Accessible teaching materials checklist

How do I use the accessible materials checklist?

1. Open the file you are checking next to this page.
2. Choose the type of material. The list changes to show only the checks that apply.
3. Mark each check as done, not yet or not applicable. Each one shows the WCAG 2.2 success criterion it relates to, or says when it is good practice rather than a WCAG requirement.
4. Create the report. It lists what passes and gives a short fix for everything marked “not yet”. Copy it into your team’s notes, or print it to keep with the course file.

Many checks take seconds: setting the document title, running the built-in accessibility checker, or turning on captions. Start with those, then work through the rest.

Why do accessible materials matter?

Accessible materials help disabled learners, and they usually help everyone else too. A clearly structured handout is easier for a screen reader user to navigate, and also easier for a tired learner skimming it on a bus. Captions help deaf learners and learners watching in a noisy workshop. Plain language helps learners with dyslexia and learners working in an additional language.

It is also about duties. The Equality Act 2010 includes an anticipatory duty: providers should think in advance about what disabled learners might need, rather than only reacting to individual requests. Accessible materials by default reduce the number of individual adjustments you need to make. Public sector bodies covered by the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 also have specific duties for websites, apps and many documents published on them; GOV.UK explains what is covered. See the guide to accessible teaching materials and the glossary entry for the anticipatory duty.

How does WCAG 2.2 apply to documents and slides?

WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C recommendation, published in October 2023. It is written for web content, so not every success criterion maps neatly onto a Word document or slide deck. The W3C publishes separate guidance on applying WCAG to non-web documents and software. In practice, the checks that matter most for documents and slides are structure, alternative text, contrast, colour, link text and reading order, which this checklist covers. For online course pages and learning platforms, the full set of criteria applies, including the new WCAG 2.2 criteria on focus visibility and target size. The WCAG 2.2 for education software guide covers this in more depth.

What are the limits of this checklist?

It covers common, high-impact issues, not every WCAG success criterion, and it relies on your own judgement. It is not a formal audit or conformance claim. Automated checkers miss many problems, and so do checklists. The most reliable test is to ask learners who use assistive technology, and to try the material yourself with a screen reader, keyboard only or high zoom. If a learner needs a specific format, such as Braille or a modified layout, that is an individual adjustment to agree with them; the adjustment ideas finder can help you prepare for that conversation.

How does Inclusion Studio approach accessibility?

Accessibility matters in our own product too, because learners will use Inclusion Studio to see their plans and give their views, not only staff. The product is in development, and our accessibility statement says honestly what has and has not been tested yet. See our accessibility statement and accessibility features.