Accessibility & Inclusive Design to Enable Success
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So much of the library information and service we provide is online, and making our digital content accessible helps everyone in our community succeed. Following accessibility best practices not only improves the library experience, it also promotes diversity and inclusion by directly improving the equity of access for all library users. Learn some simple, inclusive-design guidelines for creating accessible digital content such as your website, LibGuides, Word docs, PDFs, and more. Finally, leave with tools and actionable tips for how to help make your library services and digital content more accessible and inclusive.
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Accessibility & Inclusive Design to Enable Success
- 1. Accessibility & Inclusive Design to Enable User Success Jacqueline L. Frank Hosted by Core: Leadership, Infrastructure, Futures
- 2. Jacqueline L. Frank Instruction & Accessibility Librarian jacqueline.frank@montana.edu Your Presenter
- 3. Objectives • At the end of this webinar, the attendees will be able to: • Understand how accessibility best practices benefit everyone • Utilize accessibility and inclusive design best practices • Share tools and advocate for how to make library services and content more accessible and inclusive for all
- 4. Outline • Why Accessibility Matters: Access as Success (5 mins) • Accessibility Best Practices (20 mins) • Examples of how to use them • Accessibility checkers • Inclusive Design & Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (10 mins) • Differences & overlap • Inclusive Design for Library Programming & Services (10 mins) • Tools & Resources • Time for Questions (10 mins)
- 6. Why Accessibility Matters, cont. Accessibility is, and should remain, focused on people with disabilities (Henry, Abou-Zahra, & Brewer, 2014) 26% People with a disability (CDC) 19% Undergraduates with a disability (NCES) 100% Will experience a disability in life (Axess Lab)
- 7. Why Accessibility Matters, cont. 2 (Microsoft Inclusive Design Toolkit) (Axess Lab)
- 8. Access as Success • Disability is a mismatch between a person and their environment (digital.gov) • Without access to the information or content they are looking for, users cannot fully succeed (Nagle & Vitez, 2021) • Requesting access is a barrier
- 9. Accessibility for All: Everyone Benefits • Anyone can search PDFs with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) • Headers allow users to navigate by section • Closed Captioning • View content without sound in noisy or quiet environments without headphones • English as second language • 100% of people will experience a disability (Axess Lab)
- 10. Accessibility is a Spectrum • So many assistive technologies • Glasses and contacts, screen readers, mobility aids, hearing aids, etc. • What works for one person, does not work for another person • Following accessibility best practices is a fundamental first step (Inclusive Design Research Centre)
- 11. Accessibility Best Practices & Tips! Poll question!
- 12. Accessibility Challenges • Often seen as an ‘add on’ • Time!! • to learn about accessibility and learn new technology • to create accessible material • What works for one, doesn’t work for everyone • Shift in thinking • Awareness and/or understanding • Thinking it doesn’t have a big impact • Misconceptions of disability prevalence
- 13. Everyone Can Improve Accessibility • Accessibility Best Practices can be used by almost everyone in their work • Creating documents in Word, PDF, etc. • LibGuides • Library website • Email • Programming, instruction, and events
- 14. Outline: Accessibility Best Practices Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) • Perceivable • Operable • Understandable • Robust • Levels: • A (minimum) • AA (most common) • AAA (highest standards) (WCAG 2.1)
- 15. Accessibility Best Practices WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) • Alt-text for images • Descriptive, underlined links • Heading styles • High color contrast • Captions and Transcripts • Compatibility with assistive technologies • Clear, concise, language • Avoid or explain jargon • Spell out acronyms • Avoid abbreviations (WCAG 2.1)
- 16. Alternative Text (Alt-Text, or Image Descriptions) • Written description of an image • Read by screen readers in place of images • Displayed if an image file doesn’t load properly • Displayed when the user has chosen not to view images • Alt-text guidelines from MSU Accessibility & Instruction Guide • Consider context, be objective & concise, do not repeat information provided elsewhere. • Charts & graphs: also include or link to the full data tables
- 18. Descriptive Hyperlink Text • Tell the user where the link is going to take them • Avoid pasting the full URL • Avoid using click here as a link • Let the link be the title of the content itself Good example: Chat with us from the MSU Library Homepage Bad example: Click here to chat with us from the Library Homepage
- 19. Descriptive Hyperlink Text Example
- 20. Heading Styles • Formatting tool • Used to separate sections of a document • Help all users, screen readers, and other assistive technologies navigate content • Act as a map of the textbook or document • Apply in outline format
- 22. Color Contrast • High Color contrast is important for visually impaired users, and folks with color blindness • Also avoid using color along to convey meaning, which may be missed by folks with visual impairments or color blindness • Instead, use bold and colored text, or • IMPORTANT NOTE: for example • Color contrast checkers • Stick to black and white, or very dark colors on a white background and vice versa (WebAIM.org)
- 23. Table Headers • Tables have column or rows that show the meaning of the information in the grid • Sighted users can visually scan a table. They can quickly make visual associations between data in the table and their appropriate row and/or column headers • Someone that cannot see the table cannot make these visual associations • Therefore, designate the header row of a table • So that users with screen readers will hear the column and row headers spoken to them (WebAIM.org)
- 25. Why Does it Matter: Keyboard Use Only • Not all users can use a mouse, track-pad, or touch screen • Some people use the keyboard, including tab and arrow keys to jump between sections of content, fill out forms, click links, and everything else • Provide ways for users to navigate content quickly • Other best practices help support keyboard use only: • Using heading styles and intuitive link text for example allows users to jump to certain sections of content easily (WebAIM.org)
- 26. Captions • Captions are synchronous text versions of the spoken word presented within multimedia • Benefit people with hearing impairments or without access to audio • English as a second language • Noisy, or quiet environments • Generate automatic captions for videos using YouTube • Live captions in PowerPoint 365
- 27. Transcripts • Separate written document of the audio • Do not have to be verbatim accounts of the spoken word in a video • Benefit people with vision impairments without access to video • Can be written before hand • Include descriptions, explanations, or comments that may be beneficial • Searchable
- 28. Word Accessibility Checker • Check your Word documents for accessibility using the built- in Word accessibility checker • In Word, open your document and click file, check for issues, check accessibility. A side bar will pop up, and you can click on any errors to get instructions on how to fix the issue
- 30. Adobe Pro Accessibility Checker • Check your PDFs for accessibility using the built-in Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker • In Adobe Acrobat Pro, open your document and if needed, add the Action Wizard to the toolbar by clicking more tools, then click the action wizard > make accessible
- 31. Steps to use the Adobe Pro Accessibility Checker
- 32. Checkers for Online Resources & HTML • WAVE accessibility checker • Go to wave.webaim.org and paste in the URL you want to evaluate • or use the WAVE plugin • Tota11y • Browser extension • Learn more about Tota11y
- 33. They don’t check everything • Helpful tools, but they don’t check everything, including: • Color contrast • If headers are used in Word • Reading order, e.g. documents with multiple columns, callouts, and textboxes
- 34. Print Best Practices • Use non-serif fonts (e.g. Helvetica, Veranda, Arial) • Use 1.5–2.0 line spacing • Optimize white space • Do not place text over images • Provide online copy of print materials • Posters • Font Size: Title: 72 point, Section Title: 46–56 point, Block Text: 24– 36 point • Ensure adequate resolution of graphics (visible from 6 feet when printed) (solopress.com, asha.org, Gilson & Kitchin, 2007)
- 35. Inclusive Design
- 36. Accessibility vs. Inclusive Design • Accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities (Lawton, 2014) • offering an equal alternative or accommodation • Accessibility Example: Having a ramp and stairs to an entrance with automatic door openers
- 37. Universal Design vs. Inclusive Design • Universal Design is about designing the experience to be usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations • Eliminate any barriers so an alternative is not needed • Universal Design Example: Entrance on the ground level without stairs or a ramp, and with automatic door openers • This is a great starting place and goal, and: • Accessibility is a Spectrum • What works for one person, does not work for another person • Providing alternative options and formats allows users to choose what works best for them
- 38. Universal Design vs. Inclusive Design, cont. • Inclusive design is about creating an adaptable system with different ways for people to participate, so that as many people as possible can feel as though they belong • Does not necessarily mean designing one thing for all people • Often refers more to the digital realm • Inclusive Design Example: Multiple entrances (Inclusive Design Research Centre)
- 39. Shared Goal • Shared goal: accessibility, universal design, and inclusive design can all help design content in a way that more users can access, with more ease (Henry, Abou-Zahra, & Brewer, 2014)
- 40. Everyone Can Use Inclusive Design • Inclusive Design can be used by many people in their work: • Services • Spaces • Programming, instruction, and events • Example: save documents in different formats • allows users to choose what works best for them • Save as Word, PDF, and EPUB
- 41. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) • “A framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people” –CAST • Eliminates barriers from beginning • Recognizes differences • Offers options for users that meet their needs and preferences, including using assistive technologies (CAST UDL Framework)
- 42. UDL for Library Programming & Instruction • Engagement* • Involve learners in setting their own academic goals • Allow learners to participate in the design of assignments & activities • Facilitate self-reflection • Representation* • Offer alternatives for audio/visual information: captions & transcripts • Promote understanding across languages: avoid jargon, acronyms, & abbreviations • Action & Expression* • Optimize access to assistive technologies: Headers, Links, Alt-text, etc. *not a complete list; for a full list, see (CAST UDL Framework)
- 43. Inclusive Strategies for Library Programming & Instruction • Pedagogical strategies • Use questionnaires, ask about accessibility needs • Share your presenter notes or create a handout • Cut extraneous material • Write clearly and succinctly • Avoid pronouns: “This section” or “these data points” are meaningless to students who can’t see what you’re referring to • Uniquely identify and annotate all figures and illustrations • If you use repetition, use it both deliberately and economically • Consider reducing screen time (Moore, 2014. and Hamraie, 2020.)
- 44. Inclusive Design for Library Services • Offer different ways for users to get help • In person help • Self-checkout and other self-serv options • Remote help via email, chat, phone, etc. • Offer various physical space options for users • Noise: Quiet space with limited distractions, and non-quiet spaces • Lighting: Natural, florescent, and incandescent lighting • Scents: Away from pungent smells • Furniture: Some fixed, and some flexible furniture that users can reconfigure • Ensure navigation paths remain free from obstacles
- 45. Inclusive Design for Library Services, cont. • Offer information on your services in different formats • Library website • In print in the library • Large print • Add information about accessibility to your website and in your library • Including contact info where users can get more information • Ideally a specific individual (Brunskill, 2020)
- 46. Inclusive Design: Get User Input • Best practices and inclusive design strategies only get you so far • Get direct user experience feedback from users with disabilities (Pionke, 2017) • There is no substitute for user input • Resources: • Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility • Pionke, J. (2017). Toward holistic accessibility: narratives from functionally diverse patrons. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 57(1), 48-56 (Pionke, 2017)
- 47. Review & Wrap up
- 48. Inclusive Design in Practice: Review • Provide options to users • Digital Content • Follow digital accessibility best practices • UDL framework for learning content and instruction • Programming, Instruction, & Events: • Provide resources in different formats, and in advance when possible: PPT Slides, Handouts, Transcripts, etc. • Provide captions & transcripts • Many more accessible meeting and presentation strategies (W3C)
- 49. Inclusive Design in Practice: Review cont. • Services • Follow print accessibility best practices for signage, handouts, etc. • Offer different spaces for users • Offer different options for users to get help • Add information about accessibility to your website and in your library, including contact info where users can get more information
- 50. Inclusive Design in Practice: Review cont. 2 • General practices • Use plain language • Avoid acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon • Optimize white space • So much more that we didn’t cover today
- 51. Anyone can be an Advocate • Almost everyone creates documents for work, including Word, PDF, etc. • Show others how to use the accessibility checkers in Word & Adobe Pro • If you are not a/the web developer, you can run the wave report and share it with whoever updates your website • Share information & facts about why accessibility matters, and how it benefits everyone • It saves time to think about accessibility from the beginning
- 53. Resources • MSU Library Accessibility & Instruction Online Guide • Accessibility Best Practices & Resources • How to create accessible Word Docs and PDFs • UDL Guidelines & Resources • CAST UDL Framework • Inclusive Design Research Centre • Involving Users in Web Projects for Better, Easier Accessibility • WCAG 2.0 • WCAG 2.0 Checklist by WebAim • W3C resources for creating accessible presentations • Funkify – disability simulator for the web • Accessibility Checkers • wave.webaim.org and paste in the URL you want to evaluate, or use the WAVE plugin • Tota11y Browser extension
- 54. CITATIONS • Brunskill, A. (2020). "Without That Detail, I'm Not Coming": The Perspectives of Students with Disabilities on Accessibility Information Provided on Academic Library Websites. COLL RES LIBR, 81(5), 768-788. https://doi.org/10.5860/crl.81.5.768 • Henry, S., Abou-Zahra, S., & Brewer, J. (2014). The role of accessibility in a universal web. In International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (pp. 1-4): ACM. • Hamraie, Aimi. "Accessible Teaching in the Time of COVID-19." Mapping Access, https://www.mapping-access.com/blog- 1/2020/3/10/accessible-teaching-in-the-time-of-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR3M-YVn9BiUvljVeGhEdu- Q0F28yPGXyMZfF6OvjoMDrEXaCu_ezIvkABk. Accessed 18, March 2020. • Moore, Emily A. " Improve Accessibility in Tomorrow's Online Courses by Leveraging Yesterday's Techniques." Faculty Focus, https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/online-education/improve-accessibility-tomorrows-online-courses-leveraging- yesterdays-techniques/. Accessed 4 May, 2020. • Nagle, C., & Vitez, K. (2021). Fixing the broken textbook market. https://uspirgedfund.org/sites/pirg/files/reports/Fixing%20the%20Broken%20Textbook%20Market%2C%203e%20February%202021.p df • Pionke, J. (2017). Toward holistic accessibility: narratives from functionally diverse patrons. Reference and User Services Quarterly, 57(1), 48-56 • “Remember Accessibility in the Rush to Online Instruction: 10 Tips for Educators.” National Deaf Center on Postsecondary Outcomes, https://www.nationaldeafcenter.org/news/remember-accessibility-rush-online-instruction-10-tips-educators. Accessed 5, May 2020. • Burgstahler, Sheryl. (2017) “ADA Compliance for Online Course Design.” EDUCAUSE, https://er.educause.edu/articles/2017/1/ada- compliance-for-online-course-design. Accessed 5, May 2020.
- 55. UDL Slides Check Minimum 24 sans serif font Use of bullets/numbers for lists Correct reading order Sufficient color contrast Plain language Alt-text for images Descriptive links
- 56. Creative Commons License Please attribute Jacqueline L. Frank with a link to the original presentation. Except where otherwise noted, this work is licensed under https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons and the double C in a circle are registered trademarks of Creative Commons in the United States and other countries. Third party marks and brands are the property of their respective holders.
Editor's Notes
- Hi everyone! I’m Jacqueline Frank, and I’m happy to talk with you today about Accessibility and Inclusive Design strategies to enable user success. This session is being recorded, and the slides will be shared out as well.
- This is a picture of me. I’m the Instruction and Accessibility Librarian on the MSU-Bozeman campus.
- Our learning objectives are to understand why accessibility matters and how it benefits everyone, learn about accessibility best practices and inclusive design methods, and to share tools and information so that anyone can advocate for how to make their content and library services more accessible and inclusive for all.
- Out outline is similar, and we will start by talking about why accessibility matters. Then we’ll quickly cover some best practices and see examples of how to use them. Then we’ll talk about Inclusive Design and the differences and similarities between Inclusive Design, Universal Design for Learning & Accessibility, share some tips for improving library programming and services, then leave with some tools & resources for you to use moving forward. There will be a few poll questions throughout, and there will also be time for questions at the end.
- And speaking of polls, before we jump into our section on why accessibility matters, I wanted to start by asking the audience the first poll question, which is: How many people in the US live with a disability? 5%, 11%, 26%, or 51%. Great, now let’s take a look at the answers. And it looks like we have a variety of answers, with the majority choosing ___. Great, moving on, we’ll see that
- It turns out that about one in four (1 in 4) or 26% people in the US live with a disability, including one in five (1 in 5) or 19% undergraduate students that report having a disability. While accessibility is focused on people with disabilities and should remain that way, when you really think about it, one hundred percent (100%) of people will experience a disability at least sometime in their life according to Axess Lab.
- That’s because disability can be permanent, temporary, or situational. For example, temporary injuries are common, and a cast might hinder someone's mobility, or their ability to use a keyboard. Situational disabilities can arise when someone forgets their glasses, or is in a really loud environment, or even when someone is extremely sleepy, and many disabilities are invisible such as hearing loss.
- That’s why everyone should be concerned about making accessible content, because disabilities can arise as a mismatch between the environment and the user, in many different ways. And if our users cannot access the information or content they need, in the ways they need to, they will not successfully accomplish what they were hoping to. And we should not just plan to make our content or services accessible when someone asks for it, because that additional step is a barrier to inclusive access, and can prevent users from making a request. So by creating content and services with accessibility in mind it will help create an inclusive environment for all users.
- And ultimately, increasing accessibility benefits all of us in the end. While certain things are designed for people with disabilities, many folks still use these helpful features. For example, making any PDF searchable by running OCR (optical character recognition) not only makes it accessible to screen readers, it allows anyone, including your colleagues, to search by keyword to locate specific information quickly. And captions are another example that help people who have hearing impairments, or who speak English as a second language, or who need to view videos in noisy or quiet environments without headphones. (skip for time) Transcripts for example allow users to read the content without seeing a video, and can also be read using glasses, magnification, a screen reader, braille, or other assistive technology And as a reminder, everyone will experience a disability, temporary or permanent, if we are lucky to live long enough.
- We should also acknowledge and understand that accessibility is a spectrum, and there is a huge variety of assistive technologies that people use, from glasses and contacts and screen readers, to mobility and hearing aids. And what works for one person, does not work for another person, which can be a big challenge. So to help address this, following accessibility best practices is a fundamental first step, and inclusive design can also help.
- So what does that look like in action? We’ll start by looking at some accessibility best practices. I have another quick poll question to gage your level of prior knowledge. The second question is: What is your experience/comfort level with accessibility best practices? Zero, low, moderate, or advanced. Great, now let’s take a look at the answers. And it looks like we have a mix of experience which is to be expected, with most falling in the __ range. Awesome, as we move on, thank you for sharing and I hope everyone still learns something new today, regardless of your prior experience. (SKIP) The next question is: The question is “What best practices have you used when creating content?” And the answer choices are: Alternative Text (Alt-text), Closed captions for video, Descriptive hyperlink text, Formatting with Headers, High Color Contrast, and Transcription for audio and/or video.
- First, I do want to acknowledge that there are many challenges, including the common pitfall of thinking about accessibility as an add-on, or something to do at the end. However, it will save a lot of time if it’s incorporated from the beginning. Time is another big challenge, both having time to learn about accessibility and the time it takes to create accessible materials. Accessibility also can require a shift in thinking to get into an accessibility mindset, which requires both awareness and an understanding of how to implement accessibility, which is what we are hoping to cover today. Finally, I see some folks fall into the trap of thinking it doesn’t have a big impact, and therefore might not be worth the extra time it takes. Also, there can be misconceptions of how prevalent disability is, and many users do not speak up to ask for help, nor should they have to, which again, is one reason why improving accessibility improves the overall user experience.
- I will also put in a plug that accessibility best practices are not just for web developers, designers, teachers, or anyone special. Almost everyone can use these best practices in their work from creating documents in Word, PDF, etc., creating LibGuides, the library website, and even email, or programming, instruction, and events.
- So when talking about accessibility best practices, we must ground the conversation with the WCAG, or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines from W3C, which are organized in four (4) areas of making sure online content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The guidelines are also broken down into three (3) levels from minimum standards to the highest standards, and many libraries strive to meet the AA level.
- The WCAG 2.1 offers guidance and best practices for providing alt-text for images, using descriptive hyperlink text, formatting documents using heading styles and high color contrast, and adding captions and transcripts to videos or presentations, which we will go over and see examples of in our session today. For a full list of the guidelines I would recommend using the WCAG 2.1 Checklist from WebAim which simplifies the descriptions a bit while still linking to the original documentation if needed.
- Well let’s take a closer look at these best practices. Alternative text, also called image description, is a written description of an image and serves several functions, including that it is read by screen readers in place of images, and it’s also displayed in browsers if the image file doesn’t load properly or when the user has chosen not to view images. When adding alternate text, briefly describe the image as you would to someone who could not see. There are some guidelines for writing alt-text on the MSU Library Accessibility & Instruction Guide, including to try to be objective and concise; usually one or two sentences will suffice, unless it’s a chart, and don’t repeat information provided elsewhere. Finally, describe charts & graphs as much as possible, and then also include the full data table, or link to the full data from the text.
- For example in Word, after inserting an image right click on it and choose Edit Alt Text and enter the alt-text in the description box. And for the live demo’s shown in Word like on this slide, the process is very similar in LibGuides, websites, course management systems, even email. So you can do this in whatever program you are working in.
- For links, you want your users to know where the link is going to take them, and avoid pasting the entire, long URL, which often has a string of special characters. You also want to avoid using click here as a link, which is a common mistake, and instead let the link be the title of the content itself. This is especially important for users of screen readers that use keyboard shortcuts to jump from link to link. However, the screen reader will only read out the text that is hyperlinked, which can be useful when looking for something specific, although the links needs to make sense when read out of context.
- For example, when sharing where someone can go to email the library, use the text ‘email the library’ as the link. To do this, highlighting the text you want to function as a hyperlink, then right click on it and choose hyperlink to type or paste in the URL.
- Heading styles are a formatting tool and are used to separate sections of a document so users can find the content they need easily, and help screen readers navigate content quickly. They act as a map of a document, and should be applied in outline format, with Title as Heading 1, all Chapter titles as heading 2, all sub-chapters as heading 3, and so on.
- For example, in Word, it shows highlighting the text to format as our first heading, and choosing Heading 1 from the home tab in the styles group. Then highlight the text for each of the sub sections, and choose Heading 2 from the Home tab. You can change the formatting of the heading styles by right clicking on the heading style, then modify, so you don’t have to just use the default formatting.
- High Color contrast is important for visually impaired users, and folks with color blindness. The same goes for not using font color only to highlight important text, which may be missed by folks with visual impairments or color blindness. Instead, use bold and colored text together, or use capital text such as IMPORTANT NOTE: for example. color contrast is now included in the Word accessibility checker, and there are additional color contrast checkers available online as well. You can also stick to black and white, or very dark colors on a white background, and vice versa.
- Tables have column or rows that show the meaning of the information in the grid, that sighted users can visually scan and quickly make visual associations between data in the table and their appropriate row and/or column headers. However, someone that cannot see the table cannot make these visual associations. Therefore, when best practices are used to designate the header row of a table, screen readers can navigate through data tables one cell at a time, and they will hear the column and row headers spoken to them. (skip for time) It might be something like “row two: height, 3 inches, width, 5 inches”, whereas without designating the header row a screen reader might say something like “row two: 3 inches, 5 inches”, which would not make sense.
- For Word Documents, click on the table, then go to the Table Layout tab that pops up, then click the option to Repeat Header Rows.
- Not all users can use a mouse, track-pad, or touch screen, so some people use the keyboard, including tab and arrow keys to jump between sections of content, fill out forms, click links, and everything else. Making sure users can access your content using a keyboard only is important for people who have hand tremors or mobility restrictions for example, and it allows users to navigate the content quickly. Some of the other best practices support keyboard use only, such as using heading styles and intuitive link text which allow users to jump to certain sections of content easily with keyboard shortcuts.
- Captions & Transcripts are important aspects of both accessibility and inclusive design….both when creating content for the web, LibGuides, etc. as well as for in-person programming or instruction. Captions are synchronous text versions of the spoken word presented within multimedia. Captions allow audio and video to be accessible for people with hearing impairments or without access to audio. They also benefit people who speak a second language, or for people in noisy environments or quiet environments not conducive to sound. If you are recording videos, YouTube can generate automatic captions for free, or check to see if your institution has another option. For live presentations, PowerPoint 365 offers live captions, which is what I am using today. Many webinar platforms also have the option to include captions, although sometimes that is associated with a cost.
- Finally, transcripts are a separate, written document of the audio, and allow users to read the content with glasses, large print, refreshable Braille devices, screen readers, or any other means. They do not have to be verbatim accounts of the spoken word in a video, and can be written before hand. They should also contain additional descriptions, explanations, or comments that may be beneficial, such as indications of laughter or a car horn, which are helpful when someone reads the transcript alone without watching or listening to the video. Finally, transcripts are searchable, which can be beneficial to everyone, for example if you are trying to search for a specific part in a video that describes something.
- For documents, Word and Adobe Pro both have accessibility checkers if you have access to those.
- In Word, open your document and click file, info, check for issues, check accessibility. A side bar will pop up, and you can click on any errors and the follow the instructions on the sidebar on how to fix the issue, which are actually pretty easy to follow much of the time.
- In Adobe Acrobat Pro, you can also use the build in accessibility checker.
- Open your PDF and if needed, add the Action Wizard to the toolbar by clicking more tools. Then click the action wizard, and make accessible. Follow the prompts, and it will walk you through all of the steps, including selecting the reading language, as well as alt-text options to either mark images as decorative if they do not have any meaning, or add alt text. Then the last step will actually be to click ‘start checking’ which will complete the final check. Again, a side bar will pop up, and you can click on any errors to get instructions on how to fix the issue.
- For online resources and HTML, the WAVE accessibility checker can be used two different ways, by going to wave.webaim.org and pasting in the URL you want to evaluate, or using their web browser extension. Finally, Tota11y is my personal favorite, which is another browser extension that is easy to use and highlights potential accessibility issues with the click of a button, and you can learn more or download their extension on the web.
- While accessibility checkers are great tools, unfortunately they will not check everything for you, for example the word accessibility checker will not detect if headers are used. So now that you know about some of the most common issues to look for, I would recommend first looking through a document yourself, then using the checkers as a final step.
- I will also briefly mention print accessibility guidelines. These guidelines are helpful when creating new library promotional materials including flyers, handouts, or brochures, as well as print signage in the library, and help create more inclusive library services. The print guidelines have some additional considerations such as using a non-serif font, using 1.5-2.0 spacing, optimizing white space, not placing text over images, using an adequate font size, and providing an online copy of the material.
- Now let’s take a look at Inclusive design, and the differences and overlap with accessibility. (Skip for time) Before I jump in, I’d like to offer the opportunity for someone else to unmute themselves and share with us: a brief description of inclusive design, and how you think it may differ or relate to accessibility? Anyone who has an answer can unmute themselves, or add to chat, and I will count to 10 to give folks an initial opportunity to chime in.
- If accessibility refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities, an example might be having an entrance with stairs and a ramp, with automatic door openers.
- Universal design originated from architecture and physical design, and is the process of creating products that are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations. Universal Design tries to eliminate any barriers so an alternative is not needed. For example, having the entrance on ground level without stairs or a ramp. While this is a great starting place and goal, the reality remains that because accessibility is a spectrum, what works for one person may not work for another person. Therefore, providing alternative options and formats allows users to choose what works best for them.
- Which is the basis of Inclusive Design, or creating a lot of different ways for people to participate, so that as many people as possible can feel as though they belong. It does not necessarily mean designing one thing for all people. Inclusive design often refers more to the digital realm, although the ideas can be extended to our physical spaces and services as well. For example, having multiple entrances that fit different needs.
- While there are some differences, I mainly want to highlight that if we think about accessibility, universal design, and inclusive design from the beginning by getting into an accessibility mindset, it helps design content in a way that users can access more easily, which is ultimately the goal of all of them.
- And here is where I will put in a plug that inclusive design methods and strategies can also be used by many folks across the library, from people who work in public services and public spaces, help with library programming, instruction, or events, or even to help make your department or work environment more inclusive for employees. For example, even saving documents in different formats can be helpful and presenting the option to colleagues or users to either view as a Word doc, PDF which preserves the visual layout, or EPUB which allows users to reconfigure their view settings according to their needs.
- I also want to mention Universal Design for Learning or (UDL) which is a common framework that can help get away from some of the more technical accessibility best practices, and into the more pedagogical side if you are involved in any library instruction. While UDL was born out of universal design, it is still about providing options to the user, student, or learner. Specifically, CAST defines UDL as "a framework to improve and optimize teaching and learning for all people“. UDL takes into consideration that we have different needs and learning preferences, and by providing options that fit those needs and preferences, our users will be more successful and stay motivated.
- The UDL guidelines from CAST are organized into three areas, some of which overlap with accessibility best practices. For example, Under the Engagement category, CAST recommends involving learners in setting their own academic goals, as well as offering activities or assignments that facilitate self-reflection. Under Representation, there's more overlap with accessibility, including offering alternatives for all audio and visual content with captions and transcripts, and promoting understanding across languages by avoiding jargon, acronyms, & abbreviations for example. Finally, under Action & Expression, CAST includes optimizing access to assistive technologies, which is based on many of the accessibility best practices included in the previous section about including using headers and descriptive link text, and adding alt-text to images for example, among others.
- Beyond UDL, there are many additional inclusive strategies for library programming or instruction, including using questionnaires to check in with users and ask about their accessibility needs, share your presenter notes or create a separate handout, cutting extraneous material, and write clearly and succinctly. Avoid pronouns such as “that region,” and “these data points” which are meaningless to anyone who can’t see what you’re referring to, and uniquely identifying and annotating all figures and illustrations. Use repetition both deliberately and economically, and finally consider reducing screen time with various types of activities and assignments which can help students who get migraines for example.
- So what does Inclusive Design look like for library services? You can offer different ways for users to get help beyond in person services by also offering self-checkout and other self-serv options – for example, our library had an office sully vending machine that was super popular – and also providing ways for users to get remote help through email, chat, and yes still the phone. You can also think about offering different space options for your users, with various combinations of noise, lighting, scent, and furniture. So provide quite spaces, as well as spaces where users do not have to worry about making noise. Try to provide natural lighting, and if you have florescent lights try to also provide some incandescent lighting for people with light sensitivities. Make sure there are places that users can avoid pungent smells, and have some fixed furniture that users do not have to move, as well as some flexible furniture that users can reconfigure. Also, it’s important to ensure that navigation paths or traffic flow areas remain consistent, and free from obstacles.
- Offer information on your services in different formats including the library website, and also in the library, and in large print. And finally, add information about accessibility to your website and in your library, including contact info, ideally for a specific individual, where users can get more information.
- I would be remis if I did not talk about getting direct feedback from users, which is always the best way to improve the accessibility and usability of your library. Best practices and inclusive design strategies can only get you so far, and we cannot know what the library is experience is like for all of our users. Therefore, it’s always best to get direct user experience feedback from users with disabilities, in order to continue improving our library information, content, collections and services. And I have linked to two good resources on this slide for getting input from users, although there are many more.
- So to review and wrap up…
- …inclusive design is often about providing options to your users. For digital content, including web content, LibGuides, word docs, PDFs, anything you view on your computer, that means following accessibility best practices including the ones we covered today. For programming and instruction, using the pedagogical strategies we covered in the last section, as well as the UDL framework, and there are many more strategies for accessible meetings, presentations, and events.
- For public services, follow the print accessibility guidelines for signage, handouts, marketing materials, etc. and provide your services in different formats so users can get help in different ways.. Also add information about accessibility to your website and in your library building, including contact information.
- Lastly, some good reminders to use plain language and avoid acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon, and optimize white space. There are many more inclusive design strategies that we just didn’t have time to cover today, including digital design & coding practices for inclusive design.
- I would also like to leave you with this final plug and take away, that anyone can be an advocate and help make our libraries more accessible and inclusive. Like I already mentioned, almost everyone creates documents for work, including Word docs, PDFs, etc. and you can also show others how to use the accessibility checkers in Word & Adobe Pro. If you are not a/the web developer, you can run the wave report and share it with whoever updates your website, or just share information & facts with your colleagues about why accessibility matters, how it benefits everyone, and that it saves time to think about accessibility from the beginning.
- There are many tools & resources that might be helpful in the future.
- MSU Bozeman has an online accessibility & instruction guide, which has reminders about the resources and best practices we covered today including the print accessibility best practices, as well as links to detailed instructions and tutorials by document type. It also lists some accessibility checkers that you can use to check your web content, documents, or color contrast. Funkify is also a pretty cool tool, and is a browser extension that helps simulate the experience of using the web with different disabilities. It’s a great empathy building tool, and while not specifically a testing tool it might help uncover some unknown issues.
- The other resources and citations used in this presentation are included here for your convenience, and in the slides that will be shared out with all participants after this webinar.
- Before questions, I will just mention that these slides were created with UDL and Accessibility Best Practices in mind, and meet the minimum standards of 24 sans serif font, using bullets and lists, correct reading order, sufficient color contrast, plain language, alt-text for images, and descriptive links.
- I have included a creative commons license,
- And with that, I’d like to thank you for attending today and thinking about accessibility, and what questions do you have?