Sometimes faculty do not need theory. They need a checklist.
If you received a compliance warning, start here.
The fastest useful question is not “what does the law say?” but “what should I actually check before I send this syllabus to students?” For most faculty, the answer begins with a small number of structural issues that show up again and again in accessibility reviews. A practical checklist is often the difference between making real progress and getting lost in compliance language.
Start by checking whether your syllabus uses real heading styles instead of bold text that only looks like a heading. Then review tables to make sure the first row is marked as a true header row, not just formatted visually. If the file contains informational images, charts, or diagrams, those need meaningful alt text. After that, confirm the document language is set correctly and that hyperlinks are descriptive enough to make sense out of context. Finally, make sure the reading order is logical, especially if the document includes side-by-side content, text boxes, or copied material from older files.
Real Example
Imagine a syllabus that has bolded section labels, a department logo with no description, and a grading table whose first row is visually obvious but not structurally marked as a header. On the surface, the document can look organized and complete. In an accessibility check, though, those are exactly the kinds of issues that trigger flags. Once heading styles are applied, images are described where necessary, and the table is structured correctly, the same document becomes much easier for assistive technology to navigate. That is what a real checklist is for: not abstract perfection, but catching the common failures that cause problems in actual use.
Workflow
The simplest workflow is to open the syllabus and review it once with the checklist beside you. Move item by item rather than trying to fix everything by instinct. After that first pass, run Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker to catch anything obvious that you missed. Then, if you want a second layer of review, upload the file to AdaDocumentMaker and compare the report against the checklist. That combination usually catches the structural problems most faculty run into before a semester starts.
FAQ
What are the most common problems?
Improper headings, table issues, missing alt text, vague links, and missing language tags account for a large share of syllabus accessibility problems.
Can I use this every semester?
Yes. In fact, that is one of the best uses for it. A checklist becomes more valuable when it is repeated, especially if you reuse older syllabus templates.
Is a checklist enough?
It is a strong starting point, but not the whole story. A checklist helps you catch predictable issues quickly, but it does not replace final review of the actual document.
Should I verify after using it?
Yes. The checklist is most effective when you follow it with Word’s checker or another verification step.
A Practical Place to Start
If you want a quick way to review your syllabus before semester start, use this checklist and upload the document to AdaDocumentMaker for a free compliance report.