Protecting and Advocating for the Rights of Texans with Disabilities Since 1977
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July 2021 Newsletter:
The ADA in a Digital World
Today we proudly celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Though our nation has made progress in creating an inclusive society for people with disabilites, the calls we receive requesting our legal help tell us we all still have a lot to accomplish.

The pandemic brought heightened attention to accessibility issues with voting, health care, housing, employment, and more. Online inaccessibility also became more apparrent during the pandemic since many services went virtual – and many with disabilities were unable to access them.

So this year, we'd like to ask you to help us celebrate the ADA by doing what you can to create a more inclusive online space. This month’s newsletter provides useful tips that anyone can put into practice so together we can make the digital world fully accessible to people with disabilities.

In addition to using this information for yourself, remember to pass it on to the folks you work with who are responsible for your company’s online presence. 
Test Your Accessibility IQ
We’ve created a fun and quick quiz to help you find out if you are an Accessibility Super Star – or perhaps you need a little more training. If you don’t score as well as you would like, then read on. 
What You Can Do to Create a More Inclusive World
It would take more than this small amount of space to tell you all you need to know about creating online accessibility. But we are providing you with a few things you can do to get started.

  1. For videos, add captions, provide transcripts, and ASL interpretation. Platforms like Facebook and YouTube now have auto captioning features that are easy to use. Also, use audio descriptions when vital information is being portrayed through visual means only.
  2. Use descriptive hyperlinks instead of URLs in in documents, email, and on websites.
  3. Use alt text for photos in a document or email, or on social media or websites.
  4. When using a text heavy image on social media, repeat all of the text in your post. Or better yet, use a clean image and include the text only in your post.
  5. In Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Outlook, use the heading styles function to create properly formatted titles, headings, and subheadings.
  6. Take advantage of the accessibility checker in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint to see if your materials created in these programs are accessible.

For a list of resources to help you get started putting these things into practice and a link to what laws like the ADA and Section 504 require, see our latest staff blog, "Doing Your Part to Create an Accessible Digital World."
Another Way to Celebrate the ADA
Your donations to DRTx help create an inclusive society for people with disabilities who deserve the same opportunities in life as everyone. Any amount, from $10 to $1,000, helps us to provide much needed legal advocacy for Texans with disabilities. Celebrate the ADA with a gift to DRTx today!


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If you can't call during our regular intake hours which are Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m. or can't get through due to high call volume, you can complete our online intake form available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 
Disability Rights Texas (previously named Advocacy Inc.) is the federally designated legal protection and advocacy agency (P&A) for people with disabilities in Texas. Its mission is to help people with disabilities understand and exercise their rights under the law, ensuring their full and equal participation in society. Visit www.DRTx.org for more information.