Digital Accessibility
Welcome to POUR into Practice!
Getting Started with Accessibility
Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust
Discover how the POUR principles can help you create digital content that’s easier for everyone to use.
Video: Heading Structure
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Why Accessibility?
Digital media lets us share ideas quickly and widely—but not everyone experiences it the same way. Accessibility ensures that all users, including those using captions, alt text, or assistive technologies, can access and understand digital content. By applying the POUR principles, you can create materials that work for more people, more of the time.
Get to Know POUR: The Framework Behind Accessible Design
POUR is a framework that helps you build content that works across different devices, formats, and user needs. Each POUR principle gives you a practical way to improve your digital materials. Learn what they mean and how to apply them in your everyday work.
Quick Tips for Digital Accessibility
Need practical advice fast? These short how-to videos show you simple ways to add accessibility features to your digital materials.
Color Contrast
Learn about selecting appropriate colors and contrast levels based on WCAG AA standards. Use WebAIM Contrast Checker to analyze color contrast in your materials.
Why?
A contrast ratio of 4.5:1 makes it easier for people to see the content. This is especially helpful for those with low vision or color blindness.
Heading Structure
Use Styles to build logical page structure (i.e. Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.) in your documents.
Why?
Heading Structure and other Styles components allow screen readers to announce the page structure to the reader. It’s also helpful for people using switches or keyboard navigation to navigate the outline of the document.
Resources
NCADEMI– National Center on Accessible Digital Educational Materials
- Quality Indicators (QIs) for the Provision and Use of Accessible Materials in PreK-12 Systems
- Accessible Content Creation – resources to create accessible learning materials
WebAIM
- Contrast Checker – quick eye drop tool to determine the contrast ratio of colors in your materials
CAST AEM Center
- Designing for Accessibility – videos and examples of POUR principles