Tools and Training
Tools
The university has a variety of tools that can be leveraged to help you assess your content, including:
- Ally in Canvas
- Ally works in Canvas to test the accessibility of courses and the content inside of them. Ally allows instructors to see how accessible the content is and learn how to remediate it if there are issues. As course content improves, a meter tracks progress and provides guidance on overall quality.
- PREP PDF remediation software
- PREP helps you make better PDFs by setting up documents with accessible structure and styles that provide basic accessibility when exporting. More complex PDFs with data, tables, or scans may need further remediation.
- Grackle accessibility tools for Google Suite
- Microsoft Accessibility Tools
Virginia Tech Accessibility Training Options
Making your Digital Content Accessible: Where should you start?
Whether you’re creating course materials, developing websites, or preparing presentations, it’s important for you to feel empowered and supported in making content accessible to everyone. This page offers links to training that will help you build the skills you will need to update your content for accessibility, and to gain the knowledge that will make it easier to build new content that is fully accessible from the start.
Getting Started: Quick wins for accessibility
Start with these questions:
- Could your PDF documents work better as web pages?
- Have you explored the built-in accessibility checkers in your tools?
- Are all your images correctly labeled?
Choose your learning path
I need quick help with…
- Word Documents: Learn how to structure your Word documents, add alt text, and check color contrast in just 10 minutes.
- Presentations: Make your slides accessible with Microsoft’s quick-start guide to headings, alt text, and slide layouts. Consider starting with the Accessible PowerPoint Template.
- PDF Files: Discover essential tips for creating and checking PDF accessibility in Adobe Acrobat.
- Videos: Get started with captions using our beginner's guide.
I want to dive deeper into…
Ready to expand your accessibility knowledge? Our intermediate to advanced courses cover:
Creating Accessible Documents
Design Accessible Presentations
- Canva: Designing Engaging, Accessible Presentations
- PowerPoint Accessibility Techniques
- WebAIM Accessible Documents (Word, PPT, Excel, Acrobat)
Website Accessibility Fundamentals
For website managers:
For website and mobile application developers:
Website Accessibility Intermediate
For website and mobile application developers:
Mobile Accessibility Developers
Universal Design for Learning Framework
I'm ready to become an expert…
Take your skills to the next level with our comprehensive training tracks:
- Virginia Tech Accessibility Champion Pathway
- Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies Cohort (Fall 2025)
- Microsoft Tools Accessibility Specialist
- Fast Track to Accessibility for Any Role
Pro Tip: Start with our self-paced Accessibility Champion Pathway, made up of essential workshops on:
Available tools and resources
Make accessibility easier with these built-in tools:
- Microsoft 365 Accessibility Checker
- Canvas Ally
- Grackle for Google Docs
- PREP licenses for easier PDF improvements
- PDF Accessibility Tools in Adobe AcrobatPro
Need more help?
We're here to support your accessibility journey:
- Schedule a one-on-one consultation with our accessibility experts
- Access LinkedIn Learning courses on accessibility
- Explore DeQue University courses - available a limited time only!
- Join the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) - Free for all Virginia Tech employees
- Join the Accessibility Network at VT
- Connect with the accessibility community through IAAP Connections Community