Accessibility - New Casper College

Accessibility is a shared responsibility. It ensures our digital content can be used by people with disabilities and improves clarity, usability, and reach for all audiences. As a public institution, Casper College’s public-facing communications are expected to conform to accessibility standards required under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

What Casper College Expects

Websites: Casper College’s Brand Standards state that web pages will conform to Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and WCAG Level AA.
Major digital communications: Includes email, text messaging, and other digital forms of communication must meet the same standards as our pages.
Practical tools: Major software providers are now including Accessibility Checkers including Microsoft Office, Google, and Adobe Acrobat.
The Casper College website is scanned weekly by specialized software to detect accessibility issues. If issues are found, Strategic Communications and Marketing addresses the issues and may call on your assistance for any issues related to website pages or documents you are directly responsible for maintaining.

Start Here: The "Big 8" Accessibility Checks

If you only remember a few things, make it these:

Use headings in order (H1, H2, etc.) and built-in styles. Use real lists/bullets rather than manual styling or hyphens. Accessible documents require a structure.
Add alt text to informative images, mark decorative images as decorative when possible.
Use sufficient color contrast especially for text on backgrounds.
Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning. Use labels, text, or patterns in addition.
Write descriptive link text (avoid “click here”).
Use accessible lists and tables (real lists; tables for data only; include headers).
Provide captions/transcripts for video/audio when publishing publicly.
Run an accessibility check before posting or distributing.

How to Run an Accessibility Check

PDFs (Adobe Acrobat Pro)

Adobe’s guidance recommends using Acrobat Pro’s accessibility tools to check and fix issues and reviewing results that require manual confirmation.

Steps (Acrobat Pro):

Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
Go to All tools → Prepare for accessibility
Select Check for accessibility / Accessibility Check
Review the report, fix what you can, and re-run the check

Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint Accessibility Checker

Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker is the recommended first scan before sharing Office documents.

Steps (desktop apps):

Open the file
Select the Review tab
Choose Check Accessibility
Address issues listed (missing alt text, reading order, table headers, etc.)

Google Docs

Google provides accessibility guidance for using headings and structured content in Docs/Slides. The Google accessibility tool isn’t as robust as Microsoft.

Best practices:

Use Format → Paragraph styles for headings (don’t just bold/enlarge text)
Use real lists and meaningful link text
Add alt text to images and provide text summaries for charts

Google Sheets

Google Sheets may require an add-on workflow for structured accessibility checks. The Google Workspace Marketplace includes an “Accessibility Checker for Sheets” tool that checks against WCAG-related issues.

Training and Support

Accessibility improves when people have simple standards and quick coaching.

Available support options:

Short training sessions (30–45 minutes) for common content types: web pages, PDFs, social graphics, and presentations
Office hours for quick questions and review
Project review for high-visibility or high-risk content (major campaigns, homepages, paid ads, signature events)

Request help: pr@caspercollege.edu

When to Request an Accessibility Review

Request review if the content is:

Public-facing and high-traffic (homepage features, enrollment/registration pages)
High visibility (signature events, major announcements, paid advertising)
PDF-heavy or complex (forms, reports, multi-page brochures)
Involves data visualizations that need clear text equivalents
Time-sensitive and must be correct the first time

Before You Publish: Quick Checklist

Is it public-facing or representing Casper College officially?
Are headings and styles used correctly (real structure)?
Does every informative image/chart have alt text or a text summary?
Does text meet contrast expectations (checked with WebAIM if needed)?
Are links descriptive (no “click here”)?
Is the document readable without color cues alone?
Have you run the appropriate checker (Acrobat Pro / Office Checker)?