Accessibility Tools & Resources

• Adobe OCR for PDFs
  Learn how to use optical character recognition (OCR) to make text in scanned PDFs searchable and selectable.
• Adobe Acrobat Accessibility
  Learn how to create, review, and improve the accessibility of PDF documents.
• Microsoft Outlook Email Accessibility
  Learn how to create accessible emails using alternative text, accessible formatting, and the Accessibility Checker.
• YouTube Automatic Captioning
  Learn how to use and review automatic captions for YouTube videos.
• WebAIM
  Explore guidance, tools, and resources for creating accessible digital content.
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
  Review W3C's guidelines for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities.
• How to Meet WCAG 2 (Quick Reference)
  Explore WCAG requirements, techniques, and guidance for meeting accessibility standards.
• W3C Complex Images
  Learn how to make charts, graphs, diagrams, maps, and other complex images accessible.
• Zoom Accessibility
  Explore accessibility features available in Zoom, including captioning and transcription.
• W3C Nu HTML Checker
  Check HTML documents for errors and issues that may affect the quality and accessibility of web content.

Accessibility Compliance Resources

• Section 508
  Explore federal requirements and resources for accessible information and communication technology.
• Accessibility Requirements Tool (ART)
  Identify accessibility requirements that apply to information and communication technology under the Revised Section 508 Standards.

Explore assistive technology and software designed to support access to digital content. The resources below link to external websites. Please review each provider's privacy policy, terms of service, and licensing requirements.

• Kurzweil 3000
  Provides reading, writing, study, and test-taking tools, including text-to-speech and other literacy supports. Westfield State University provides access to Kurzweil 3000. Contact sas@westfield.ma.edu for information about obtaining access.
• JAWS
  A screen reader for Windows that provides speech and Braille output to help users access and navigate digital content.
• NVDA Screen Reader
  A free screen reader for Windows that provides speech and Braille support for accessing computers and digital content.
• ZoomText
  Screen magnification and reading software designed to help people with low vision access content on a computer.
• Fusion
  Combines ZoomText's screen magnification and visual enhancements with JAWS screen-reading functionality.
• Kurzweil 1000
  Scan-and-read software that makes printed and electronic text accessible to people who are blind or have visual impairments.