Accessibility

For an activity in improving accessibility of Word documents, download and print "Improve Accessibility of Word Documents (Word 2010) or (Word 2013)" and download and save the "Practice file" and "NSCC Logo Image" file. You will add headings, lists, images, tables, and hyperlinks to a Word document to improve accessibility. Instructions are also provided for saving the Word file as a PDF and for saving styles (themes in Word 2013) for future use.

Microsoft Word - View Examples and Listen to JAWS

View the following documents. In the first example, open the file in Word, then click on each of the headings. Observe that "Normal" is selected in the styles panel at the top of the Word screen. The headings should display as Heading 1, 2, etc. Then click on the "Example of a Syllabus With Styles" converted to a PDF. Click on the Play button to listen to JAWS read the document after accessibility feature have been selected.

HTML - Create a Template

Style sheets (Templates) can be created using any HTML editor. Blue Griffon is a free HTML5/CSS Editor. It is available from Blue Griffon, http://bluegriffon.org/. Step-by-step instructions for creating a simple template file using Blue Griffon are provided in the following document.

Create a Template Using Blue Griffon HTML Editor

HTML - Create an Accessible HTML File in D2L (Pasting Text From Any Source)

For an activity learning how to create an accessible HTML file in D2L, download and print "Using a Template With Body and Heading Styles," download and save the Sample Syllabus, and download and save the template of your choice from the four options provided below.

Using a Template With Styles

Sample Syllabus

NSCC Logo Image

HTML - Create an Accessible HTML File Pasting from Word to SoftChalk then from SoftChalk to the D2L HTML Editor

For this activity, you will need SoftChalk, a template file from the list above, a Word file, and access to D2L. View the document below for instructions.

Convert Word With SoftChalk Then Paste to a Template in D2L

PowerPoint - Accessibility

PowerPoint files can be enhanced by including notes to explain the content on the slides. Another alternative that enhances the value of a PowerPoint presentation is to record audio and include synchronized captions.

Use your presentation or one from the publisher to evaluate its effectiveness and determine which of the available formats is best to use for online delivery. One of the most perplexing questions to answer is how to provide one best method for delivering PowerPoint presentations on the Web. Multiple factors should be considered.

You might ask yourself the following questions about the content and format of the PowerPoint presentation.

Does the content in this presentation enhance student learning?
Are the number of slides in the presentation reasonable? Should I break it up into smaller units?
Do the images have alt text to describe the content?
Will the background color and text color create a problem if students print the slides? Is there sufficient contrast?

If the answer to the question is no, how do I fix the problem?

Problem 1: Don't include the presentation in your course.
Problem 2: Open the original presentation, and click on slide sorter view. Delete the unwanted slides. Click on "Save as" and give the presentation a new name. Repeat the process for the other parts of the presentation you wish to keep.
Problem 3: To add alt text to images, right-click on the image. Assign alt text. Avoid using "image of" as part of the description because screen readers identify the element as an image.
Problem 4: The issue here is that dark backgrounds require an excessive amount of toner to print. Provide a gray scale printable version (6 per page, probably pdf) in addition to the viewable presentation with a dark background. An alternative is to change the background on the original presentation. Select another design for the printable version.

Considerations:

PowerPoint files (ppt or pptx format) that display in the D2L Viewer should be created with PowerPoint layouts. Otherwise, the content may display in less than a structured pattern. Students who use screen readers should select "View as Text." PowerPoint Notes are not included in the display.
Limit the number of slides per presentation to improve upload time and to enhance the student experience.
Save PowerPoint files as PDF. Under Options, choose "Notes Pages." This will save the slide and the notes. This is a good option for sighted students to see the slides and the teacher's notes.
Consider providing a PDF (six slides per page) for students to print. View the printable version before printing to ensure that the slides don't have black backgrounds with white text. Grayscale is generally a good option.
Camtasia (PC or Mac) or Screen Flow (Mac) or other similar programs can be used to record audio to synchronize with the slides. Also create and include synchronized captions.

PowerPoint - WebAIM Guidelines

"Summary of WebAIM Microsoft PowerPoint Guidelines" provides a summary of considerations when designing PowerPoint presentations. Also listed below are links to specific WebAIM pages addressing accessibility and PowerPoint.

Mobility Checker

W3C Mobility Checker

This tool rates the level of accessibility of your HTML page on mobile devices.

Faculty Accessibility Websites and Tools

DO-IT Website [13.54 min] This video explains the importance of designing web content to make pages available to people with disabilities.

University of Wisconsin, Madison - Web Accessibility 101 Course This is a course that addresses the Section 508 standards for web design. http://www.doit.wisc.edu/outside-cms/accessibility/online-course/index.htm

WAVE Toolbar for Firefox Download the toolbar to evaluate accessibility of document displayed in Firefox.

WAVE Web Accessibility Online Checker This is an online tool where you can submit your web page to have it evaluated for accessibility.

Web Accessibility Toolbar for IE designed by The Paciello Group, Vision Austria Blindness and Low Vision Services

Web Accessibility Evaluation Resources from South Carolina Assistive Technology Program This site provides links to a number of web page evaluation tools for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome as well as links to document accessibility sites for Word, PowerPoint, and PDF files.

The Diagram Center The Diagram Center is an initiative supported by the U.S. Department of Education that focuses on standards, tool and software development, research, and training to give support and direction in making digital content including math and science accessible to all users. View or download a sample book of image descriptions.

Online Learning Database The Online Learning Database is a guide to distance learning for students with disabilities. Topics covered include "Disabilities and Online Learning," "Meeting Online Learning Needs," "Evaluating an Online Learning Program," as well as other topics related to disabilities and online learning.

Rules for Creating Links

Making Accessible Links: 15 Golden Rules for Developers (opens in new window) by Gian Wild. This article presents 15 considerations when creating link text.

Links and Hypertext from the WEBAIM site (opens in a new window) View all of the guidelines for creating hyperlink text and rules at this site.

Links to non-HTML Resources (opens in new window). This link describes how to identify links to Word, PowerPoint, and PDF. One option is to place the file type in parentheses as part of the link; for example, (PDF).

Links to a New Window (opens in a new window) This link describes how to identify that as link is opening in a new window.

Accessible Links in Word (opens in new window) This video demonstrates how to create accessible links in Word for both the electronic copy and printed copy.

Making Documents Accessible

Making Files Accessible (opens in a new window) This website by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services provides documents and videos on how to make PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, and Multimedia files accessible. It provides document checklists based on Section 508. Even though NSCC is focuing on WCAG 2 AA standards, the process to make documents accessible is equivalent.

Basic Authoring and Testing Guide, MS Word 2010 (Word) (Also applies to Word 2013). This document contains the minimum steps required to make an electronic MS Word 2010 document Section 508 accessible.

Requirements for Making Accessible PowerPoint 2010 Documents at the U.S. Department of Education (Word). This document was created by the U.S. Department of Education. Fourteen requirements to make a PowerPoint accessible were identified.

Requirements for Making Accessible Excel 2010 Documents at the U.S. Department of Education (Word). This document was created by the U.S. Department of Education. Thirteen requirements to make an Excel Spreadsheet accessible were identified.

Requirements fo Making Accessible PDF Documents with Adobe Acrobat X (Professional) at the U. S. Department of Education (Word). This document was created by the U.S. Department of Education. Sixteen requirements to make a PDF accessible were identified.

State of Texas Accessible Docs (opens in a new window). This site lists learning modules for making Microsoft Office 2010 documents accessible to people with disabilities and includes YouTube videos, MP3 auio, Word, and PDF formats.

Training Resources

Free MOOC by D2L, Barry Dahl, and Portland Community College. This is a five-week course.

Portland Community College Accessibility Website. This site includes excellent text instructions and videos for making Word, PDF, HTML using the D2L Editor, and other elements accessible.

HTML 5 Video

HTML 5 Video Accessibility W3C Guidelines (new window) This is an excellent webinar (approx 45 minutes) addressing format and W3C guidelines for proviiding video content, captions, descriptions and transcripts..