Cornell University is committed to providing an environment in which all people have an equal opportunity to participate in the university’s programs, activities, and services. This page provides links to resources and policies that help researchers make their work accessible to everyone.
How Do I Make My Papers Accessible?
Cornell's arXiv open-access archive team undertook foundational user research that discovered users preferred papers in both PDF and HTML formats, with HTML being the preferred method for those using screen readers and other assistive devices. In particular, papers written in LaTeX were more accessible in HTML.
To make your papers more accessible:
- See how arXiv is implementing HTML papers, including papers sourced from LaTeX.
- Learn how to better convert LaTeX to HTML on arXiv (applicable to other publishing platforms).
- Learn how to make PDFs accessible.
- Use a screen reader simulator to check your papers.
How Do I Make My Classes Accessible?
How Do I Make My Websites/Apps Accessible?
Websites and mobile applications should be in compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA to satisfy:
- Cornell requirements (Cornell Web Accessibility Standards policy 5.12)
- Federal sponsor requirements, including Department of Justice's Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, and Health and Human Services' final section 504 rehabilitation act of 1973 rule.
Note: Web accessibility requirements apply to all Cornell faculty, staff, and students who are creating web content, including mobile applications and kiosks.
See How to Meet WCAG for a list of criteria.
Visit the CIT accessibility page, including a Recommended Web Accessibility Testing Plan and SiteImprove site testing.
The four principles that provide the foundation for web accessibility are:
- perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Key Tips
The following table shows a "cheat sheet" of key tips:
| Topic | Tips |
|---|---|
| Page Titles | Make titles unique, accurate, and short, and put the unique part first (e.g., "New Frogs Found by Cornell Researchers" is easier to skim than "Cornell Researchers Find New Frogs"). Every page should have a title. |
| Headers | Use headers. Every page should at least have Header 1. Make sure there are no blank headers. |
| Images | Use alt text for all images. If the image does not have important information, mark it "decorative." |
| Workflows, Data flows, Flowcharts | Put a text description of the workflow below the image. |
| Tables | Add a header to every column. |
| Links | Make links clearly visible (i.e., a different color than main text, but still readable against the background). Give long links a readable title. |
| Fonts | Make fonts easy to read. See Cornell brand guidelines for more. |
| Input Fields | Clearly label input fields (e.g., "Enter eDoc number for expense account"). |
| Text | Zoom in and out! You should be able to resize text without becoming blurry. |
| Captions | Add captions to audio and video. |
| Contrast | Make text and images of text have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1; large-scale text has a ratio of 3:1. |
| Flashing | Avoid seizures! Do not have anything that flashes more than three times in one second. |
| Keyboard Timing | Make all content usable via a keyboard without specific timing requirements for individual keystrokes. |
| Time Limits | Make time limits adjustable or able to be turned off. |
| HTML Tags | Give markup language elements complete start and end tags. Elements should be appropriately nested and without duplicate attributes, and any IDs should be unique. |
Where Can I Learn More About Accessibility?
- Visit the CIT accessibility page, including a Recommended Web Accessibility Testing Plan.
- Watch Accessibility Forums (2023 and 2024) with presentations from scientists with disabilities.
- Read about useful accessibility and relevant terms.
- See Cornell general accessibility resources, including campus access and event planning.