Digital Accessibility FAQ | Accessibility & Accommodations

General Questions

Any digital content that is intended to be, or may be, shared with others. This includes audio and video, word-processing documents (i.e. Microsoft Word, Google Docs), PDFs, slide decks, spreadsheets, graphics and images. Sharing includes via email, websites, social media, e-newsletters.
Think about what might make the most sense for you.

One strategy could be to look at your course sizes: if you have a class with hundreds of students and another with a few dozen, you could prioritize the course materials that will reach the most students.

Another option is to think about what seems the simplest for you to do and that might also have a big impact for your students. For example, if you are in a text-based field like English or communication, you could start by adding headers to documents that you own, like syllabi and rubrics. If you are in a field with complex diagrams like engineering, chemistry, or physics, you could temporarily skip working with alt text and long descriptions in favor of checking and updating your color contrast on slide decks.

Above all, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it.
If your field requires complex equations, like math, physics or engineering, we recommend MathPix. You may request a MathPix license.

We are actively working to identify software options that may address additional needs. If you have questions about specific tools, please reach out to CELT@stonybrook.edu.

PDF-Related Questions

Typically, these settings will only help make the text readable to screen readers and other assistive technology. It will not tackle other accessibility aspects of the document. Issues will likely remain related to images, charts and data, headings and reading order, to name a few. But this setting will get you part of the way toward full accessibility, and part of the way is better than nothing as we all adjust to the requirements.

CELT is working on several programs and options to support faculty in remediating PDFs. Please reach out to them for help and guidance.
We advise you to keep the file in its original format. If you create a file in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, build it so that it is accessible in that format. Before you share it with others, you can lock the Microsoft file so others have read-only access, or set the sharing settings in Google so that others may only view the file.

You can get started updating Microsoft files (Word, PowerPoint, Excel) with this Microsoft support guide.

If you prefer to work in Google (Docs, Slides, Sheets), use this Google support guide.
This is true of all file formats, including Adobe PDFs.

If a PDF is available through the library, you must link to it for copyright reasons. If PDFs are from a subscription database, the database/publisher is responsible for content remediation. Faculty using these resources should share files via the database permalink, rather than downloading and reposting the file. This ensures that the file is always the most current version, including updates related to accessibility.
Scanned documents used for classes should be submitted to the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching for remediation. There is a queue and remediation takes time, but we are working through it. If a document is needed immediately for a specific student, please make sure you include that information in your support ticket.

If a PDF is available through the library, you must link to it for copyright reasons. If PDFs are from a subscription database, the database/publisher is responsible for content remediation. Faculty using these resources should share files via the database permalink, rather than downloading and reposting the file. This ensures that the file is always the most current version, including updates related to accessibility.

Additionally, CELT and the Provost’s Office have a remediation support program. Colleges, schools, and academic departments can request funding to purchase an Adobe Acrobat license and to hire a student worker to remediate PDFs. Students will be trained by CELT and managed by the academic department. For additional information about the remediation program, please contact your department chair or dean.
If the file is not from a subscription database and is required for a course, the PDF can be submitted to CELT’s PDF Remediation Pilot. Note: anything submitted must follow Fair Use and copyright laws (e.g., we can remediate a section of content).

If a PDF is available through the library, you must link to it for copyright reasons. If PDFs are from a subscription database, the database/publisher is responsible for content remediation. Faculty using these resources should share files via the database permalink, rather than downloading and reposting the file. This ensures that the file is always the most current version, including updates related to accessibility.
If you request a PDF through ILL, you are not legally permitted to share that with your class, as stated in the ILL Code of the United States (RUSA, 2023). PDFs acquired via ILL are explicitly for private research use. See the SBU Libraries’ copyright guide about ILL and Document Delivery. The SBU ILL department makes its best effort to run the file through OCR so the text is searchable and can be read by screenreaders. While this will not make all files fully ADA compliant, it is an improvement.

If there are materials that you’d like to request the library add to its collection, please use the material request form.
These scans are created from physical materials in our collection. All reserve scans are processed with OCR-enabled software, resulting in documents with machine readable text that are searchable and can be read by screen readers. While this will not make all files fully ADA compliant, it is an improvement.
If you are streaming a video from the libraries’ subscription databases, the vendor is responsible for captioning.

If you come across a video that does not meet accessibility standards, please contact the library. They will let the vendor know.

If a video is from YouTube or a non-library database, and the closed captioning is not sufficient, a transcript must be provided.
Legally, you may remediate these materials as long as all the copyright notices are preserved. However, we do not advise you to attempt this because of how labor-intensive it can be to remediate these kinds of materials. Instead, please consult with the experts at CELT or University Libraries for support and options.

If PDFs are from a subscription database, the database/publisher is responsible for content remediation. Faculty using these resources should share files via the database permalink, rather than downloading and reposting the file. This ensures that the file is always the most current version, including updates related to accessibility.

If the file is not from a subscription database and is required for a course, the PDF can be submitted to CELT’s PDF Remediation Pilot. Note: anything submitted must follow Fair Use and copyright laws (e.g., we can remediate a section of content). If the majority of a book needs to be distributed to students, the text should be listed as a textbook for purchase via the bookstore or a materials request should be submitted for the book to the university’s library.

Alternatively, if you can find the material through the Stony Brook Libraries, you should link directly to it from your Brightspace page.
Adobe licenses are only part of the solution. Remediating PDFs is a deeply laborious task, requiring a lot of training and time. Based on the complexity of the document to be remediated, each file can take hours. Through our remediation support plans, we are making Adobe licenses available to departments to use in conjunction with the hire of a student who will be trained in PDF remediation. To learn more about this program, faculty should contact their dean or department chair.

While many of us default to PDFs, they are not always the best option for sharing information:
- Documents, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, allow for real-time collaboration and offer flexible formatting, and have checkers to help you build accessible files from the start.
- Slide decks, like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides, are ideal when you want to engage an audience or draw attention to specific information in a lecture. They also work well for last-minute editing, flexible formatting, and collaboration.

Website-Related Questions

The Department of Information Technology (DoIT) offers support for owners and editors of SBYou websites to change their site themes to CampusFlex, which has better accessibility features built into it.
The Career Center can share examples of job descriptions to support departments and researchers in hiring students for these types of roles. We also encourage departments to hire students with federal work-study funding, as this funding covers wages and comes at no cost to the department. For student hiring, please reach out to Urszula Zalewski at the Career Center.

Additionally, if you hire a student to convert your website, you can seek training support through University Marketing and Communications. If you are interested in having your student go through training with the Marketing and Communications web team, please complete this form.
Content on your website should rarely be in the form of a PDF. These are more difficult to maintain, as they are separate documents that have to be edited outside of the website, then uploaded again. It’s often better to post content on a webpage itself as it allows for easier editing and takes advantage of accessibility tools that are built into many website templates and platforms.

While many of us default to PDFs, they are not always the best option for sharing information accessibly:
- Documents, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, allow for real-time collaboration and offer flexible formatting, and have checkers to help you build accessible files from the start.
- Slide decks, like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides, are ideal when you want to engage an audience or draw attention to specific information in a lecture. They also work well for last-minute editing, flexible formatting, and collaboration.

Responsibility and Oversight

The University is continually assessing progress toward our accessibility obligations. We do not intend to immediately turn off or restrict resources after April 24; however, we will follow up in areas where we have progress to make. This will be an opportunity to review where we might need additional resources, training, or other support to ensure we are meeting our obligations.

We appreciate all the hard work that faculty and staff are doing to support student access and achievement. Most importantly, we encourage faculty to maintain their pedagogy and teaching practices.
Everyone who creates, edits, manages, or purchases digital assets or content for the university has responsibility for ensuring their work is accessible.

Current and former New York State officers, employees and volunteers in state-sponsored programs, including SUNY employees (such as faculty), are covered by New York State Public Officers Law § 17 (“POL § 17”). POL § 17 protects state employees and officers against personal liability where they are sued in state or federal court, individually as a result of acts or omissions which occur when the individual was acting within the scope of their state employment.

With respect to lawsuits over accessibility of course materials, typically, the University or SUNY would be sued, however in some instances a faculty member may be named in the lawsuit individually. If that happens, the faculty member may be protected under POL § 17. As long as the faculty member is acting within the scope of their employment, and is not acting in bad faith, this law allows the state to cover the costs of defending the faculty member and any judgments stemming from these actions. It should be noted that the New York State Office of the Attorney General determines whether POL 17 coverage will be granted. For specific guidance please see SUNY Document 6301 – Defense and Indemnification of State Officers and Employees or reach out to the SUNY Office of General Counsel.

If you find that the appropriate tools are not yet available to support accessibility in your discipline, please reach out to provost@stonybrook.edu to discuss your concerns and work out a plan.
Faculty are encouraged to include a statement in their syllabus regarding accessibility expectations. You can use language provided by CELT.

You can also direct students to CELT’s Accessibility Resources for Students.

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Digital Accessibility