Google Tech Writing for Accessibility: Free Self-Study Course

A document can be technically correct and still leave readers behind. A diagram explained only by colour, an image with no useful description, or a dense page with unclear headings can make simple instructions unnecessarily difficult. Google’s Tech Writing for Accessibility self-study course helps you spot these problems and improve the way your documentation communicates.

This free course is useful for technical writers, engineers and program managers, as well as anyone who writes instructions, interface text or project documents. It focuses on practical editorial decisions you can apply to your next document. You do not need to be an accessibility specialist or attend a scheduled class to use the public lessons.

Course at a glance

What you’ll learn

• Recognise how permanent, temporary and situational barriers affect the way people use documentation.
• Write concise alternative text that explains an image’s purpose in its surrounding context.
• Measure foreground and background contrast instead of relying on how colours look to you.
• Combine labels and explanations with visual cues so a diagram does not depend on colour alone.
• Choose respectful language when writing about disability and accessibility.
• Edit headings, links and sentences to make a document easier to navigate and understand.

Skills you’ll gain

Accessible documentation, contextual alt text, colour contrast checking, inclusive language, diagram communication, document editing and informative link writing.

Turn visual information into clearer communication

The image lessons go beyond adding a description to every picture. They ask you to consider why the image is there. A brief description may be enough for a simple illustration, while a complex diagram may need a short alternative description supported by a fuller explanation in the document. Decorative images require a different approach from informative ones.

The visual-cues unit applies the same thinking to diagrams. Readers should be able to identify categories and relationships without depending entirely on colour, position or styling. Text labels and a clear explanation can make a graphic more understandable for readers who perceive it differently.

Contrast is another concrete skill. The course includes a browser-based colour-checking exercise with example pairs and possible answers. Measuring the pair gives you a more reliable basis for a design decision than choosing the combination that merely seems easiest to read.

Practice with tools you already have

You can follow the written lessons in a browser and complete the writing exercises in an ordinary free text editor. The contrast exercise uses WebAIM’s public Contrast Checker, which accepts foreground and background colour values without requiring a paid account. No design subscription, hosted project or premium accessibility tool is necessary for this learning route.

For an optional personal exercise, choose a short instruction page you are allowed to edit. Review one image description, replace an unclear link label, and rewrite one dense paragraph. Then inspect the headings and try navigating the page with the keyboard. Keep the original and revised versions so you can explain the reason for each change. This is a suggested way to apply the lessons, not a Google assessment.

A focused foundation for better documents

The self-study version and the separately offered instructor-led workshop cover similar, but not identical, material. This listing links directly to self-study; it does not promise a workshop place or live instructor support. Work through the lessons at your own pace and allow time for the examples rather than treating the reading as a checklist to rush.

Google also makes the scope clear: the course is not an exhaustive accessibility reference or a complete compliance checklist. Its value is developing better writing and review habits. If you want a broader introduction to clear technical prose, the Technical Writing One lessons offer a useful companion.

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Frequently asked questions