Accessibility Videos. Curriculum for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0: Welcome page. Universal Design for Learning - The ACCESS Project - Colorado State University. The Best Practices through UDL video features faculty and students at Colorado State University discussing the benefits of UDL. Additional captioned formats are available, along with a transcript that includes descriptive audio. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and accessible course materials. At its core is the assertion that all students benefit when they are given multiples ways to take in new information, express their comprehension, and become engaged in learning. = New in 2012 = Updated in 2012 UDL Teaching Resources: UDL: A Concise Introduction (HTML | PDF) How Do You Teach? UDL Technical Modules N. The Provost’s N. Faculty responsible for making online materials accessible for disabled students.
PHILADELPHIA --- In a traditional classroom setting, a university or college’s disability services office typically coordinates a disabled student’s accommodation issues. But with the growth of online education, it is now largely the obligation of the instructors themselves to proactively design courses that are equally accessible to all students. This was L. Scott Lissner’s bottom line on Friday, as he talked to a room of lawyers about accessibility issues in distance education during the annual meeting of the National Association of College and University Attorneys. “I used to say I didn’t want individual faculty members making individual accommodations for their students. The Americans with Disabilities Act prevents any college or university from excluding disabled students in activities, services and programs. The university has a committee authorized by the president to study and recommend accessibility changes.
Web Accessibility for Designers. The focus of web accessibility is often on web development – the things that happen in HTML, CSS, or JavaScript after a site has been designed visually. Optimal accessibility should start much earlier, as part of the visual design process. We have created an infographic that highlights a few important principles of accessible design. Text Version Plan Heading Structure Early Ensure all content and design fits into a logical heading structure.
Consider Reading Order The reading order should be the same as the visual order. Provide Good Contrast Be especially careful with light shades of gray, orange, and yellow. Use True Text Whenever Possible True text enlarges better, loads faster, and is easier to translate. Watch the Use of CAPS All caps can be difficult to read and can be read incorrectly by screen readers.
Use Adequate Font Size Font size can vary based on the font chosen, but 10 point is usually a minimum. Remember Line Length Don't make it too long or too short. Design Link Focus Indicators. Web Accessibility for Online Learning. Considering the User Perspective: A Summary of Design Issues. Making Your Online Course Accessible. Becoming aware of and incorporating just a few design principles is the first step in removing many potential barriers in the web-based materials you create. Providing accessible content is not only useful for students with disabilities, it helps everyone and is just good design! Here are a few introduction to web accessibility resources: Introduction to Web Accessibility from WebAIM: Web Accessibilty in Mind. Introduction to Web Accessibility from CSU Sacramento. 10 Quick Tips to Make Accessible Web Sites written by www.w3.org/WAI provides an overview of what it means to make accessible sites. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that helps all students become expert learners.
The Art of Accessibility's web site has a showcase of accessible sites. Accessibility and Software Applications The following links provide information on how to make accessible documents using these applications: Videos about Accessibility Tutorials and Resources created for Educators Web Resources. Appropriate use of alternative text. Alternative Text Basics Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content in web pages. We will be discussing alternative text for images only, though the principles can be applied to media, applets, or other non-text web content.
Alternative text serves several functions: It is read by screen readers in place of images allowing the content and function of the image to be accessible to those with visual or certain cognitive disabilities. It is displayed in place of the image in browsers if the image file is not loaded or when the user has chosen not to view images. It provides a semantic meaning and description to images which can be read by search engines or be used to later determine the content of the image from page context alone. The key principle is that computers and screen readers cannot analyze an image and determine what the image presents.
Alternative text can be presented in two ways: Within the alt attribute of the img element. Important Context is Everything. PowerPoint Accessibility. You are here: Home > Articles > PowerPoint Accessibility Introduction Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the most popular tools for creating slide show presentations. It is often used to organize thoughts for a meeting or lesson, to present key points in a live presentation, and even to create handouts. This article outlines how to can make PowerPoint files more accessible on the web. Create Accessible PowerPoint Files Whether you link directly to a PowerPoint file (PPT), or display your presentation in another format like PDF, there are several things that you can do to make your file as accessible as possible. PowerPoint for Mac All versions of PowerPoint for Mac through 2008 have serious accessibility limitations.
Slide layouts Every version of PowerPoint since at least 2000 contains a series of highly-accessible slide layouts. PowerPoint 2000-2003 Select or use the sidebar. PowerPoint 2007-2010 Select , or select the , and a menu of slide types will appear. Alternative text for images Notes. PDF Accessibility - Converting Documents to PDF. You are here: Home > Articles > PDF Accessibility > Page 2: Converting documents to PDF Overview PDF files are not typically created in Acrobat. They are usually created in another program and converted to PDF. There are dozens or probably hundreds of programs that can create PDF files, but very few of them produce tagged PDF files. Microsoft Word Note The following instructions can also be used to convert PowerPoint files to PDF.
The majority of the PDF files on the web were probably created in Microsoft Word. The file must be accessible. Word 2010 Adobe Add-in Important The Acrobat add-in is only available to users who have Acrobat X installed and are using the 32-bit version of Office 2010. The Adobe Add-in, also called PDFMaker, is the best choice to create high-quality tagged PDF files. Select . Or you can select from the Acrobat ribbon. Either one of these options will open the same dialog box. Save as tagged PDF natively To convert to PDF using the Microsoft add-in, Select , and under. Creating Accessible PDFs. What It Is PDF (portable document format) is a computer file format, and it allows you to share information regardless of your users' computer platforms or operating systems.
With planning, you can make your PDFs accessible. Why It's Important Making your PDF documents accessible is important so that all users are able to access your agency's information—no matter its format. Not only is making your content accessible a best practice , agencies are also required by OMB to maintain accessibility and follow standards from Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act as amended in 1998. Specific Requirements Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act's guidelines for Electronic and Information Technology apply to web–based intranet and Internet applications and information , including PDF documents.
How to Implement Be sure that PDF is the most appropriate file format to distribute your document. What Types of Documents are Best Suited for PDF? Understand What Makes a PDF Accessible: Resources. Microsoft Word. You are here: Home > Articles > Microsoft Word - Creating Accessible Documents Introduction Microsoft Word is currently the most widely-used word processor on the market. Because it is so common, the .doc format has become the de facto format for text documents. MS Word is often used to create PDF and HTML files for websites. Despite some gains in recent years, creating accessible web content with Word is NOT a straightforward process. About this article The following best practices are provided to help you maximize the accessibility of your Word documents. When you are ready to put these recommendations into practice, select your version of Word from the article contents, or at the bottom of this page.
Headings A uniform heading structure is often the most important accessibility consideration in Word documents. Structure through hierarchy Pages should be structured in a hierarchical manner: A is usually a page title or a main content heading. "Headings" created with font styles Notes. Teaching Online : Resources : PDF Formatting Guidelines. This page will walk you through the process of creating accessible PDF documents. You can either start with a Word document and convert this document to PDF or you can make an existing PDF accessible.
Please note that making an existing PDF accessible is more difficult and time consuming than starting with the original Word document. Table of Contents About PDF Documents PDF documents may be appropriate to use in your online course if the document is a form, historical document, or if the document is has a complex layout. How to Create a PDF Starting with a Word Document Step 1: Create a properly formatted Word document Apply the appropriate styles and formatting to your document provided in Step 1 of the Document Formatting Guidelines.If there are tables in your document, follow the steps below to format the tables to ensure accessibility. Step 2: Create a PDF file from your properly formatted Word document Verfiy that Adobe Acrobat Professional has the accessibility setting turned on. Teaching Online : Resources : Accessibility Tips. Essential Components of Web Accessibility. This document shows how Web accessibility depends on several components working together and how improvements in specific components could substantially improve Web accessibility.
It also shows how the WAI guidelines address these components. Introduction It is essential that several different components of Web development and interaction work together in order for the Web to be accessible to people with disabilities. These components include: content - the information in a Web page or Web application, including: natural information such as text, images, and sounds code or markup that defines structure, presentation, etc. How the Components Relate Web developers usually use authoring tools and evaluation tools to create Web content. People ("users") use Web browsers, media players, assistive technologies, or other "user agents" to get and interact with the content. The Implementation Cycle When One Component is Weak W3C technical specifications (HTML, XML, CSS, SVG, SMIL, etc.) Designing for Inclusion. Inclusive design, design for all, digital inclusion, universal usability, and similar efforts address a broad range of issues in making technology available to and usable by all people whatever their abilities, age, economic situation, education, geographic location, language, etc.
Accessibility focuses on people with disabilities — people with auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual impairments. The documents below explore some of the overlaps between inclusive design and web accessibility, and help managers, designers, developers, policy makers, researchers, and others optimize their efforts in these overlapping areas. How People with Disabilities Use the Web Introduces detailed examples of people with different disabilities using websites, applications, browsers, and authoring tools. Web Accessibility and Older People: Meeting the Needs of Ageing Web Users Mobile Accessibility See also:
Course Accessibility Checklist. Checklist Purpose This checklist applies to both brand new courses and courses with substantial changes starting June 2010. For brand new courses, these checklist items can be considered as guidelines to be followed, as appropriate, at the time your course will be offered. The checklist will apply for existing courses at the point of course redesign or when a student with a disability enrolls in the course. Overview and Instructions Following course approval, and prior to the start of the semester in which the new or revised course will be taught for the first time, please complete an accessibility checklist and submit to appropriate Dean’s Office. An accessible syllabus should also be made available online, preferably prior to the start of that semester’s open registration period. Print Materials Print materials are distributed in print format, electronically, or both.
Textbooks Back to Top Course Readers/Course Packs Syllabus Handouts Distributed Online/Print Non-Print Materials Video and Audio. WNMU presentation. Accessibility Guidelines and Support Services. 2nd Edition! Web accessibility handbook! Hot off the presses! The 2nd edition of our Web Accessibility Handbook. It's Creative Commons licensed, so you're free to edit and and use at your institution.
Did you know 12% of community college students have disabilities (AACC Data point [pdf], Oct. 2015)? As an instructor, you are required to make content in your classes accessible to all students. This website shows you how to meet this requirement. This site is meant mainly to help instructors. Step-by-step guides Instructors: use these step-by-step guides to make your content accessible. Check the accessibility of your content with these accessibility checking tools!
Who's responsible for accessibility in online courses? Accessibility is the shared responsibility of the instructor, Disability Services and Distance Education. Questions to ask publishers Online materials provided by publishers must be accessible. Get help with your content Talk to Karen Accessibility Q&A. ICT Accessibility Regulation FAQs | OIT Website.
These FAQs are in regards to the Information and Communication Technology Accessibility Regulation . Questions about these FAQs should be sent to the University IT Accessibility Coordinator . Law and Policy 1. Why do we have to follow these Web accessibility regulations when there is no mention in the ADA of the term “Web accessibility”? The implementing regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) require public universities to ensure that communications with persons with disabilities are as effective as communications with others, unless doing so would result in a fundamental alteration to the program or is an undue burden. The U.S. Department of Education, Office of Civil Rights (“OCR”) considers the term “communication” to include the transfer of information over the Internet and other electronic means. 2. 3. 4. Each department and professional school should develop technical standards if there are qualifications unique to a particular field. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Clearing Up Accessibility for Distance Education Administrators: Accommodating the New Students. Free Resources from the Net for EVERY Learner | Supporting Universal Access and Universal Design for Learning. Ten Steps Toward Universal Design of Online Courses: Home Page.