WCAG 2.1 Accessibility — SharePoint Remediation Guide

Step 1 — Access SharePoint and Create a New View

In this step, you’ll create a dedicated view for accessibility auditing, ensuring you can clearly see and work with only the columns and information you need for compliance tracking.

1. In a web browser, navigate to your SharePoint site (e.g., https://liveuwstout.sharepoint.com/sites/[SiteName],https://liveuwstout.sharepoint.com/sites/DigitalAccessibilityITTeam, etc). 

2. From the site’s left-hand navigation menu, click Documents. If not visible, click Site contents first, then select Documents.
   
   
   
   
   

3. Click the view selector drop-down in the top right (it usually shows All Documents).

4. Select Create new view.
   
   

5. Choose List (not Compact list or Tiles).

6. Enter Accessibility Audit as the view name.

7. Click Create. You are now in the new view.
   
   

Step 2 — Add Metadata Columns

In this step, you’ll be creating four custom metadata columns to track accessibility audit details for each file in the library. These columns will help you prioritize work, record actions, track compliance, and note when files were last reviewed.

1. While in Accessibility Audit view, click + Add column in the toolbar.
   
   
   

2. In the drop-down, select the appropriate type: Choice, Yes/No, or Date.

3. Click Next to open the Create a column panel.
   
   
   

4. Complete the fields for each of the four required columns:

   • Priority — Choice column. Use this to rank the importance of fixing a file. Choices might include Essential (high visibility/impact) and Non-Essential (low impact or internal only). Default: Essential.

   • Action — Choice column. Describes what needs to be done. Choices could include Remediate, Replace, or Archive.

   • Compliance — Yes/No column. Indicates whether the document meets WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards. Only required for documents accessible to students and the public.

   • Last Checked — Date column. The most recent date the document was reviewed for accessibility.

5. For Description, briefly explain the purpose of each column so others understand how to use it.

6. Click Save for each column.

Step 3 — Tagging and Prioritization

In this step, you’ll fill out the metadata you created to identify which documents need attention, prioritize them, and take corrective action to bring them into compliance.

1. In Accessibility Audit view, click Edit in grid view.
   
   
   

2. Fill in Priority, Action, Compliance, Last Checked.

3. Use multi-select and copy/paste for bulk edits.

4. Click Exit grid view when done.

5. Create filtered views for:

   • Essential — Needs Work

   • Non-Essential — Remove/Archive

   • Ready / Compliant

Step 4 — Remediation Steps

Office Files

1. Open in desktop app from SharePoint.

2. Review ▸ Check Accessibility.

3. Fix flagged issues.

4. Save and update metadata.

PDFs

1. Download.

2. Open in Adobe Acrobat Pro.

3. Prepare/Check for accessibility.

4. Fix tags and alt text.

5. Upload as new version.

Manual Checks

• Test keyboard navigation.

• Verify headings with screen reader.

Step 5 — Remove or Archive Non-Essential Content

1. Open Non-Essential — Remove/Archive view.

2. Select files, then Delete or Move to archive.