Following the updates to Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), NC State must achieve compliance with ADA Section 504 and WCAG 2.1 AA standards for all digital assets by the federal enforcement deadline of April 26, 2027. ServiceNow Knowledge Base Articles (KBAs) are considered digital assets and as such, must meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. You can learn more by reading the Digital Accessibility Requirements 3D Memo and the Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Regulation (REG 04.25.05). Included below are several tips for how to create accessible KBAs in ServiceNow.

Alternative Text

• Format images, charts and graphs to include alt text that describes both content and function.
• Do not use decorative images in KBAs. Decorative images are images that do not present important content or do not have a function.

How To Add Alt Text

1. Select the Insert/edit image icon in the menu.
2. Select or upload your image.
3. Add alt text in the Alternative description field.
4. Click Save.

How To Edit Alt Text

1. Right-click on the image.
2. Select Image.
3. Edit alt text in the Alternative description field.
4. Click Save.

Color and Contrast

• It is almost always unnecessary to use color in a KBA and should be avoided, if possible. Using black text and a white background is best.
• If you absolutely must use color:
  • Do not use only color to convey information, indicate an action or distinguish a visual element. Use a second visual cue.
  • Consult the WebAIM Contrast Checker to ensure an appropriate ratio of contrast between background and foreground colors.

How To Adjust Color

You can change color in a number of different ways:

1. Click the down arrow to the right of the text color or background color icon.
2. Select the color you would like to use.
3. Consult the WebAIM Contrast Checker to ensure adequate contrast.

Links

• Always link meaningful text instead of including the full URL, which is difficult for screen readers.
• Meaningful text means clearly describing where the link points. For example, see how the “Color and Contrast” section above links “WebAIM Contrast Checker” to let you know the link points to that tool.

How To Insert Hyperlinks

1. Highlight text.
2. Click the Link icon.
3. Paste the URL into the URL field.
4. Click Save.

Lists

• Use the built-in list tools to ensure your lists are accessible.
• Use bullets for unordered lists and numbers for ordered lists.
• Only use a list structure for logical lists.

How To Insert Lists

1. Click the down arrow to the right of the Bullet list or Numbered list icon.
2. Select the bullet or numbered list type you prefer.

Multimedia

• Multimedia uses more than one type of media to display information — such as a video with sound and text.
• Multimedia must include captions — text versions of speech and other important audio content. This makes it accessible to people who can't hear all of the audio. All multimedia with speech should have captions that are:
  • Synchronized to appear at approximately the same time as the corresponding audio.
  • Equivalent to the spoken words and other audio information.
  • Accessible, or readily available, to those who need it.
  • Automatically generated captions are not good enough. Most platforms will now auto-caption content and allow you to edit where machines get it wrong.
• A transcript can also help individuals who cannot hear or see multimedia. Transcripts should include: 
  • All spoken words
  • Descriptions of important audio information (like laughter)
  • Descriptions of important visual information (such as someone entering the room)
• Audio descriptions help individuals with visual disabilities perceive visual-only content. They can be provided with the primary video, in another audio track or through a second version of the video that includes audio descriptions.
  • Audio descriptions are not needed if the audio already presents the necessary visual content.
  • If a video displays a list of five items, each item should be read aloud instead of the audio only presenting, "As you can see, there are five points."
  • Instead of, "Click here," the presenter should describe what is being clicked.

How To Insert Multimedia

1. Select the Insert/edit media icon in the menu.
2. Upload your media or paste an embed code in the designated field.
3. Click Save.

Structure

• Use built-in styles to select headings and organize the structure of your article.
• Use only one Heading 1 attribute per article.
• Follow a logical order for heading levels — don't skip from a Heading 1 to a Heading 3.
• If your article is particularly long, consider adding a Table of Contents. It helps readers navigate with assistive technology.

How To Add Headings

1. Write your heading text.
2. Click the Headings menu and select the correct heading.
3. Optionally, after adding your heading structure to your article, place your cursor at the top of the text editor and click the Table of contents icon.

Tables

• Tables present complicated challenges when it comes to accessibility. Consider other options for presenting your data and only use tables if absolutely necessary.
• If you must use a table:
  • Only use them for tabular data, not to format content. When tables are used properly, assistive technologies can interpret header rows and the relationship between data cells.
  • Mark your first row as a header row.
  • Keep tables as simple as possible. Avoid merging and splitting cells.
  • Add a brief explanation above the table, if needed.

How To Add Data Tables

1. Click the Table icon.
2. Hover over Table and use your cursor to choose the number of rows and columns.
3. Type in your data, remembering to reserve the first row as a header row.
4. Place your cursor somewhere in the top row and click again on the Table icon.
5. Hover over Row and select Row properties.
6. Click the Row type drop-down menu and select Header.
7. Click Save.

How To Add a Table Title

1. Click the Table icon.
2. Select Table properties.
3. Click the Show caption checkbox.
4. Click Save.
5. Edit the text placed at the top of the table to add your title.

Help

For more information, visit the Digital Accessibility Hub. If you need assistance, contact the NC State Help Desk via the NC State IT Service Portal or call 919.515.HELP (4357).