Submitting Non-ADA-Compliant Documents to the Daily Flyer? Not Gonna Fly

Perhaps you’ve noticed in the last week or so that all the pretty flyers and graphic announcements have disappeared from the Daily Flyer. In fact, there are very specific guidelines for creating graphic images so that they comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and, therefore, are readable by assistive devices for the visually impaired. If event content is embedded in a graphic, for instance, that information is generally not readable by assistive devices.

You have to admit, while the pictures are really pretty and the designs creative, the words are where it’s at when it comes to announcing an event or activity. It’s all of our responsibility when communicating information on activities at the College that all members of the NOVA community can access that information (and also, it’s the law).

Fortunately, the newer versions of Acrobat Reader DC that NOVA uses offer great tools to help you ensure that your flyers, graphics and even your social media posts are ADA compliant. NOVA’s website offers loads of resources to help you along this process.

For example, our Disability Support Services page has a wealth of information on creating ADA compliant Word, PowerPoint, PDF documents and emails. For example, check out this PowerPoint from DSS under How to Create Accessible Print Materials (nvcc.edu).

Also, NOVA’s Marketing department has many branded templates that are ADA compliant as well. Tools and Templates – NOVA Brand Microsite (nvcc.edu)

Finally, watch this super helpful YouTube tutorial submitted by CDEIO Nathan Carter. Making PDFs Accessible will show you how to readily identify the components of your PDF flyer that need attention and how to fix them.

Here are examples of a graphic that did not start as ADA compliant, but we’ve added text beneath the graphic to make it accessible:

This photo has captions embedded in the graphic to introduce the panelists; but those captions are not readable on assistive devices. However, including text below the image, makes it accessible.

Left, Anne Holton, professor, Schar School of Public Policy and College of Education and
Human Development, George Mason University; Right, Anne Kress, president, Northern
Virginia Community College

In the below example from Twitter, the graphic is clever but not ADA compliant because the main message of the piece is embedded in the graphic. Alternative text (also known as “alt-text”) has been added to allow for reading by electronic readers.

Did you know…  NOVA is a diverse college, with 61.4% of our total students
being from minority populations. (Imagery of raised hands in the bottom
right corner.)

When submitting stories for the Daily Flyer (and please DO submit stories to the Daily Flyer), please ensure your graphics, links, etc. are ADA compliant. We want to do all we can to make sure all Nighthawks feel included and are able to take advantage of the many great opportunities NOVA has to offer!