7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility
Digital accessibility doesn't have to be complicated. Most accessibility improvements come down to a small set of practical skills that anyone can learn: the seven core skills of digital accessibility. The good news is once you learn these new skills, they will become a habit.
If you create, edit, upload or share digital content, the 7 core skills of digital accessibility are for you. We encourage you to choose one skill at a time and build it into your content creation routine.
What Are the 7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility?
The 7 Core Skills of Digital Accessibility are simple, practical habits that help you create content everyone can use. These skills support 91Ô´´â€™s accessibility standard (WCAG 2.1 AA) and apply to websites, documents, courses and videos.
The 7 Core Skills reflect common accessibility practices identified by higher education accessibility programs and national organizations such as . They represent the areas where content creators have the greatest ability to improve accessibility using built-in tools in Word, Canvas and web editors.
Start With the 7 Core Skills
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HeadingsUse real headings to organize your content into a clear outline.
Proper headings help screen reader users navigate pages and documents quickly, and they help everyone scan and understand information. -
ListsCreate bulleted and numbered lists using built-in list tools — not dashes or tabs.
Structured lists make information easier to follow and allow assistive technology to recognize groups of related items. -
LinksWrite links that clearly describe their destination.
Accessible links make sense on their own and tell users exactly where they are going. -
TablesUse tables only for data, and set up proper row and column headers.
Accessible tables provide context so screen reader users can understand how information is organized. -
Color & ContrastDon’t rely on color alone to convey meaning, and make sure text has enough contrast.
Good color choices improve readability for people with low vision and color-blindness — and for anyone reading on a small screen. -
Images & Alt TextAdd meaningful alternative text to images and avoid using images to display important text.
Alt text allows people who cannot see images to understand their purpose and content. -
Audio & VideoProvide accurate captions for videos and transcripts for audio.
Captions and transcripts ensure that multimedia content is accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing — and useful for everyone.
The OHIO DAN 7 Core Digital Accessibility Skills is a self-paced course that introduces practical, everyday habits for creating more accessible digital content across documents, Canvas, and the web. Designed for faculty, staff, and technologists at any experience level, the modules can be completed in about 90 minutes total or taken individually as needed.