What is the Toolkit?

The Iowa State University Digital Accessibility Toolkit is a tailored resource that embodies the university’s commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. The Iowa State University Digital Accessibility Toolkit is more than just a resource; it's a testament to our commitment to inclusivity and accessibility. Digital accessibility goes beyond meeting legal requirements; it's about fostering a culture of inclusiveness. The toolkit is a comprehensive, user-friendly package providing resources and tools that ensure ISU's digital content and platforms are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

Who is the Toolkit for?

Our Digital Accessibility Toolkit is designed to serve a broad spectrum of stakeholders within and beyond our university community. It's crafted to meet the specific needs and skill levels of diverse user groups across our campus. This includes content creators – faculty, staff, and students producing digital content such as documents, presentations, websites, and multimedia. It extends to web developers and designers responsible for creating and maintaining university websites and online platforms. It also supports IT professionals, administrators, and decision-makers to ensure policies and compliance. Students with disabilities, instructors, prospective students, alumni, and external partners can all benefit from this Toolkit. It’s a resource for anyone working to create inclusive digital environments and experiences.

Toolkit Components

The toolkit is comprised of guidelines, resources, and tools, each serving a unique purpose and contributing to enhancing digital accessibility. Through these components, the Digital Accessibility Toolkit empowers our community to create and maintain accessible digital content and platforms.

For questions or support, please reach out to us at digitalaccess@iastate.edu. Remember, the Toolkit is a dynamic resource, continually evolving to better serve our community.

Resources related to accessible web and graphic design, including color contrast guidelines, accessible font choices, and more.

General Design Principles

Image Accessibility

Multimedia Accessibility

UX Accessibility

Web Design Accessibility

Creating Accessible Documents (PDFs, Word, etc.)

Canvas Accessibility 

Course Materials Accessibility

Our team is partnering with each college through our Digital Accessibility Liaison Network to produce guides for subject-specific digital accessibility recommendations and resources and will be adding guides as they are completed.

Notetaking and Transcription with Glean: A speech-to-text software 

Includes information on the university’s established policies and guidelines for digital accessibility, aligned with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and Section 508. Also includes information about relevant laws, regulations, and university policies regarding digital accessibility.

Digital Accessibility

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Digital Accessibility Laws and Guidelines Relevant to ISU

ISU Accessibility Milestones

Guidance on how to evaluate and select accessible technology and software for the university.

Software Accessibility

ITS Digital Accessibility Team Services

Testing tools and software for identifying and fixing accessibility issues in digital content and websites.

Siteimprove: Website Accessibility and Compliance Tool

Anthology Ally: Canvas Course Accessibility Tool

Free Automated Website Accessibility Testing Tools

Document Automated Accessibility Checkers 

Free Color Contrast Checkers

Information about assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, voice recognition software) and how to ensure compatibility with these tools.

Assistive Technologies

Desktop Screen Readers

Use screen reader keyboard commands and gestures used to read and navigate content with the following screen readers on the Windows and Mac operating systems:

Mobile Device Screen Readers

Provides information on captioning and transcription services to help make multimedia content accessible.

Learning Resources

Captioning and Transcription Services on Contract through ISU procurement

Live CART (Human-generated captions for events, meetings, classes)

Contact information for the university's accessibility team and individuals who can assist with accessibility questions and support.

Web Development Techniques for Accessibility

We recommend the following browser extensions and toolkits to add to your development workflows. Using more than one tool is highly recommended to identify more issues before publishing.

LinkedIn Learning Courses

Includes training resources like videos, tutorials, and workshops on digital accessibility topics.

A11y Bytes: Bite-Sized Tips for Enhancing Digital Accessibility

Digital Accessibility Learning

Free External Trainings

Paid ExternalTrainings

Professional Accessibility Certifications

We are working on adding more resources to the Digital Accessibility Toolkit by April 2026. The list below are items we will be adding:

  • Accessibility Glossary
  • User Guides
  • FAQs
  • Case Studies
  • Accessibility Resources Library
  • Accessibility within ISU Software
  • Accessibility Testing Procedures
  • Accessibility Conformance Reporting
  • Accessibility Awards and Recognition

Contact us

Provide feedback or report issues with the toolkit so that it can be continually improved.