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Overview
This article helps students, faculty, and staff understand the basic principles of digital accessibility and universal design as defined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines that can be applied across different types of content and tools. For more detailed information or instructions tailored to specific platforms, explore more content in our knowledge base and refer to the ADA digital accessibility standards for the most up-to-date compliance requirements.
Digital Accessibility Core Principles
To make digital content accessible to everyone, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define four core principles represented by the acronym POUR. It’s recommended to read and understand these principles from the official W3C site for full details and examples. Here’s a quick summary.
Content must be:
- Perceivable: Information should be presented in ways users can perceive—for example, using text alternatives for images and ensuring good color contrast.
- Operable: Users must be able to navigate and interact with content, such as supporting keyboard access and avoiding elements that could cause seizures.
- Understandable: Content and navigation should be clear and predictable, making it easier for users to follow and interact without confusion.
- Robust: Content should work reliably with assistive technologies and remain compatible as technology evolves.
Still Need Help?
Creative Production offers help with document formatting, design, and redesign if needed. Please note, Creative Production cannot ensure accessibility for content created by other users. They may need to re-create a document to ensure accessibly, if you choose to use their services. Costs apply. Submit a ticket to request Creative Production services
IT Solutions primarily supports digital accessibility for academic and course-related materials including document accessibility, captioning and transcription services. Support for other content may be available if time allows, with costs applying to non-course materials. Submit a ticket to request IT Solutions services