Introduction to Accessibility VLC Professional Development Center

About Us… VLC Professional Development Center Hosted at Wake Technical Community College Provide training and support on distance learning and teaching to faculty throughout the NCCCS Contact information – Jennifer Jones, Center Director – – vlcprofessionaldevelopment.pbworks.com

Getting Started Develop an action plan Train faculty about accessibility Evaluate content for accessibility issues Develop plan of action for correcting problems Make plan available to faculty, staff, and students Implement plan

Quote from NFB “The one thing you can go back and tell the general counsel is: Dan Goldstein said he’s not going to file any suit if a school has a comprehensive action plan up that says how they’re going to become accessible.” Dan Goldstein at EDUCAUSE, October 20, 2011

Degree at which a product, device, service or environment is available to everyone and for the same purpose, regardless of ability. Universal Access is the goal What is Accessibility?

Universal Design for Learning Set of principles and techniques for creating inclusive classroom instruction and materials. UDL & Accessibility work together to promote access to all students. Accessibility = Compatibility with adaptive tools UDL = Bigger picture; Design of course UDL

Accessible courses, designed with accessibility and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in mind, are beneficial to all students, not just those with a disability. Designing and building the course right the first time, saves time in having to rebuild it later on. It’s the law! Why Make Content Accessible?

Amended in 1998, Section 508 is a part of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 requiring Federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to individuals with disabilities were labeled as standards and carry the full weight of the law. Section 508

States that no state entity, including educational institutions, may: "…refuse to provide reasonable aids and adaptations necessary for a known qualified person with a disability to use or benefit from existing public services operated by such entity; provided that the aids and adaptations do not impose an undue hardship on the entity involved. This subsection includes equivalent services provided via information technology" (G.S. 168A-7, Section 3) NC General Assembly, Bill 866

Equivalent Access means providing Identical Content used by non-disabled users. Alternative Access provides an alternative learning activity, but achieves same learning objectives. – Only used if Equivalent Access not feasible. Equivalent/Alternative Access

Color contrast Accessible fonts and text formatting Structure and formatting Hyperlinks Accessibility Guidelines

Contrast Consider color contrast for those with color blindness and vision impairments

Select basic, simple, easy to read fonts – Sans Serif Examples This is Arial This is Verdana This is Tahoma Font Accessibility Rules (Web) 1

Use a limited number of fonts – Use no more than 3 different fonts or text colors – If varying fonts styles, limit the use to headings – Headings style dropdown menu should be used for screen readers Avoid small font sizes – Use the default style sizes and font Limit the use of font variations such as bold, italics, and all capital letters. Font Accessibility Rules (Web) 2

Never use Color Alone to Convey Information Colorblind users may not be able to discern color-based variation – Vischeck sample works of art as seen with color blindness (opens in new window) Vischeck sample works of art as seen with color blindness (opens in new window) – Color blindness simulators help identify possible challenges Coblis colorblind simulator (opens in new window) Font Accessibility Rules (Web) 3

Font Accessibility Rules (Web) 4 Bad Example Lines that must be memorized for the next quiz are in red.

Font Accessibility Rules (Web) 5 Good Example Lines that must be memorized for the next quiz are in red and bold. A variation could be seen.

Font Accessibility Rules (Web) Avoid blinking and animated text Avoid excessive text effects

Text longer than a few paragraphs needs structure to make it easier to understand – True heading styles are not just bold or enlarged – They provide meaningful structure for all students, but also for Screen Readers. Establish Hierarchy: Structure your Text Content

Alternative text provides a textual alternative to non-text content, like videos, images and graphs Alternative text conveys the meaning of the context in which the image is used Who benefits from alternative text? – Users with Screen Readers – Users with technical difficulties Alternative Text

Alternative Text Examples An architecture course in studying the three types of Greek columns. A global logistics class is mapping familiar, famous addresses with a variety of mapping tools. Just for design or to break up the space

Long Descriptions Complex images, diagrams, graphs, and charts that require more information than can be expressed as alternative text require long descriptions. Long Descriptions are not read within the context of the page when using screen readers and open in new document

Video & Audio Files Equivalent content Video – Transcript and captions for spoken words throughout the video – Video descriptions of relevant actions taking place on the screen should also be provided. – Synchronize with the action as it occurs on the screen. Audio - text transcription.

Captioning Videos Videos must adhere to the same Section 508 definition of non-text elements, meaning they must have a text equivalent that is synchronized with the presentation. A transcript should also be provided and located near the video. All multimedia content that contains speech and/or other necessary audio information must be captioned. Closed Captioning is always preferred.

Finding Captioned Videos YouTube – search for closed captioned videos Teacher’s Domain Request captioned videos from publishers

Hyperlinks are active connections from one web location to another. Assistive technologies, like screen readers, allow links to be pulled out of context. This means the user may not hear the text that surrounds the link. Hyperlinks

Hyperlinks convey – Where is the link going? – Why is the link provided? – What else happens? In many cases the Where and the Why are closely related. Writing Accessible Hyperlinks

Accessible Hyperlink Example EXAMPLE: A science instructor is sending students to WRAL TV Online to observe current local weather radar readings. Do This WRAL Online Local Weather Radar opens in a new windowWRAL Online Local Weather Radar opens in a new window Not This Click Here

Tab Access and Focus – Use the tab key to navigate the web page Structure and Hierarchy – WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (opens in new window) WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (opens in new window) Testing for Accessibility

Color Contrast Checkers WebAim Color Contrast Checker (opens in new window) WebAim Color Contrast Checker (opens in new window) WCAG Contrast Checker (opens in new window) – Add-on for Firefox web browser WebAIM – Web Accessibility in Mind – WebAIM Quick Reference: Testing Web Content for Accessibility (opens in new window) WebAIM Quick Reference: Testing Web Content for Accessibility (opens in new window) – Online guide to testing web content Testing for Accessibility (2)

LET’S TEST SOME SITES!

QUESTIONS?