Accessible Content Creation

Standards and Processes

BRCC strives to go beyond legal requirements to ensure web and digital accessibility so that every member of our community is supported and can achieve success.

As such, the following standards and processes must be met:

Anyone who creates web content or edits webpages on behalf of BRCC must ensure that their content is accessible.

The BRCC Office of PR & Marketing is here to help! Below are some guidelines to assist content creators with making all web content accessible.

Along with the Office of PR & Marketing, the Digital Learning & Academic Support Center (DLASC) can also offer assistance, especially to faculty who are working to make their course materials accessible. 

General Content Standards 

Per federal regulations, all web content must follow accessibility practices consistent with applicable accessibility standards unless an exception is approved under the undue burden or fundamental alteration provisions in the BRCC Website Accessibility Policy. 

Content editors should use proper heading hierarchy, meaningful alternative text for images, accessible links, and logical content structure. These are just some of the ways in which web accessibility practices help ensure that tools like screen readers function as they should for persons with disabilities.

Multimedia (Audio and Video) 

Multimedia content must be accessible to the greatest extent possible. 

Prerecorded videos must include accurate captions. If using auto captions, a manual check of captions must be done to ensure accuracy.

Audio content must include transcripts.

Live video must include captioning when feasible. Embedded and social media video should include captions where possible. 

Accessible Documents and PDFs 

Documents published on BRCC websites must be accessible to the greatest extent feasible. 

Whenever possible, information should be published as HTML rather than PDFs. Source documents must include proper headings, alt text, accessible tables, and logical reading order. 

Archived Content 

Archived content must be clearly labeled and separated from active content. 

Accessibility Review for New Website Features 

Accessibility must be evaluated when introducing new templates, applications, or interactive components. 

Accessibility reviews should be conducted at the following stages: 

• Template design must be tested prior to moving to development. 
• Development builds must be tested prior to moving to production. 
• Production environments must be tested prior to launch. 
• Ongoing automated checks must be applied during the life of the product. 

Technology Procurement Accessibility Review 

Departments procuring digital technologies must ensure accessibility considerations are evaluated during procurement. 

When third-party systems present accessibility barriers, BRCC will work with vendors to pursue remediation or provide alternative access where feasible. 

Vendor Accessibility Requirements 

Vendors must support accessibility standards and provide documentation such as VPATs. 

Accessibility Evaluation and Remediation

Accessibility testing must include a combination of automated testing tools and manual evaluation methods consistent with WCAG testing practices. Examples of tools are:

• Use of Siteimprove 
• Use of in-program testing tools (CMS, Microsoft 365 tools, Adobe Acrobat Pro) 
• Manual reviews for issues that cannot be identified with automated tools  

Accessibility Issue Remediation 

Identified accessibility issues must be documented and tracked through BRCC’s institutional remediation process that includes issue prioritization, in a timely manner consistent with institutional remediation priorities, available resources, and the complexity of remediation. 

Content Prioritization 

Remediation efforts should prioritize high-traffic pages and essential services, especially services for students. 

Continuous Monitoring 

Accessibility must be monitored through periodic scanning and audits. 

Accessibility Communication and Reporting

Anyone can report accessibility barriers to BRCC's Web Accessibility Coordinator, Kristine Sanders, by emailing sandersk@mybrcc.edu and brcc.comm@mybrcc.edu or calling 225-216-8242. 

All emergency communications coming from BRCC should be accessible whenever feasible. 

Training

Employees responsible for website content must complete accessibility training within 90 days of assignment. 

The DLASC offers training and remediation assistance to faculty for their course materials. 

Roles and Responsibilities