If you experience a barrier on any page of Palomar College’s website, or in a Canvas course, please report the issue immediately. Note: This is not a form for requesting support to design your web page or other digital content accessibly – see support team below. Palomar College has a detailed Digital Accessibility Complaint and Resolution Process.
Five Best Practices for All Digital Content
Check out the 10-Day Accessibility Challenge by Foothill Online.
WebAIM is offering a free virtual accessibility conference on September 16-17, 2025. The conference runs from 9:15 AM to 2:00 PM PST each day and covers essential topics in accessibility. Please visit the WebAIM Conference Website for further information and to register.
WebAIM Accessible Documents Training for California Community Colleges registration is open for September and October cohorts. The training program is designed to equip participants with the skills to create, evaluate, and optimize accessible documents in Word, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF. Additionally, participants have access to a bonus module focusing on Excel accessibility. Register for a cohort today!
Digital Accessibility Support Team
It is important for all employees to know where to go for digital accessible design and remediation support. Digital Accessibility is a district-wide endeavor and no one is alone in their personal efforts toward our common goal. Below is a master list for points of contact depending on what area of digital accessibility needs support or remediation. Note: This is not where to go for reporting a barrier – see the above issue reporting form.
Website/Web Application Accessibility
Academic Technology Resources Center (ATRC)
The Academic Technology Resources Center (ATRC) supports all Palomar-created websites and web applications. They can assist any employee needing support to ensure all components of the website or web application are accessible per WCAG 2.1 AA standards. For example, staff in charge of the Basic Needs site or the Athletics site can schedule time with the ATRC for one-on-one support.
Instruction/Canvas Accessibility
The Instructional Design team is best suited for supporting design fixes (i.e., remediating inaccessible design/materials) and Open Education Resources (OER). For example, faculty and staff needing to learn how to implement Universal Design for Learning in course design, modify instructional materials for accessibility, use accessible headings, implement proper alt text for images, generate multimedia transcripts/captions, and create accessible digital documents.
Instructional Design Team (contact directly): Kelly Falcone | Alyssa Vafaei
The Distance Education (DE) Coordinator and Committee have been at the helm of digital accessibility work for quite some time, and can therefore support digital accessibility in instruction. DE hosts several workshops throughout the year from basic (POET) to advanced (POCR) accessible course design for Canvas. Note: Faculty who only teach in-person, but use Canvas for some components of their courses, would benefit tremendously from DE support.
Distance Education Faculty Coordinator (contact directly): Tanessa Sanchez
Academic Technology Resources Center (ATRC)
For support that requires a Canvas Administrator, employees should reach out to the ATRC. For example, faculty needing to export a Canvas course or extending time on exams, can get one-on-one support at ATRC Help.
Employee Forms Accessibility
Human Resource Services Division
Division ownership of employee forms range from Human Resources to Instruction to Finance & Administrative Services. For assistance in remediating or creating any new employee forms that will posted on Human Resource Services web pages, the point of contact is HR Help. For example, payroll staff creating Adobe Sign forms for employees to report absences, can seek support ensuring such forms are accessible to all employees.
Student Forms Accessibility
Division ownership of student forms is primarily Student Services. For assistance in remediating or creating any new student forms that will be posted on any Student Services web pages. For example, enrollment services staff creating forms and petitions that are required for students to complete certain processes, should seek support to ensure every form and petition is accessible to every student.
Communications/Marketing Material Accessibility
The Public Affairs Office is responsible for ensuring all digital communication and marketing materials from Palomar College are accessible. For assistance in remediating or creating any new digital communications or marketing materials that will go out to Palomar employees, students, or the community, the point of contact is Creative Services. For example, any employee creating a flyer they intend to post on their website or send out via email or Canvas, should reach out for support to ensure all event flyers are accessible to the broader Palomar community.
Social Media
The Public Affairs Office is responsible for ensuring all Palomar College affiliated social media accounts are accessible. Accounts that primarily share information about Palomar College programs and/or services, must meet compliance standards. For assistance in creating new social media content for your account, the point of contact is TBD
Point of Contact Coming Soon!
3rd Party Vendor Digital Product/Website Accessibility
Coming soon!
Policies, Standards & Governance
Federal, State & District Policies & Standards
- Department of Justice Ruling on ADA Title II
- Review of ADA Title II Law
- Review of WCAG 2.1 AA Standards
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act
- California Education Code 7405
- Digital Accessibility Policies at Palomar College: BP 3725 and AP 3725 (currently under review)
Digital Accessibility Shared Governance
Content Accessibility & Design
Accessible Web
Palomar College is committed to providing a website that is accessible to all students, employees, and community members. By employing universal design, we strive to develop our digital content in compliance with California Government Code 7405 that specifies conformance with the standards set forth in Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The college has adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). These standards are currently being incorporated into our digital spaces.
For a simple and straightforward checklist for digital accessibility, refer to the Accessibility Quick Start. Some general accessibility resources are also available – including accessibility for digital documents. Lastly, if you manage a website at Palomar, learn how to get started with our site-checking tool.
Accessible Documents
Palomar College is committed to serving all students and employees equitably, which requires equal access to required forms and materials for enrollment and employment respectively. Student Services and Human Resource Services personnel are encouraged to visit the Accessibility Resources page for training and assistance in creating accessible documents.
Adobe PDFs
What is an Adobe PDF?
The Adobe PDF is not a staple for website content managers…it’s generally delivered as a piece of media. However, since Palomar websites serve more than their share of these document types (~9,700!), and they tend to come with accessibility issues, we believe these resources could be helpful. These feature-rich files are excellent for print and offer portability by allowing for embedding fonts and images. Here’s what Adobe says about the PDF:
“Portable Document Format (PDF) is a file format used to present and exchange documents reliably, independent of software, hardware, or operating system. Invented by Adobe, PDF is now an open standard maintained by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). PDFs can contain links and buttons, form fields, audio, video, and business logic. They can also be signed electronically and are easily viewed using free Acrobat Reader DC software.” – Adobe
Creating PDFs
A PDF file can only be created from a scan or by exporting from another file format. Most of the software programs we use to create documents, graphics, and spreadsheets have built-in capabilities to export to a PDF file. So, if the originating document passes accessibility, then the resulting PDF has a better chance of being accessible. This article from WebAIM discusses PDF accessibility in detail. Some items that are “printed” to PDF (such as a web page) may or may not pass accessibility.
Accessibility and PDFs
When it comes to web accessibility – or accessibility, in general – the PDF is not always the best choice for delivering information. A PDF must be checked for accessibility before being added to a website and two items (reading order and color contrast) must be manually checked. If you choose to include PDFs on your website, they must be checked and cleared for accessibility. If a PDF simply won’t pass, then an accessibility limitations disclosure should be included with the file.
Learn to Create Accessible PDFs
Please review the video resource, “Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC,” which is an excellent demonstration of how to create and/or remediate a PDF. Melissa’s training session is almost an hour in length. Fortunately, chapters are included so you can have a self-paced learning experience. To view the chapters, visit the video on YouTube and choose “…more” below the video where the summary is located. Please note: the exercise files Melissa mentions are not currently available.
From Melissa Green, “This recorded webinar covers how to use Adobe Acrobat Pro DC to create PDFs that are accessible to people with disabilities: what it means for a PDF to be accessible; generating accessible PDFs from Microsoft Office and other applications; and using Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker and Make Accessible Action Wizard to evaluate the accessibility of a PDF and make basic accessibility fixes.”
Resources
Word, Excel, PowerPoint
There are basic steps that you should always take to make sure your Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents are accessible:
- Use inbuilt accessibility checkers
- Add document language and title
- Use styling options that are built into the program; avoid copying and pasting directly from other programs
- Use “headings” to create a hierarchy in your document. This ensures proper reading order for visually impaired users and helps them understand the content
- Add alternate text to images
- Use tables only when necessary; apply table headers and add a table caption and summary
- Preserve accessibility while exporting from one format to another
Microsoft Office Video Guides
Microsoft office has created a suite of video lessons to help users achieve document accessibility. These lessons are quick 1-2 minute videos that are categorized by product and features. We strongly encourage you to review these videos for specific issues that the inbuilt accessibility checker might flag.
Accessible Canvas
Palomar aims to design all Canvas course content accessibly. Faculty are encouraged to review our Canvas Course Accessibility Checklist and the Distance Education Handbook when designing their courses. You will encounter the Canvas Instructor Guide, accessible course templates that you can import and make your own, and training to advance your accessible design to POCR level to get priority listing in the CVC catalog. Students and faculty who encounter digital accessibility issues in Canvas should report the issue immediately.
Accessible Video & Audio
Resources coming!
Accessible Social Media
Social media platforms raise some access issues for individuals with disabilities. Although accessibility on social media sites is limited in a lot of ways, some features do exist in each platform. Learn some practical ways you can make your posts more inclusive. Making social media content accessible is a smart choice as it can also expand your reach and impact.
Avoid These Common Mistakes in Posts
Do Not: Use acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon without context. Do: Spell abbreviations and acronyms first to avoid confusion.
Do Not: Use ALL CAPS or aLtErNaTiNg CaPs. Do: Use CamelCase when creating hashtags, i.e. #CamelCase. Put hashtags at the end of your post to help with the flow.
Do Not: Use an Em/En Dash (— / –), screen readers do not read them. Do: Always spell the word. Examples: May 8th from 8:00 to 9:00; she got an A minus on her paper; the school year from 2025 to 2026.
Do Not: Use moving GIFs or flashing media, they may cause seizures. Do: Use nonmoving memes, which you can customize using tools like imgflip.com, Canva, or HubSpot. Use videos instead of GIFs because videos are more accessible.
Do Not: Use too many emojis (whether different emojis or the same replicated), or any that you are unsure of how a screen reader will read them. Do: Use emojis sparingly and only once to make the point. Screen readers will read the international standard meaning of each emoji every time one is used.
Do Not: Use ASCII Art. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Do: Use images or emojis instead as a better alternative. If you must use ASCII art, take a screenshot of it and post it as an image, then effectively describe it in the alt text.
Do Not: Rely on machine-generated alt text for images. Do: Review and accurately edit alt text for all images. An additional benefit of alt text is that it can improve search engine optimization.
Do Not: Put a detailed image description in the alt text. Do: Ensure alt text is brief, 120 characters or less.
Do Not: Use words like “image of…” or “photo of…” as the screen reader will automatically indicate that an image is present. Do: Jump right into the description: what is its purpose? why is the image there?
Do Not: Use illegible fonts or weak color contrast for text against the background. Do: Stick to one font and ensure it is legible. For text, ensure the color contrast with the background is high enough. Use the WebAIM color contrast checker for assessing contrast levels.