A C C E S S I B I L I T Y. in the Online Environment

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Peregrine Hicks
5 years ago
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1 A C C E S S I B I L I T Y in the Online Environment

2 Blindness People who are blind or visually impaired are endowed with a sharper sense of touch, hearing, taste, or smell. Most blind people are not proficient in Braille and do not own a dog guide. Blind people see only darkness, nothing else. Visually impaired people use every day words like see or look. Myth vs Fact Deaf/Hard of Hearing Only 30% of spoken language is visible on the lips. Not all people who are deaf use sign language to communicate. Hearing aids and cochlear implants do not restore hearing. People who are deaf cannot appreciate the arts because they can t hear music, movies, etc.

3 What are some accessibility pitfalls of an online course environment?

4 Adaptive technology brings the Web to fingertips of the visually impaired. Did you know? 1.3 million legally blind people in United States; 21.2 million have trouble seeing 2.75 million use computer technology Understanding the Special Needs Online Students

5 Low or high contrast intolerance. Color blindness (red/green, yellow/blue). Special Needs Considerations Did you know? 1 in 20 people are color blind

6 Did you know? 9-22 of every 1000 people are functionally deaf or severely hard of hearing (requiring an appliance to hear) Barriers in an online environment for hearing impaired Podcasts Video lectures Voice Threads Live classroom environment Pings and other audio cues Special Needs Considerations

7 Barriers for those with mobility impairment (Arthritis, repetitive stress, para & quadrapelegic) Inconsistent navigation Unrecognizable links Small font sizes Special Needs Considerations

8 Those with learning disabilities (dyslexia, attention deficit, developmental disabilities) need: How do you react when you visit a Web page or site with chaotic or inconsistent layout and navigation? Simple navigation Legibility Consistent Organization Lack of distracting features (or ability to turn them off) Meaningful graphics Special Needs Considerations

9 Those with language comprehension difficulties need Simple navigation Simple language Meaningful graphics Special Needs Considerations

10 Making Word, Web, PPT and PDF documents accessible. Making Video and other media accessible. Down to Brass Tacks

11 National Federation of the Blind Gold Standard Canvas Instructure

12 1. Creating well-structured documents. 2. Providing text alternatives for images and graphics and describe graphs and pictorial data. 3. Ensuring that all text has strong contrast with the background color. 4. Avoiding colored text. 5. Correctly formatting tables (or not using them at all). 6. Providing unique hyperlink labels. 7. Converting documents to an accessible file format (HTML). 7 Parts to Accessible Webpages or Documents

13 Word Accessibility Checker

14 Word Accessibility Results

15 Section 508 Compliance Errors

16 When converting a doc file to a PDF, do not use spaces or special characters in the name space in name NO accessibility guide.pdf YES accessibilityguide.pdf Converting to PDF

17 FONTS Use common sans serif fonts (like Arial) Avoid serif fonts (like Curliz) U s e l o t s o f w h i t e s p a c e PowerPoint Tips

18 PUNCTUATION & GRAMMER Use punctuation at the end of each line. Use simple language (6 lines with 6 words/line). PowerPoint Tips

19 Templates - high contrast. Use a colorful border in place of colorful text. ALT-tag images. DECORATIONS PowerPoint Tips

20 MULTI-MEDIA Add narration but also provide a transcript. Add narration with captions/transcript. Do not use the auto-play feature. PowerPoint Tips

21 Hey! What s going on? Are you an alien? io6: xx 2!! 8 j j? 41>>!? i4j>>! Video and Multimedia

22 Closed Caption Closed captions are captions that can be turned on and off. They are synchronized with the media content. Captions convey all meaning, including relevant sound effects. Open Caption Open captions are always visible. They are synchronized with the audio. Captions convey all meaning, including relevant sound effects. Subtitles Subtitles are used largely with foreign language translation. The users are assumed to not be hearing impaired. Transcript Text that is not necessarily synchronized with the media. It is typically a document that can be downloaded. Basic Terminology

23 Deaf/Hard of Hearing Blind/Low Vision Disability Simulation

24 Write a script in advance (easiest). Captions render tone and manner of voice where necessary. ( whispering ) [BRITISH ACCENT] [Vincent, Narrating] Automatic captions can be created with Camtasia, YouTube and other video software. Always review automatic captions for accuracy because at times, the wrong words or extra words may be added to a caption. Videos that include visual information critical to comprehension should include a description of events or images for visually impaired audiences. Tips for Captioning

25 What is Section 508? Requires all users, regardless of disability, to have a comparable experience from a video, Web page, or other media.

26 Section amendment to the Rehabilitation Act that requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Many states, including Maryland, have similar laws in place now. Accessibility and the Law

27 Eliminate barriers in information technology. Make new opportunities for people with disabilities available. Encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. Objectives of Section 508

at the Disability Support Service office call to make an appointment at

28 Services based on the student s disability. Office is in the Shoemaker Building. Students must register. at the Disability Support Service office call to make an appointment at Types of accommodations: Testing, Reading, Deaf/Hard of Hearing, and many, many more! Disability Services at UMD

Planning and Hosting Accessible Webinars

Series: Designing accessible resources for people with disabilities and Deaf people Planning and Hosting Accessible Webinars Webinars are a great option for sharing information and providing training for