Sharing course content in MS Word is common and can be simple and effective. As you design MS Word documents, make sure you are taking accessibility into account.

Creating Accessible MS Word Documents

Be sure do the following:

1. Use Headings in MS Word (created by using the styles tool) to structure the document.
2. Add alternative text to images.
3. Use appropriate color contrast of 4.5:1. Check contrast using WebAIM Contrast Checker
4. Create links by using Descriptive Hyperlinks in MS Word.
5. Avoid the use of SmartArt.
6. Avoid adding text boxes, as screenreaders cannot currently read them.
7. Avoid putting important information in headers or footers, and keep them short.

Adobe PDF Resource for Accessibility

First off, avoid using pdfs if at all possible. PDF documents generally require a lot of work to ensure accessibility. Unfortunately, locking a document with a password may cause issues for screen readers.

Documents that are saved as PDF files will need to be checked for accessibility, even if it was checked before saving them as a PDF. Run the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Pro to fix common accessibility issues. It is always easier to fix issues before saving as a PDF. However, if you do not have the original document, you can still make PDFs accessible.

Below are the steps on how to use the Accessibility Tools in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

Accessibility Checker

1. Open the PDF that you want to check for accessibility.
2. Go to the Tools pane on the left-hand side and click on “Prepare for accessibility” to expand the accessibility tools.
3. Click on the “Accessibility Checker” to scan the document for accessibility issues. Click “Start Checking” when dialog box opens.
4. After the scan is complete, the Accessibility Checker panel will display a report, listing any issues found, on the right side of the document.
5. Click on any category to expand and view the specific issues.
6. Some issues can be automatically fixed, such as the Tagged PDF, Language, Title, and Tab Order. Just right-click and select “Fix”. 
7. You can right-click on any issue and select “Explain” and it will open a webpage with how to fix the issue.

BBCC Bonaudi Library has databases for every subject taught here.  You should be able to find almost any article needed, and use it in your Canvas course by embedding the article record's permalink (rather than the url at the top of the page), which will remain consistent from website to website.

There are a few reasons to use Permalinks instead of PDFs:

• No copyright infringement
• Helps to keep funding for the library - When an article is downloaded as a pdf by an instructor from a database, that counts as only 1 use.  
• If the instructor embeds the Permalink to the article instead, each time a student selects that link, it generates 1 usage point for the database. 30 students =  30 clicks = 30 uses = continued funding.