Body
Issue/Question
Title II ADA Compliance: Manual Accessibility Checking
Why is it Important?
- Automated tools are great for catching basic accessibility issues but can't judge content quality or complex features.
- Manual Checks ensure the actual experience for users with disabilities is good, which is crucial for legal compliance (like the Americans with Disabilities Act) and ethical design.
Environment
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Use manual checks when built-in and automated tools can't evaluate context, clarity, or user experience -- especially for documents, websites, and multimedia intended for public use or high-impact communication.
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Automatic captions for recorded videos are a helpful starting point, but they are often inaccurate. After uploading a video, review the autogenerated captions and edit them as needed. Correct any errors in words, names, or phrases to provide accurate captions and full accessibility for all viewers.
Cause
Title II ADA Compliance
Resolution
How To Use It
Review content visually and interactively. Ask:
- Does the document make sense when read aloud?
- Can you navigate it easily using only a keyboard?
- Are instructions, visuals, and links clear and meaningful?
Tips for Checking Accessibility
- Try navigating using only a keyboard (tab, shift and tab, enter, space bar, etc.) to ensure logical flow.
- Read content aloud to check for clarity, tone, and structure.
- Use Read Out Loud mode to test screen reader compatibility.
- Microsoft Word (View > Immersive Reader)
- Outlook (Message > Read Aloud)
- Adobe Acrobat (Menu > View > Read Out Loud)