Original Date & Time: July 14, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. CT 

Description: 

The University of Iowa College of Public Health Prevention Research Center for Rural Health (PRC-RH) and the Midwestern Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) have partnered for a webinar series focused on strengthening public health practice across a variety of topics. This first webinar in the series is presented in collaboration with the Iowa Public Health Association (IPHA). 

This webinar aims to increase awareness of digital accessibility guidelines and provide practical strategies for creating accessible content. Viewers will learn about key accessibility standards and best practices, including clear language, alternative text, descriptive links, color contrast, document structure, and accessibility checking tools.

The conversation begins with a brief overview of guidelines with examples for creating accessible digital content. Following the presentation, a panel of public health professionals share their experiences implementing accessibility practices within their organizations, discuss challenges and lessons learned, and answer participant questions. 

Intended Audience: 

Local public health practitioners, health educators, communication specialists, and others who create and share digital content with the public or are interested in digital accessibility. 

Panelists: 

• Colleen Powell, Strategic Communications Bureau Chief, Iowa Department of Public Safety
• Jessica Torres, Senior Manager of Digital Content, American Public Health Association
• Micah Knebel, Health Communications Strategist, Black Hawk County Public Health

Learning Objectives: 

1. Describe digital accessibility standards and their role in public health communications.  
2. Identify practical strategies and share lessons learned from public health practitioners implementing accessibility standards. 
3. Locate the tools and resources to support the creation of accessible digital content. 

Slides, Transcript, and Resources:

• Creating Accessible Content PowerPoint Slides
• Creating Accessible Content PowerPoint Slides (PDF)
• Creating Accessible Content Webinar Transcript
• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Checklist 
• WebAIM: Contrast Checker
• Social Media Content Creation

Tools to Check for Reading Level

• Hemingway Editor
• Readability Formulas
• Microsoft Word Readability and Level Statistics

Accessibility Checkers

• Editoria11y (Free)
• AccessiBe
• SiteImprove

Additional Resources

• Easterseals Iowa Online Training Options
• Minnesota Accessibility Resources
• Section508.gov – Create Accessible Content