Accessibility is about making sure every person can fully access and benefit from the materials we create. As the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) continues expanding digital teaching, research, and outreach, we’re introducing a new approach to ensure that every web page, presentation, and document we share is accessible to all audiences.
Why we’re making this change
CAES serves a wide community of students, researchers, producers, and citizens. As more of our work moves online, it’s essential that our digital materials — from course modules to Extension publications — are easy to access and use by everyone, including people with disabilities and those with different learning needs or technology access.
This change supports the University of Georgia Digital Accessibility Policy and new federal accessibility standards under the ADA and Section 508. More importantly, it helps us communicate more clearly and effectively with every audience we serve.
Our new process
Faculty and staff will follow a straightforward five-step approach for developing digital content.
Design → Build → Adapt → Review → Deliver
- Design: Start with universal design principles that consider all learners from the beginning.
- Build: Create materials with clear structure, readable text, and logical navigation.
- Adapt: Add accessibility features such as alt text, captions, and transcripts.
- Review: Test materials with accessibility checkers and real users when possible.
- Deliver: Publish accessible content and keep it up to date over time.
By making accessibility part of the design process, CAES can ensure our materials meet university standards, reduce barriers, and enhance the quality and impact of our digital communications.
Support and next steps
CAES support units are providing training, templates, and checklists to make the transition simple. A series of accessibility help articles will be made available on the OIT website.
Subscribe to the OIT newsletter for timely information and guidance on digital accessibility sent to your inbox.
Remember, by designing with accessibility in mind, we make CAES knowledge, research, and outreach available to everyone who depends on it.
Contacts
- Student course development and online learning
Christy Rich
christy.rich@uga.edu - Web and digital delivery
Office of Information Technology Web Team
caesweb@uga.edu
Digital Accessibility Handbook
CAES is committed to ensuring that all users, regardless of ability, can access and interact with online content produced by our college. OIT has created an in-depth digital accessibility handbook with resources to help you ensure your digital content follows accessibility best practices.
Start your journey to digital accessibility awareness and knowledge:
