2. Jisc Digital Media -www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/
Jisc Legal – http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/
Jisc Techdis - http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/
3. What barriers might people
experience accessing information?
• Visual issues.
• Motor/manual dexterity issues.
• Learning differences such as
dyslexia.
• Hearing issues.
• Cognitive issues.
• Language issues.
• Literacy issues
Dry_Icon Images
4. Think about it from another perspective
A typical group of 1st year FE students
were asked about difficulties that they experienced with
written information on a day to day basis.
What barriers do you think they highlighted?
5. • Blurred/fuzzy print.
• Headaches/discomfort if text too close together.
• Strong/bold print leaves a shadow.
• Lose place on line.
• Small print.
• Information not accessible with my assistive technology.
• Not all info can be seen on screen if magnified.
• Vocabulary difficult/unfamiliar.
• Long document difficult to follow.
• Forget the information if sentences long.
• I can’t read the information on the screen.
• The information on the screen is too small to see.
• I can’t adjust the font and colour backgrounds to suit my personal
preferences.
• The words keep jumping around the screen
• I find it difficult to navigate.
• I can’t use a mouse and instead use a keyboard to navigate.
• I keep miss-hitting the keyboard keys.
• I can’t hear the audio
7. Accessible Font Styles
Serif Font Styles are less accessible
Times New Roman (abc DEF)
Sans Serif Fonts Styles are more accessible
Trebuchet (abc DEF)
Comic Sans (abc DEF)
Arial (abc DEF)
Verdana (abc DEF)
Helvetica (abc DEF)
Geneva (abc DEF)
9. Good Practice with Font
• Text should be no smaller than 12 point.
• Use 1.5 line spacing - see the difference line spacing can make.
• Underlining of large volumes of text should be avoided as the
readability is significantly decreased.
• DON’T WRITE WHOLE SENTENCES IN CAPITALS. (This can be
undone by pressing shift and F3)
• Don’t use italics; consider using bold instead.
• Ensure all text is left aligned, not justified - see examples of
unjustified and justified margins
10. Using Bullets and Numbering
• Using bulleting or numbered lists helps break
up large blocks of text and makes lists of items
easier to read. This is most useful for print
impaired readers (e.g. people with dyslexia).
• Putting a punctuation mark at the end of each
item list helps blind people who use screen
readers to identify items on the list instead of
hearing a long list of text.
11. Tables
Let's pretend that you are a scree reader for just a
moment. You're going to a web site to find out where
the biology 205 class is going to be held. You go to a
web page that has this information, and this is what
you hear:
Do you know were biology 205 is supposed to be?
Table with 10 columns and 7 rows. Department Code, Class Number,
Section, Max Enrollment, Current Enrollment, Room Number, Days,
Start Time, End Time, Instructor, BIO, 100, 1, 15, 13, 5, Mon,Wed,Fri,
10:00, 11:00, Magde, 100, 2, 15, 7, 5, Tue,Thu, 11:00, 12:30, Indge,
205, 1, 15, 9, 6, Tue,Thu, 09:00, 10:30, Magde, 315, 1, 12, 3, 6,
Mon,Wed,Fri, 13:00, 14:00, Indge, BUS, 150, 1, 15, 15, 13,
Mon,Wed,Fri, 09:00, 10:00, Roberts, 210, 1, 10, 9, 13, Mon,Wed,Fri,
08:00, 09:00, Rasid.
Ref: webaim – accessible tables. http://webaim.org/techniques/tables/
16. Images
Adding alt text to images provides information
for assistive technology users
• Right click your
image and select
format.
• Choose the format
picture/alt text.
• Add an alt text that
describes the image.
17. Adding alt text to images provides information
for assistive technology users
18. Alt Text Descriptions
“It’s important to
have description of
images to help a
visually impaired
person imagine what
that image could be“
“Alt text gives me
the idea of what
the image, is not
just a massive gap
when the screen
reader is reading
back.“Jennifer - screen reader user
2nd year university student
19. Using Images
When using
images
It is worth
checking the
colour in
greyscale
to determine how
accessible it
Would be if
photocopied
or if viewed
by a student who
was using screen
reading software.
20. Structuring Documents
Microsoft ® Word has an inbuilt structuring system for
heading styles which should be used when creating any
document
21. Accessibility Benefits of Using
Heading Styles
Follow this link for an example of a well structured document
Note how easy it is to navigate the structured document using heading styles.
22. Heading Styles“Without heading
styles in electronic
documents, it is
difficult for me to
read & often I am
the one spending
time making my
course work
accessible “
“As a screen
reader user it is
important for me
to have heading
structure in a
Word document.“
“very time consuming
scrolling down
continuously not
knowing and
listening to
information you don’t
want to know about. “ Jennifer - screen reader user
2nd year university student
23. Well Structured Documents: Why?
Follow this link to hear a screen reader user talk about the
importance of well structured documents
25. Well designed heading styles can be used to
create a table of contents
Click on the image to see an animation on how to insert a Table of
Contents (TechDis)
26. Hyperlinks
Where would you add the hyperlink in this
description?
Click here for more information about Glasgow
Kelvin College.
27. Hyperlinks should make sense out of context
Especially important for screen reader users who can
opt to listen to hyperlinks as a summary of information.
The links need to make sense out of context.
• Click here for Topic List.
• Click here for Topic List.
• Click here for Topic List.
28. Creating Accessible PDFs
• Adobe Acrobat Pro has a series of action
wizards one of which takes you through the
process of creating accessible PDFs -
http://tiny.cc/accessPDFwizard.
• Using the Accessibility Check in Adobe
Acrobat highlights any major accessibility
issues with your document -
http://tiny.cc/PDFAccessCheck.
30. Document Navigation when
converted to PDF
• If a document has been
structured correctly, users can
view a hierarchical list of
bookmarks allowing them to
quickly locate the relevant
information within a
document.
• To open the bookmarks within
a PDF navigate to View >
Navigation Panels > Bookmarks
or click on the Bookmarks icon
on the left of the screen.
• If available, the bookmarks will
open on the left of the screen.
31. The Accessibility Benefits of PDFs
Portability
• Can be downloaded for use at the
learner’s convenience.
• Can be transferred to portable devices.
Consistency
Looks the same on screen and printed.
Accessibility
Documents can be read without the need
to buy Microsoft Word or other
proprietary software (if the reader
doesn't’t have this application).
Personalisation
With Adobe Reader there are many
accessibility options to personalise how
PDFs are accessed.
32. Adobe Reader-free software that
will read back your PDF File
From a user's viewpoint the following functionalities
in Adobe Reader offers the following benefits:
• The ability to navigate via bookmarks.
• The ability to magnify text.
• The ability to reflow text
• The ability to change the text and background colours.
• The ability to automatically scroll through the
document and therefore read it without mouse
interaction.
35. Format shift Navigate Interoperate
Images courtesy of Alistair McNaught Jisc Techdis
36. The beneficiaries
Magnify
Enough to support a wide range of users………………………
Reflow
So that magnified text still fits the page. ………………………..
Recolour
So people who need different contrasts can read easily………
Format shift
So people can read with ears as well as eyes ………………….
Navigate
In using the semantic structure of the text ……………………...
Interoperate
With different assistive technologies …………………………….
(text to speech, screen-reader, voice recognition, keyboard/switch).
V.I. Dyslexia Motor
control
Images courtesy of Alistair McNaught Jisc Techdis
37. Techdis Guide to Creating
Accessible Documents in MS Word
2010
http://tiny.cc/AccessibleDocumentsGuide
Creating Learning Resources and Exploring the Accessibility Features of MoodleMargaret McKay JISC RSC Scotland
Jisc Digital Media -www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/ Jisc Legal – http://www.jisclegal.ac.uk/Jisc Techdis - http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/
People with milder physical difficulties such as tremors and poor fine motor control may find it difficult to access computers. From using a laptop to access recording to using a switch-adapted computer to access communication and environmental control, computers can provide a powerful and flexible solution to physical barriers
QuestionA typical group of 1st year students were asked about difficulties that they experienced with written course work on a day to day basis.What barriers do you think they highlighted?
A typical group of students (not specifically students with disabilities) on a mainstream course highlighted the following barriers to learningBlurred/fuzzy print.Headaches/discomfort if text too close together. Strong/bold print leaves a shadow.Lose place on line.Small print.Document not accessible with my assistive technology.Vocabulary difficult/unfamiliar.Long document difficult to follow.Forget if sentences long.Time to read/take notes.
JISC Techdis Model of Accessibility Maturity - http://www.jisctechdis.ac.uk/assets/documents/oasesbackground.pdfWhere are you?
Designing Information well can make the difference between making it accessible or inaccessible to othersSerif or Sans Serif Fonts
Using bulleting or numbered lists helps break up large blocks of text and makes lists of items easier to read. This is most useful for print impaired readers (e.g. people with dyslexia).Putting a punctuation mark at the end of each item list helps blind people who use screen readers to identify items on the list instead of hearing a long list of text.
If you're not a screen reader user, let's pretend that you are for just a moment. You're going to a web site to find out where the biology 205 class is going to be held. You go to a web page that has this information, and this is what you hear:Table with 10 columns and 7 rows. Department Code, Class Number, Section, Max Enrollment, Current Enrollment, Room Number, Days, Start Time, End Time, Instructor, BIO, 100, 1, 15, 13, 5, Mon,Wed,Fri, 10:00, 11:00, Magde, 100, 2, 15, 7, 5, Tue,Thu, 11:00, 12:30, Indge, 205, 1, 15, 9, 6, Tue,Thu, 09:00, 10:30, Magde, 315, 1, 12, 3, 6, Mon,Wed,Fri, 13:00, 14:00, Indge, BUS, 150, 1, 15, 15, 13, Mon,Wed,Fri, 09:00, 10:00, Roberts, 210, 1, 10, 9, 13, Mon,Wed,Fri, 08:00, 09:00, Rasid.Do you know were biology 205 is supposed to be?Keep the structure simple, and bear in mind that screen readers will read the content from left to right when deciding on a structure. Add a table summary to explain your table to visually impaired readers and make sure it is meaningful.
Black text on white background can be problematic for learners with dyslexia or other visual difficulties.
Colour can make a difference – black on white, yellow on blue, blue on yellow. If learners have scotopic sensitivity then being able to change the colour of what they read makes a massive difference to them.
JISC Techdis Toolboxwww.jisctechdis.ac.uk/tbx/
Right click your image and select size (or in some cases format).Choose the tab alt text.Add an alt text that describes the image.
Adding alt text to images provides information for assistive technology users
Alt Text Descriptions
“Without heading styles in electronic documents, it is difficult for me to read & often I am the one spending time making my course work accessible ““very time consuming scrolling down continuously not knowing and listening to information you don’t want to know about. ““As a screen reader user it is important for me to have heading structure in a Word document.“Jennifer - screen reader user2nd year university student
Accessibility Checker in Office 2010 - http://vimeo.com/54452119
Where would you add the hyperlink in this description?Click here for more information about Glasgow Kelvin College.
Creating Accessible PDFsAdobe Acrobat Pro has a series of action wizards one of which takes you through the process of creating accessible PDFs. Using the Accessibility Check in Adobe Acrobat highlights any major accessibility issues with your document - http://tiny.cc/PDFAccessCheck.
Saving a Word document to PDF
Accessibility Features of Adobe Reader -http://tiny.cc/AdobeReaderAccess
This slide shows how, even on existing technologies such as PDFs and Adobe reader, it is possible to magnified text, reflow text to fit the page and re-colour text and background.
It is also possible on existing technologies, to format-shift text (for example from text to speech or from text to refreshable Braille devices), to navigate text semantically (i.e. a meaningful way that reflects the hierarchy of ideas in the text) and to interoperate with assistive technology devices such as screen readers and voice recognition.
This slide shows who benefits from the different features illustrated in the previous two slides. Both visually impaired and dyslexic users benefit from all the functions described (magnify, reflow, re-colour, format-shift, navigate, interoperate with assistive technology). People with motor control difficulties also benefit from format shifting, navigation and interoperability with assistive technology devices. In reality, there are very few people who would not benefit from most of these features
Techdis Guide to Creating Accessible Documents in MS Word 2010 - http://tiny.cc/AccessibleDocumentsGuide
6.34The toolbox has a set of drawers to help users find the tool they need. There are five drawers in total and the first four correspond to skills that are valued by employers:· Technology.· Planning and organisation.· Communication.· Team working.The last drawer provides an overview of resources and strategies that are can be exploited in the day to day technologies that we used (such as Windows, Mac, IOS devices), that can help different users and support different needsThe Toolbox was designed primarily for people with disabilities or difficulties however I believe that this resources is something that could benefit everyone.Whilst working at the BBC as Head of Usability and Accessibility Professor JohathanHassell commissioned research into the use of assistive technology, this research identified that 57% of all computer users (aged between 18 - 64) were likely or very likely to benefit from the use of AT or enabling technology strategies to help their computer use HOWEVER According to Office for Disability Issues - only 6-8 % of people actually use AT to access the internet. This highlights the fact that there is a huge potential that have not been exploited for people to benefit from inclusive strategies and enabling.Also when we talk about AT this doesn't’always mean purchasing expensive technologies. Settings in day to day technologies ( Windows, Word, Mac, IOS devices) can be tweakedhttp://www.hassellinclusion.com/2012/01/web-accessibility-myths-2011-part2/ (source EEDP 2008)
Creating Learning Resources and Exploring the Accessibility Features of MoodleMargaret McKay JISC RSC Scotland