and red Ally gauges located next to the content you have placed in the course. Ally will evaluate your content, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, images, Word documents, etc., and provide you with an accessibility score as well as some directions on how to remediate the content, if necessary (for example, the document has contrast issues or an image doesn’t have a description). Below is what the gauges look like and to review the remediation recommendations, simply click on the gauge attached to the uploaded content.
It should be noted that Ally will not be able to pick up all issues, for example, if you are linking to inaccessible documents, websites, or embedded videos. Please be aware that it is the instructor’s responsibility to ensure the accessibility of all course content as well as the accessibility of external resources. If you run into these issues, please reach out to Shari Hardenbrook shardenb@brockport.edu or Jay Harwood jharwood@brockport.edu for assistance.
There are numerous resources available to you to address any accessibility issue identified by Ally, including our Digital Accessibility at Brockport teaching guide. You can also find several links to additional resources on the Digital Accessibility Training and Digital Accessibility Tools webpages.
Additionally, as you build new content using any Microsoft application there is a built-in accessibility checker that will automatically identify issues within the document. This checker can be reviewed before you load the content into Brightspace. It is also recommended that uploaded content be in the original Microsoft formats and to avoid, if possible, uploading PDF files. All SUNY Brockport students have access to Microsoft Office, and making Office files accessible is a much easier task than fixing PDF files. The Office checker can be found in the bottom left corner of the window and will either say, “Accessibility: Investigate” or “Accessibility: Good to go.” If you see the “Investigate” prompt, simply click on the word “Investigate” to launch the Accessibility Assistant. Microsoft has provided useful guidance on creating accessible content with Microsoft 365 products.
Furthermore, for reference and from a broader perspective there is the ability via the SUNY Brockport webpage to share any accessibility concerns you may have related to website accessibility. The link is shown below and provides a pulldown option to report any accessibility questions or issues you may have. As appropriate, I encourage you to use the contact us form.
Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation and support as we work together to comply with these updated regulations and meet the needs of all of our community members.