Accessibility

Accessibility is built into the design and structure of all of our public Maricopa Community Colleges websites. The District subscribes to SiteImprove, which scans these sites for accessibility and quality assurance issues (spelling, broken links, plain language).

For all of our public-facing websites, we have ensured that our Drupal Common Framework meets WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. You can read more about Drupal’s approach to accessibility here.

All documents created within Maricopa Community Colleges must align with WCAG2.1 AA standards, which means that accessibility is not the responsibility of any one department—it is everyone’s responsibility.

.pdfs by nature don't work with screen readers, so they provide a bad user experience for users with vision issues. See an example here.

It is your responsibility to ensure that any .pdfs you would like to post to the web meet accessibility standards and are ADA-compliant.

In order to check a .pdf for digital accessibility, you will first need to download Adobe Acrobat Pro, which Maricopa Community Colleges provides to all employees.

Once you have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed, open your .pdf using this software and do the following:

1. Select the Tools tab at the top of the document

2. Choose Accessibility from the right-hand menu

3. You can now use the Accessibility Check tool to scan your document for accessibility (use Select All, then Start Checking)

4. Once this is complete, you can now view the Accessibility Report, which will detail any accessibility issues found in your document

5. For any status item marked Needs manual check or Failed, visit the associated Rule Name link for guidelines on remediating these issues

You can visit Adobe's complete guide on accessibility here.

Maricopa Community Colleges also works with Crawford Technologies, a third-party vendor specializing in document accessibility for the web. Crawford will provide remediation services at around $8/page. If you decide to go this route, you can reach out directly to das-quotes@crawfordtech.com (please cc matthew.rodgers@domail.maricopa.edu and jharrison@crawfordtech.com).

• Avoid All-Image Emails

  • Limit the use of decorative graphics and images. Rely on text-based content rather than embedding all content in an image, such as a flyer. This approach avoids issues for users whose email clients block images or use screen readers.

• Alt Text for Images

  • Alt text is a short description that’s displayed in place of an image when content is read by a screen reader or images are being blocked. Include descriptive and concise alt text for all images, enabling screen readers to describe them to visually impaired users.

• Keep Layout Simple

  • Use a single-column layout to enhance readability, reduce sensory overload, and ensure device compatibility.

  • Use color combinations that are easily readable to low-vision users and users who have difficulty differentiating color. Avoid using background effects with images or patterns that lower the text-to-background contrast.

• Left-Align Text

  • Left-aligned text is easier to read, especially for users with dyslexia, as it maintains consistent word spacing.

• Text Formatting

  • Choose accessible fonts, such as OpenDyslexic, Comic Sans, and Sans serif options (including Arial, Verdana, Tahoma, Century Gothic, Trebuchet, Calibri, and Open Sans).

  • Use a minimum 16px for body text and 18px for headlines, and ensure readable line spacing and font size to accommodate all screen sizes.

• Adequate Color Contrast

  • WCAG recommends using a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text (and 3:1 for larger text) to assist those with visual impairments.

  • Provide enough white space around elements to prevent crowding, helping users visually differentiate and navigate content easily.

• Hyperlinks and Attachcments

  • Ensure the visible link text describes the link's purpose and/or destination, using clickable elements such as buttons with descriptive CTAs such as “Read our Guide" instead of "Click here."

  • Confirm the documents or other attachments in your email are accessible and that the files have descriptive names. Verify all document properties and content for accessibility before attaching them to your email.

• Readability

  • Keep the email copy short and easy to scan. Break down long sentences (less than 80 characters) for better readability. This will help users with cognitive disabilities or those in a hurry understand your message quickly.