Overhead workspace: laptop with charts, right hand on trackpad holding pen, left hand writing

đź’ˇ Grant Writing Tip: Preparing a proposal to be WCAG accessible

  • by Stephanie F Etting

Quick Summary

  • An increasing number of NOFOs are requiring applicants to submit WCAG accessible files.
  • To create an accessible document, you should focus on 1) the document being navigable without a mouse; 2) figures and tables having alt text, sufficient contrast, and tables should have header rows; and 3) adding a descriptive document title.
  • For more detailed instructions, visit our Grantsmanship Learning Lab module on this topic (link below).

In 2027, the Departments of Justice's Title II and Health and Human Services's Section 504 policies requiring digital accessibility will go into effect. This will likely lead to an increasing number of NOFOs for state and federal agencies requiring documents that are compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) - the gold standard across for accessibility all types of digital media. If you need to prepare an accessible document for your next application, here are the key elements to pay attention to when preparing a proposal to be WCAG compliant. 

Creating an accessible document

To make a resource accessible means to remove barriers to access. When discussing electronic documents (e.g., PDFs, websites), it specifically refers to creating resources that can be navigated by anyone, including those who have difficulty reading text, using a mouse or keyboard, distinguishing colors, etc. To be accessible to everyone, documents should be created with the following components in mind. 

Navigable without a mouse 

A critical accessibility requirement is to create a document that someone who is unable to use a mouse (due to visual impairment, physical disability, etc.) can still navigate. An easy way to improve the navigability of your document is to use your word processing program’s built-in header system in a meaningful way. You will want to use them in a hierarchical manner so that primary sections of your proposal use Heading 1, subsections within the primary sections use Heading 2, and any subcategories within the subsections use Heading 3, etc. Using this system will allow those using screen readers or other technologies to navigate the different sections of your proposal. Your word processor's default may format these headers automatically, so you should customize the style to fit your preference and the sponsor guidelines.  

Figures and tables must be WCAG compliant 

Any visuals in your proposal must have alternative text (alt text) and meet color contrast requirements for accessibility. 

Alt text

Alt text provides a description of a figure for someone who is unable to see the original image. Importantly, captions and alt text are not the same. Captions are designed for all readers so that they understand the relevance, data, trend, etc. as it relates to your document more broadly. Alt text provides a substitute for the image for those who cannot see it, and should describe what is in the figure or table. Any tables used in the proposal should also have a designated Row Header to help screen readers navigate the content more effectively.  

Color Contrast

Not everyone sees color the same way, so the color contrast must be sufficient in all visuals for those who cannot see color. An easy “cheat” is to consider what your figures look like if printed in black/white – Can the graphs still be interpreted correctly? Are key elements in a figure still easily identified? If the answer is no, then you likely need to re-work the graphic so that color is not the only indicator – try adding labels, striped/dotted patterning, or italics/bold. You can also check color contrast using a free, online color contrast checker (like Accessible Web) to see if your visuals meet Section 508 guidance on color contrast.  

Add a document title 

Lastly, add a meaningful document title to your manuscript’s “Document Properties”. How and where you can do this will depend on your word processor, but this step can also be done in Adobe Acrobat when finalizing the accessible PDF.  

Key takeaways 

Many funding opportunities are now requiring documents that are WCAG compliant to meet legal accessibility guidelines. Although implementing the key elements discussed here may take a bit of extra time, very often the elements embedded into documents and websites to make them accessible result in designs that benefit everyone, including those who do not need accommodations.

Resources

PDS Team's Creating accessible documents for your grant proposal - A module in our Canvas-based Grantsmanship Learning Lab that will walk you through the basics of an accessible document, step-by-step instructions for PCs and Apple Devices to create accessible Word documents, and step-by-step instructions for converting your Word document into an accessible PDF. Anyone with a UC Davis login can access the Grantsmanship Learning Lab. 

Digital accessibility support on campus

Center for Educational Effectiveness - Digital Accessibility Toolkit for instructors

UC Davis College of Biological Sciences - Digital Accessibility Resources