Accessibility Techniques are focused, practical guides for applying specific accessibility practices across the tools, platforms, and content types used at UGA. Each technique page explains why a technique matters, how to apply it, common mistakes to avoid, and the WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria it supports.
Use the sections below to find the technique you need. Whether you are writing a page, building a form, producing a video, or designing a component, there is a technique page to help.
Overview
Accessibility is built one technique at a time. Rather than trying to memorize every guideline, most authors, developers, and content creators apply a handful of techniques repeatedly — choosing meaningful link text, writing descriptive alt text, checking color contrast, structuring content with real headings. Each technique page on DASH focuses on one of these practices so you can get in, get the answer, and get back to work.
Every technique on this page links to a dedicated DASH page with deeper guidance. For one-page printable quick references on popular tools (Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Outlook, and Adobe PDF), see the Digital Accessibility Field Guides.
Structure and semantics
Techniques for giving content an underlying structure that assistive technology can understand, navigate, and announce.
- ARIA – How to use Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) roles, states, and properties to make complex custom components accessible to screen readers and voice control.
- Headings – How to mark headings as real headings (H1, H2, H3) so screen reader users can build an outline and skip between sections.
- Language – How to identify the language of a page or document so screen readers use the correct voice, pronunciation, and rules.
- Lists – How to use real list markup (ordered and unordered) instead of typed bullet characters, so screen readers announce “list of N items.”
- Navigation – How to build consistent, accessible navigation — including skip links, nav landmarks, and PDF bookmarks — for every type of user.
- Page regions – How to define banner, navigation, main, and footer regions programmatically so assistive technology can jump between them.
- Tab and reading order – How to make sure the keyboard tab order and assistive-technology reading order follow the logical order of the page or slide.
- Tables – How to create accessible data tables with real headers, captions, and simple structure (no merged cells or nested tables).
- Titles – How to write clear, unique page and document titles that help users understand where they are and what the content is about.
Links, forms, and interaction
Techniques for making interactive elements usable with a keyboard, a screen reader, voice input, and other assistive technology.
- Forms – How to build accessible forms with labeled fields, logical tab order, accessible error messages, and no mouse-only actions.
- Keyboard accessibility – How to ensure every function is available using the keyboard alone, with no keyboard traps.
- Links and buttons – How to choose between a link and a button, write meaningful link text, and handle “read more” patterns without breaking screen reader users.
- Popups – How to build dialogs, modals, and popups that are announced by screen readers, manage focus correctly, and can be dismissed with the keyboard.
- Predictability – How to make sure that giving focus to a control (tabbing onto it, opening a select menu) does not trigger unexpected changes of context.
- Visible focus – How to design focus indicators that meet WCAG contrast requirements so keyboard users always know where they are on the page.
Visual design
Techniques for making sure the visual presentation of content works for users with low vision, color-blindness, or differences in how they perceive shape, color, and size.
- Color contrast – How to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA contrast thresholds for body text, large text, and non-text content like icons and form borders.
- Enlarged text – How to design content that reflows and remains usable when users zoom in or increase their font size.
- Images – How to write useful alt text, mark decorative images, and avoid images of text.
- Visual characteristics – How to avoid instructions that rely only on shape, color, size, or position (for example, “click the green button on the left”).
Motion and timing
Techniques for content that moves, updates, or imposes a deadline — all of which can create barriers for users with cognitive, motor, or vestibular differences.
- Auto-updating content – How to handle carousels, video backgrounds, animated slides, scrolling tickers, and live-updating regions so users can pause or stop motion.
- Flashing and flickering content – How to avoid content that can trigger seizures in users with photosensitive epilepsy.
- Time limits – How to provide ways to extend, adjust, or turn off time limits that can exclude users with motor, cognitive, or processing differences.
Audio and video
Techniques for making audio and video content usable by people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have low vision — and for anyone watching in a quiet library or a noisy hallway.
- Audio description – How to add a narration track that describes key visual content for viewers who are blind or have low vision.
- Captions – How to create accurate, synchronized captions for dialogue, sound effects, and music in recorded video.
- Live captions – How to provide real-time captions for live meetings, classes, and events using automatic or professional captioning.
- Transcripts – How to produce complete text transcripts for audio and video content, including speaker identification and relevant sounds.
- Videos – How to combine captions, transcripts, audio description, and an accessible media player into a video that works for every learner.
Data and devices
Techniques for content types and contexts that deserve their own focused guidance.
- Data visualizations – How to make charts, graphs, maps, and infographics accessible through alt text, clear labels, and non-color cues.
- Mobile devices – How to design and test content for mobile screen readers, touch gestures, and the 91% of screen reader users who rely on mobile.
Getting help
If you have questions or need assistance applying any of these techniques, the Digital Accessibility Services Hub (DASH) is available to support colleges, schools, and administrative units as they build sustainable accessibility practices.
- Contact DASH at [email protected] for consultations, training, or technical assistance.
- Visit the DASH training page for resources and learning opportunities.
Accessibility is a shared responsibility, and every step you take makes UGA’s digital environment more inclusive.