Foundations of Website Accessibility
This foundational course covers most WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines and additional usability practices in plain English. It is not a play by play of WCAG because, technically, you could check off a list of guidelines and not end up with an accessible website.
Module 1: Understanding & Selling Accessibility
- What accessibility is and what it applies to,
- Accessibility laws,
- Benefits of accessibility,
- Different types of disabilities and how those users are affected,
- What to ask clients and how to overcome objections,
- How I protect myself in my contracts.
Module 2: Structure & Sitewide Elements
- What to consider when selecting a theme (“accessibility-ready” doesn’t cut it!),
- Which tags to use and which ones to avoid,
- How different types of users get around a site,
- CSS techniques and ARIA practices that enhance accessibility.
Module 3: Color & Contrast
- Color and contrast guidelines,
- Color blindness,
- How to check for and fix issues (you have more options than you think!),
- Using color to enhance comprehension and usability,
- Tools for checking for color issues for various types of disabilities.
Module 4: Text & Icon Fonts
- Choosing typefaces,
- Good typography practices for all users,
- Understanding how to properly tag text-based content,
- How to properly format text-based content,
- How to deal with icon fonts and SVGs.
Module 5: Media
- When to use Alt-text and when to not use it,
- How to write good Alt-text,
- How to handle complex data graphics,
- Some points to consider with carousels,
- How to handle audio and video,
- What to consider with downloadable files and how to look for potential accessibility issues.
Module 6: Hyperlinks, Buttons & Forms
- What to consider with the content, styling and function of hyperlinks;
- Enhancing the accessibility of hyperlinks;
- Do’s and don’ts with hyperlinks;
- Choosing tags for form elements;
- Making form fields more accessible and user friendly;
- How to test hyperlinks and form elements.
Module 7: Finishing, Testing & Ongoing Compliance
- What you can do to help your clients and website users,
- The testing process for a website,
- Recommended tools and resources,
- Automated checkers and their limitations,
- How to help the client with ongoing compliance,
- Ways to make money on an ongoing basis with accessibility,
- Resources and support for accessibility.
9-page Web Accessibility Checklist
Save hours upon hours of time figuring out what to do with your next website build. If you have an existing checklist, simply incorporate this one into that one. It’s provided in PDF and Word formats.
Value: $500 if your rate is $50 per hour and you spend 10 hours trying to DIY
Accessible PDFs From InDesign
This course covers InDesign accessibility practices and PDF testing in plain English and step by step. It includes:
Module 1: Understanding Accessibility
- Overview of accessibility,
- Accessibility laws,
- Benefits of accessibility,
- Different types of disabilities,
- What to ask clients and how to overcome objections,
- How I protect myself in my contracts.
Module 2: Structure & Workflow
- Foundation of an accessible PDF,
- Understanding reading order,
- Workflow and productivity tips,
- How to prepare your document and what to think about beforehand,
- How to choose typefaces.
Module 3: Color & Contrast
- Color and contrast guidelines,
- Color blindness,
- Choosing colors,
- How to check for and fix issues (you have more options than you think!),
- How to use color to enhance comprehension and usability,
- Tools to check for contrast issues for various types of disabilities.
Module 4: Text Elements
- How to review copy for accessibility issues,
- How to clean up copy for accessibility,
- Good typography practices for all users,
- How to properly format tag text-based content,
- How to control the order of content,
- How to format tables,
- Hearing how a screen reader voices some of these elements.
Module 5: Images
- When to use Alt-text and when to not use it,
- Best practices for Alt-text,
- How to write good Alt-text,
- Different methods for placing images,
- How to handle decorative and essential images,
- Alternatives to Alt-text and when to use them,
- Hearing how a screen reader voices some of these elements.
Module 6: Interactive Elements
- How to create an accessible table of contents,
- How to create bookmarks,
- Do’s and don’ts with hyperlinks,
- Footnotes and endnotes,
- How to make forms accessible and user friendly,
- How to test interactive elements,
- Hearing how a screen reader voices some of these elements,
- Understanding how to use a keyboard and screen reader with some of these elements.
Module 7: Testing & Final PDF Work
- What to check in InDesign before exporting to PDF;
- What to check in Acrobat;
- What accessibility work to do in the PDF that you can’t do in InDesign;
- How to do final PDF testing, including manual checks and screen reader testing;
- Accessibility tools and resources.
Sample Project & Feedback
7-page InDesign and PDF Accessibility Checklist
Save hours upon hours of time figuring out what to do with your next accessible InDesign document! If you have an existing checklist, simply incorporate this one into that one. It’s provided as a Google Doc.
Value: $500 if your rate is $50 per hour and you spend 10 hours trying to DIY.
Exclusive Additional Bonuses!
Foundations of Website Accessibility Bonuses Valued at $2,200
Pricing Accessibility Calculator
- Save hours trying to figure out what to charge.
- Ask the right questions, so there are no surprises.
- Price your accessible websites so they will be profitable.
Value: $250
Make Money With Web Accessibility Guide
Get ideas for making money in one lump sum and with recurring revenue. You can use these ideas with existing clients and to help you get new clients. It comes with a companion spreadsheet.
Value: $200
Text for Accessibility Best Practices
Add this content into a guide to give your clients when delivering a website, so they see you as a trusted accessibility expert helping them with ongoing compliance of the content they add or update.
When bidding on new projects, charge more for this added value you’ll be providing, and use the guide as a selling point.
Value: $300
Coaching Call
Get one-on-one support with Colleen on your designs, web builds, selling accessibility or another topic.
Value: $250
12 Months of Support
Get feedback, ask questions and get ongoing updates in the field of web accessibility in the private course Facebook group only for students.
Value: $1,200
Web Accessibility Questionnaire
Price accessible websites more profitably.
The Web Accessibility Questionnaire includes two pages with 13 questions to ask clients before estimating an accessible website and is a fillable PDF, so you can duplicate it and fill out for each client conversation.
You and your clients will be clear on what needs to be done and who will be responsible for what in the design and development process. You’ll save face, save time and be more profitable.
Value: $50
Accessible PDFs From InDesign Bonuses Valued at $2,550
Pricing InDesign Accessibility Calculator
- Save hours trying to figure out how to price InDesign accessibility work.
- Ask the right questions, so there are no surprises.
- Price your accessible documents so they will be profitable.
Value: $250
12 Months of Support (instead of 6)
Get feedback on your work, ask questions, learn from others, and share your work or wins. This is a private course Facebook group only for students of the Accessible PDFs From InDesign course. Value: $1,200
Coaching Call
Get one-on-one support with Colleen on your designs, document setup, selling accessibility or another topic.
Value: $250
Certificate of Completion
After finishing each course, you’ll get a certificate of completion.
Enroll Today
Value of courses: $2,000
Value of bonuses: $4,750
Total value: $6,750
Note: If you are tax exempt, simply email Teachable support with a copy of the receipt and a copy of your state sales tax exemption certificate. They will refund the tax upon proof of tax-exempt status.
“Colleen is tops in document and web accessibility, as both a teacher and a designer. Her commitment to accessibility is evident by the excitement in her voice when she talks about it.”
Adriana Cordero
“Colleen is an exceptional teacher with great communication skills. She is not only an expert in her field but is a fabulous teacher. Not everyone can do both, but she certainly can.”
Tammie O’Neal
Frequently Asked Questions
Both Courses
Won’t I have to sacrifice the design for accessibility?
Definitely not! In fact, I share several methods for making an existing design accessible, so you can pick whatever method works best with the design.
Won’t I have to design with only dark colors?
Definitely not! In fact, if you did that, it would present accessibility issues.
But isn’t accessibility ugly?
Nope! Lots of designs are ugly, but they are not ugly because they are accessible. They were just poorly designed.
Does the courses cover all of the WCAG guidelines?
Other than in some areas, I do not mention specific WCAG guidelines. Instead, I provide plain-English practices and a process to help you not only meet but exceed them. The focus of the course is on best practices for accessibility and usability to help you meet those guidelines but without getting into each one specifically. After all, you could technically meet all WCAG guidelines and end up with a site or document that isn’t fully accessible. So my approach is different. However, I do show you many ways to test and against the guidelines and other methods to make sure you’re covered.
What constitutes a user?
A user is one login, one student. Sharing your login with another person will result in access to the course being revoked, and no refund will be issued. Multiple team members require individual licenses.
What payment methods are available?
Checkout is by credit card on the Teachable platform. However, if you prefer to pay via PayPal, please email me and I can arrange for you to pay via PayPal instead.
The prices seem high. Why are the courses priced as they are?
This is a small investment to help your business and your clients as well. Accessibility helps position you as an expert, stand out from other designers or agencies, command higher rates and win more work.
You’ll also find out many ways for how to start making money with accessibility right away, before you even finish the course. Plus, the course will save you hours upon hours of researching and trying to weed through good and bad accessibility practices. You’ll be able to get up and running quickly with a proven, comprehensive process from the sales conversation to the website launch and ongoing maintenance.
This investment is a fraction of the cost of website accessibility legal fines and fees (potentially $1,000 to $350,000!) from just a single website accessibility claim.
How long will it take to complete the courses?
There are about 8 to 9 hours of video content. You get full immediate access to the course content, so you can go through them as quickly as you like.
How long do I have access to the courses?
After enrolling, you get lifetime access and future updates to the courses.
What discounts are offered for teams?
Save 15% on enrollments for teams of 3 to 5 and 20% on teams of 6 or more on the web course or the InDesign and PDF course.
What if my organization is tax exempt?
No problem! You will be charged tax upon purchase. Simply email Teachable support with a copy of the receipt and a copy of your state sales tax exemption certificate. They will refund the tax upon proof of tax-exempt status.
What is the refund policy?
Please review the refund policy prior to purchase.
Foundations of Website Accessibility
Why can’t I just use an accessible theme, accessibility plugin, automated checker or overlay?
You can’t approach accessibility with a theme, plugin, automated checker or overlay. Themes don’t affect the page content at all. Plugins and automated checkers can only detect about 25% to 30% of issues (70% to 75% must be manually checked and fixed). Overlays just don’t work! They make the site less accessible, slow down the site and force people to use a different interface to get around the site. That makes for a horrendous user experience too.
Do I need to know how to code a website?
You should be familiar with HTML and CSS, but you do not need to know how to build a site from scratch, especially if you’re using WordPress.
Is the course specific to WordPress?
Most of the course content is platform agnostic, but there is also a lot of WordPress-specific content as well.
Do I have to use a specific theme?
Some themes are more accessible than others, even so-called “accessible” themes. Some themes have major accessibility issues. After learning some ways to check your theme of choice and based on any accessibility requirements a particular project may have, you can decide which theme to use.
Does this course cover everything there is and ever will be to know about accessibility?
No. This course, and no course, can cover all there is and all there ever will be about accessibility. That’s because some aspects of accessibility are open to interpretation, and there may be several approaches to some things. What you will get from this course is a very comprehensive, foundational understanding of accessibility and usability that will empower you to provide users a high-quality experience.
Are page builders covered?
The course covers some accessibility issues with Beaver Builder. You will be able to look for potential accessibility issues in any page builder—Beaver Builder, Elementor, Oxygen, etc. The course also covers something you can use in conjunction with a page builder.
Accessible PDFs From InDesign
My documents pass the Acrobat accessibility checker. Isn’t that enough?
Nope! That’s just the start. The Acrobat accessibility checker is part of the troubleshooting process. Automated checkers have limitations and cannot check for most accessibility issues. There’s a lot more checking—manual checking—that needs to be done.
Your documents could technically pass a checker and still not be fully accessible or provide a good user experience. I show you how to test and manually inspect the documents so you’re confident your documents are accessible.
How well do I need to know InDesign?
The more you use InDesign properly, the easier it will be. If you have knowledge of HTML tags, even better!
Many designers have used InDesign for years but don’t use proper practices, which results in a lot of rework for accessibility. If that’s your situation, you will learn more efficient methods for layout, which will save you time with all documents—not just ones that have to be accessible.
If you’re new to InDesign, you will benefit from learning the practices I teach in the course from the beginning.
How technical is this course?
Accessibility is very technical. This course delves into design practices, technical layout practices, tags, using a screen reader to test your documents and more. I break down what you need to know in plain English and provide handouts and checklists to make understanding the technical parts easier.
Will I need special software?
Yes. In addition to Adobe InDesign, you need Adobe Acrobat. However, you could apply many of the practices in InDesign to other page layout software that allows for exporting to a tagged PDF.
If you use a Mac, you will need to run a Windows simulator for parts of the testing process. There are free ways to do that or you can use software ($85 USD per year) to do this.
A PC keyboard is recommended to easily be able to use the screen reader commands in Windows, but it is not required. You may use a key remapping app instead.
A short list of these recommended tools is provided in the introductory module inside the course.
How is this course different from the Accessible Branding & Design course?
This InDesign accessibility course covers accessible design practices and technical InDesign and PDF practices.
The Accessible Branding & Design course is not a technical course. It is also geared toward designers in general, who may or may not be designing documents, but who might also be designing websites, logos, documents, etc. It also includes content on building an accessible color palette and style guide.