Accessibility

If it’s digital and you create, send, share, upload, or post it, accessibility applies.

This includes digital content shared with students, families, staff, or the community — as well as materials shared internally with other employees.

What Should I Check?

Documents & Presentations
Use the built-in Accessibility Checker in programs such as Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. Review the issues it identifies and make corrections before sharing the file.

Images & Graphics
Important information shown in an image or graphic must also be available in an accessible format. Add meaningful alt text when appropriate, and don't rely on an image alone to communicate important information.

Links
Use descriptive link text that tells the reader what they will find when they follow the link. Avoid vague wording such as “click here” on its own.

Color & Contrast
Make sure there is enough contrast between text and its background. Color should not be the only way to communicate information or meaning.

PDFs
Make sure the text can be selected and that the content has a logical reading order. Simply saving or scanning something as a PDF does not automatically make it accessible.

Fix-It Friday 

Choose one digital item you created or shared this week.

Check it. Find one accessibility issue. Fix it.

Before you send, share, upload, or post digital content, ask: Can everyone access, navigate, and understand this information?

Capital letters work well for short headings or labels, but using ALL CAPS for entire sentences, instructions, or paragraphs can make information harder to read.

This week's accessibility habit focuses on using normal capitalization to make digital content easier to scan, read, and understand.

What Does This Look Like?

The Week 10 graphic shows two versions of the same school announcement.

Accessibility Concern: Long Blocks of ALL CAPS

In the first example, the entire announcement is in all caps. Although the information remains, long blocks of uppercase text can make it harder to read and find key details.

Accessible Practice: Normal Capitalization

In the second example, the same announcement uses normal capitalization. The heading still stands out, while the body text is easier to scan and follow.

Both examples communicate the same information. The difference is how the text is presented.

Why Does It Matter?

Most of the information we read every day uses a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters.

Long blocks of ALL CAPS can make words look unfamiliar and require more effort to read. This may create challenges for some people with low vision, dyslexia, or other reading difficulties.

Normal capitalization helps make sentences easier to follow and important information easier to find.

When Is ALL CAPS Okay?

ALL CAPS is not automatically an ADA or WCAG violation. It can still be appropriate for short headings, labels, and acronyms such as UIL, STAAR, or FAFSA.

The concern is using ALL CAPS for long sentences, instructions, or entire paragraphs.

How Can I Emphasize Important Information?

Instead of capitalizing an entire message, use bold text or a clear heading to highlight important information.

For example:

Instead of:

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL FORMS MUST BE COMPLETED AND RETURNED BY FRIDAY.

Use:

Please remember that all forms must be completed and returned by Friday.

You could also use a descriptive heading such as "Forms Due Friday" to help readers quickly identify the message.

Before You Share

Review your email, document, flyer, presentation, or announcement.

Are entire sentences or paragraphs written in ALL CAPS? If so, change them to normal capitalization when possible.

Use bold text or clear headings when you need something to stand out.

Fix-It Friday

Find one email, document, flyer, or announcement containing a sentence or paragraph written entirely in capital letters.

Rewrite it using normal capitalization while keeping the original information and meaning.

Quick Check

Is the information easy to scan and read, or are unnecessary capital letters making it harder?

Choose normal capitalization for longer messages and save ALL CAPS for brief uses where appropriate.

Fonts can add personality to documents, presentations, flyers, graphics, and webpages, but readability should always come first.

Choose fonts that make important information easy to recognize and read. Decorative fonts can still work, but they shouldn't make readers work harder to understand the message.

What Makes a Font Easier to Read?

For important information and body text, choose fonts with clear, recognizable letters and consistent spacing.

Common readable options include Arial, Verdana, Calibri, Aptos, and similar fonts.

Decorative, script, highly condensed, or heavily stylized fonts can be more difficult to read. If you use a decorative font, consider limiting it to a short heading or visual accent rather than using it for dates, times, instructions, paragraphs, or other essential information.

There is no official list of “ADA-approved fonts.” A font does not become accessible simply because of its name. Readability depends on the font, size, spacing, contrast, and how it is used.

 

Want to Try an Accessibility-Focused Font?

Some fonts have been designed with specific reading needs in mind. These fonts are not required, and no single font works best for everyone, but they can provide additional options when creating materials.

Atkinson Hyperlegible was developed by the Braille Institute with distinctive letter and number shapes intended to improve character recognition, particularly for readers with low vision.

Lexend was designed with readability in mind and uses clear letterforms and spacing.

OpenDyslexic was designed with features intended for readers with dyslexia. Some readers prefer it, but research has not shown that one specialty font works better for everyone with dyslexia.

You do not need a specialty font to create accessible content. Clear, familiar fonts can also be excellent choices.

Watch Out for “Fancy Fonts”

Some online “font generators” do not actually create fonts. Instead, they replace regular letters with special Unicode characters that look like different font styles.

For example:

Screen readers and other assistive technologies may announce these characters incorrectly, skip them, or interpret them inconsistently.

Use regular text and apply an actual font instead of copying and pasting “fancy text” from an online generator.

What About Text Inside an Image?

Text that is part of an image or graphic is different from actual digital text. A screen reader cannot automatically read words simply because they are visible in an image.

Whenever possible, keep important information as actual text. If important information appears in a graphic, make sure that information is also provided in an accessible format, such as the message or webpage text.

Remember: alt text and accessible message text serve different purposes. A detailed flyer should not rely on alt text to communicate every piece of information.

Why Does It Matter?

Highly decorative or unusual letterforms can make words harder to recognize for people with low vision, dyslexia, and other reading difficulties.

Unicode “fancy text” can create an additional barrier because the characters may not be interpreted as ordinary letters by assistive technology.

Clear, familiar text benefits everyone.

Before You Share

Ask yourself: Is this text easy to read, and is it actually regular text?

If a font is difficult to read, simplify it. If you copied “fancy text” from a generator, replace it with regular text and use a real font for the visual style.

Fix-It Friday

Open one document, presentation, flyer, graphic, social media post, or other item you have created.

Look for one difficult-to-read font or example of Unicode “fancy text.” Replace it with clear, regular text.

Quick Check

Can someone easily read the words—and can assistive technology recognize them as actual text?

Digital content should be easy to read without straining, zooming in to understand the information, or struggling with crowded text.

When a document, flyer, presentation, or graphic has too much information for the available space, shrinking the font may make everything fit—but it can create an accessibility problem.

What Does This Look Like?

A flyer may contain all the right information but still be difficult to use if too much content has been squeezed onto one page using tiny text.

Instead of shrinking the text to make everything fit:

• Shorten the content.
• Remove information that is not necessary.
• Break information into clear sections.
• Split the information across additional pages when needed.
• Link to a webpage or document for additional details.

 

Is There a Required Font Size?

No single minimum font size works for every type of digital content. Different fonts, formats, devices, and audiences can affect how easy text is to read.

Instead of focusing on one specific font size, make sure your text is clear, readable, and able to remain usable when someone enlarges or zooms in on it.

If you have to make the text tiny to fit everything on one page, that is a good sign that the design needs to change.

What About Zooming In?

Accessible digital content should allow users to enlarge text when they need to. For web content, WCAG requires text to be able to be resized up to 200% without losing content or functionality.

This does not mean tiny text is acceptable simply because someone can zoom in. Start with a readable design, and make sure it still works when enlarged.

Why Does It Matter?

Small or crowded text can be difficult to read for people with low vision and other users. It can also become harder to read on a phone, smaller screen, or projected display.

Larger text, clear headings, adequate spacing, and shorter sections make information easier for everyone to find and understand.

Before You Share

Ask yourself: Am I shrinking the text just to make my design fit?

If the answer is yes, change the design instead.

Fix-It Friday

Find one document, flyer, presentation, or graphic with cramped or tiny text.

Increase the text size and make the information easier to read. If everything no longer fits, shorten the content, reorganize it, or give the information more space.

Quick Check

Can someone comfortably read the information without struggling with tiny or crowded text?

Hyperlinks should clearly describe where they lead or what the user can expect to find.

When adding a link to an email, document, presentation, website, or other digital content, avoid displaying long URLs or using vague phrases such as “click here.” Instead, use descriptive words that make sense on their own.

What Does an Accessible Link Look Like?

Long URLs may tell a web browser where to go, but they don't necessarily tell the person reading the content what they will find when they get there.

For example, an accessibility checker may flag a raw URL because the visible link text does not adequately describe its destination.

What an Accessibility Checker May Find

Alt text for screenshot: Accessibility checker flags two raw URLs because the link display text does not describe the destination.

In this example, the accessibility checker identifies both URLs as links that need more descriptive text.

How Do I Fix It?

Replace the visible URL with words that clearly describe the destination or purpose of the link.

Instead of displaying a Google Form URL:
Use: Complete the 2026–2027 Chromebook Agreement Form

Instead of displaying a Canva URL:
Use: Open the Monthly Newsletter Template in Canva

The descriptive words should be the clickable hyperlink. The web address can remain behind the descriptive text without being displayed to the reader.

Why Does It Matter?

People who use screen readers may navigate digital content by moving directly from one hyperlink to another.

Links with long URLs or vague phrases such as “click here” can make it difficult to determine where each link leads.

Descriptive hyperlink text helps users understand a link's destination or purpose before selecting it.

How to Check Your Hyperlinks

Read the hyperlink by itself, without the sentence or paragraph around it.

Ask: Does the link text tell the reader where the link will take them or what they will find there?

If the answer is no, replace it with more descriptive wording.

Fix-It Friday

Find one long URL or “click here” link in an email, document, presentation, or other digital item you have created.

Replace it with descriptive hyperlink text that clearly identifies its destination.

Remember: The goal isn't just to make a URL look cleaner. The link should make sense and communicate its purpose even when read on its own.

We use email subject lines every day, but they can easily become an accessibility concern when they are too vague, missing, or include an entire explanation instead of a clear summary.

A useful subject line should tell the recipient what the email is about, identify any action needed, and make the message easier to find later.

 

What Does This Look Like?

This week's graphic shows two email inboxes. One contains vague subject lines that leave recipients guessing, while the other uses descriptive subject lines that clearly communicate each message's purpose.

 

Accessibility Concern: Vague or Missing Subject Lines

Subject lines such as "Testing," "Results," "Enrichment," "Meeting," or "Question" identify a general topic but don't explain what the email actually contains.

Leaving the subject line blank creates the same problem. Recipients must open the message to determine its purpose.

Long subject lines that try to explain an entire problem can also be hard to scan, especially on a phone.

 

Accessible Practice: Clear, Descriptive Subject Lines

Use a specific subject line that identifies the topic, purpose, or action needed without including unnecessary details.

Here are some examples of how to improve common email subject lines.

Instead of: Testing

Use: STAAR Testing Dates for 5th Grade

Instead of: Meeting

Use: 3rd Grade PLC Meeting on Tuesday

Instead of: Newsletter

Use: Newsletter: Items Due by Friday

Instead of: Login Issues

Use: Tech Help: Unable to Access IXL

Instead of: Not Opening

Use: Tech Help: PDF Attachment Won't Open

 

What About Tech Help Requests?

When reporting a technology problem, the subject line should identify the specific issue rather than contain the entire explanation.

For example:

Instead of: Roku is not working

Use: Tech Help: Roku Not Casting to Classroom Projector

The email body is where you should explain what is happening, when the issue started, any error messages, and what you've already tried.

This helps the technology department quickly identify the problem and find the request again if needed.

 

Why Does It Matter?

Clear subject lines help recipients understand a message's purpose before opening it.

They also make it easier to prioritize emails, locate important information later, and distinguish between messages with similar topics.

For individuals using screen readers or other assistive technology, a descriptive subject line provides useful context when navigating an inbox.

Clear subject lines can also benefit people with reading, attention, or organizational difficulties.

 

Are Vague Subject Lines an ADA Violation?

A vague or missing email subject line is not automatically a violation of WCAG accessibility standards.

However, descriptive subject lines are a recommended accessibility practice because they improve navigation, organization, and communication.

The goal is to make information easier for everyone to understand and locate.

 

Before You Click Send

Take a moment to review your email's subject line.

Ask yourself:

• Does it clearly explain what the email is about?

• Does it identify an action or deadline when needed?

• Is it specific enough to find again later?

• Am I summarizing the message instead of explaining the entire problem?

If someone only read the subject line, would they understand the purpose of the email?

 

Fix-It Friday

Find one email you've sent with a vague, missing, or overly detailed subject line.

Rewrite it to clearly summarize the message.

You don't need to resend the email. The goal is to practice writing better subject lines for future communication.

Quick Check

Before sending your next email, ask yourself:

"Would someone know what this email is about without opening it?"

If the answer is no, make the subject line more descriptive.

 

This week’s accessibility habit is all about alt text.

Alt text is a short description added to an image that communicates the image’s important information or purpose to someone using a screen reader.

What should alt text say?

Describe what is important about the image in context. You do not need to describe every detail. Focus on the information someone needs to understand the purpose of the image.

Instead of:
No alt text

Use:
Three Valley View High School students conduct a chemistry experiment while wearing safety goggles.

Why does this matter?

Someone using a screen reader may not be able to see the image. Meaningful alt text provides the important information the image communicates.

How do I add alt text?

The steps may look different depending on the program you are using. Select the image and look for an Alt Text option in the image, format, or accessibility settings.

Add a short description that communicates the image’s important information or purpose.

Before You Share

Check each meaningful image in your email, document, presentation, or other digital content. Make sure it has appropriate alt text before you send, post, or share it.

Fix-It Friday

Review one document or presentation you already use. Check three meaningful images and add missing alt text or improve descriptions that are unclear.

 

 

A Flyer Is Not the Message

Flyers and graphics are great for catching attention, but they should not be the only place important information appears.

When sharing a flyer in an email, newsletter, ParentSquare message, website post, or social media post, include the essential information from the flyer as actual text in the message.

Not Accessible: Flyer-Only Newsletter

Placing a flyer inside a newsletter does not automatically make the information in the flyer accessible.

If dates, times, locations, instructions, or other important details exist only inside the image, someone using a screen reader may not receive that information.

Select the image above to hear what a screen reader may announce when it encounters a flyer without accessible message text.

After listening, ask yourself:

Would you know what information this flyer was trying to communicate?

Accessible Example: Social Media Post

The same accessibility principle applies when sharing a flyer on social media.

In this example, the Spirit Day flyer is included as a visual, but the important dates, themes, and other information from the flyer are also written as actual text in the Facebook post.

Someone does not have to rely on being able to see or read the flyer to receive the important information.

The platform may be different, but the rule is the same: the flyer supports the message — it should not be the message.

What About Alt Text?

Alt text is still important, but alt text should not be used as a substitute for accessible message text on a detailed flyer.

If a flyer contains several dates, times, locations, instructions, or other important details, include those details in the body of the message or post.

Before You Share

Imagine the flyer or graphic disappeared.

Ask yourself:

Would someone still know what is happening, when and where it is happening, and what they need to know?

If the answer is no, add the missing information as actual text before sharing.

Fix-It Friday

Find one flyer or graphic you have previously shared.

Review the message that accompanied it. If important information was available only in the image, add or create an accessible text version of those details.

Remember: You can still use flyers and graphics. Just make sure they aren't the only way someone can access the information.

???????Color can help organize information, highlight important items, and make digital content easier to scan. However, color should not be the only way to communicate information or meaning.

What Does This Look Like?

A calendar, spreadsheet, document, or graphic may use different colors to identify certain types of information. This becomes an accessibility issue when someone must see or distinguish the color to understand what the information means.

For example, a calendar might use red text for an ineligible date and green text for an eligible date without clearly labeling what those colors represent.

How Do I Fix It?

Add clear text labels so each item's meaning is understandable without color.

You can still use color as an additional visual cue. You can also use symbols, labels, patterns, or other methods to reinforce the information.

Why Does It Matter?

People do not all perceive color in the same way. Someone with color vision deficiency may have difficulty distinguishing certain colors, and a screen reader does not communicate meaning that exists only through color.

Providing meaning in text or through another visual cue ensures users don't have to rely on color to understand the information.

Before You Share

Imagine all the color disappeared from your document, spreadsheet, presentation, calendar, or graphic.

Would the information still make sense?

If color is necessary to understand what something means, add a text label, symbol, pattern, or another visual cue.

Fix-It Friday

Find one document, spreadsheet, calendar, presentation, or graphic you have created where color communicates meaning.

Check whether someone could understand the information without seeing the color. If not, add text, labels, symbols, or another visual cue so color is not the only way to understand it.

Quick Check

If all the color disappeared, would the information still communicate the same meaning?

Color can make documents, presentations, flyers, and graphics more visually appealing, but text and important information still need enough contrast with the background to be easy to read.

What Does Poor Color Contrast Look Like?

Poor contrast happens when text does not stand out enough from its background. Light gray text on white, yellow text on white, or white text on a light-colored background can all be difficult to read.

Text placed directly over a photograph, pattern, or busy background can also create contrast problems.

Color Combinations to Watch

Some color combinations are especially risky and should always be checked before you share your content. Examples include:

• Green and black
• Pink and green
• Yellow and white
• Light gray and white
• Light or pastel colors together
• Bright colors together
• Text placed over photographs, patterns, or busy backgrounds

The exact shade matters. One shade combination may pass while another combination of the same two colors may fail. Do not assume a combination is accessible based on the color names alone.

Valley View’s official colors are green (#188843), black (#000000), and white (#FFFFFF). Even when using our approved school colors, the exact text and background combination should be checked for sufficient contrast.

How Do I Check Color Contrast?

Do not rely on sight alone to determine whether a color combination is accessible.

Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to enter the colors of your text and background and see whether the combination passes accessibility requirements.

[Check Your Colors with the WebAIM Contrast Checker]

If you are creating something in Canva, use Canva’s built-in Accessibility Checker. Open the File tab and select Accessibility to check your design for potential accessibility issues, including color contrast.

What Should I Look For?

For text, the general accessibility standard is a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for qualifying large text.

You do not need to memorize those numbers. Let the contrast checker do the work and look for a passing result.

Why Does It Matter?

Strong contrast makes information easier to perceive for people with low vision and improves readability for everyone.

Something that looks easy to read on your computer may look very different on another screen, a mobile device, or a projector. That is why checking the actual contrast is more reliable than judging by sight.

Before You Share

Ask yourself: Have I checked the contrast, or does it just look readable to me?

When in doubt, use a contrast checker.

Fix-It Friday

Open one document, presentation, flyer, or graphic you use frequently. Choose one text and background color combination and run it through a contrast checker.

If it does not pass, adjust the colors until it does.

Quick Check

Have I tested my text and background colors with a contrast checker instead of relying on how they look to me?

  

 

???????Highlighting can be a helpful way to draw attention to important information, but adding a highlight changes the background behind the text. The text and highlight color still need enough contrast to be easy to read.

What Does This Look Like?

In this week’s example, white text was placed over bright green and pink highlighting. Although the colors stand out, the text and background combinations did not provide enough contrast.

When checked with a contrast checker, both combinations failed the accessibility requirement for normal text.

 

Highlighting Is Still Color Contrast

Choosing a highlight or background color in Word, Google Docs, Canva, or another program does not automatically mean the resulting text is accessible.

The text color and background color must be considered together. Dark text often works better on lighter highlights, while light text requires a sufficiently dark background.

How Do I Check It?

Use the WebAIM Contrast Checker to test the exact colors being used for the text and its background.

[Check Your Colors with the WebAIM Contrast Checker]

If you are creating something in Canva, you can also use Canva’s built-in Accessibility Checker. Open the File tab and select Accessibility to check your design for potential accessibility issues.

For normal text, look for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. Qualifying large text requires at least 3:1.

You do not need to memorize the numbers. Use the checker and look for a passing result.

Why Does It Matter?

Low-contrast highlighted text can be difficult to read for people with low vision and other users. A bright color may attract attention, but attracting attention and being readable are not the same thing.

Before You Share

When you use highlighted or colored text, ask yourself: Does the text have enough contrast with the color behind it?

Do not judge by sight alone. If you are unsure, check the colors.

Fix-It Friday

Look through one document, presentation, spreadsheet, or graphic for highlighted or colored text.

Choose one text and background combination, run it through a contrast checker, and correct it if it does not pass.

Quick Check

Did I check the contrast of my highlighted text, or did I assume it was accessible because I could read it?