1. CYBER SPACE FOR ALL:
Accessible Document Creation for the Web and how it benefits everybody!
Andrea Walsh, OT Reg. (Ont.).
Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility
Trent University

2. Outline Requirements for accessible web documents.
Benefits of accessible documents for:
Faculty and instructors
Universities
Students
The “how to” of accessibility during a document’s lifecycle.
Resources.

3. Requirements for Accessible Documents
AODA Section 14 – All web content published on a website after January 1, 2012.
Accessible web content.
2014 and 2021 deadlines (Public Sector).
AODA Section 15 – Educational Resources and Materials
Educational or training resources, student records and course descriptions available in accessible format upon request.
Ontario Human Rights Code – Duty to Accommodate
Duty to accommodate by removing barriers.

4. Accessible Documents – Benefits to Faculty
Decreased time spent in meeting individual accommodation requests.
Supports an inclusive classroom environment.
Meets a wide variety of learning styles and needs.
Engaging material leads to better course evaluations.
Council of Ontario Universities (2012)

5. Accessible Documents – Benefits for Universities
Saves time in creating material to meet individual requests.
Supports recruitment by making material accessible to prospective students.
Accessibility elements like tags and titles have SEO* benefits.
The website is a key marketing tool for universities.
Accessible websites are more user-friendly and this impacts the flow of visits and how often users return.
SEO = Search Engine Optimization

6. Accessible Documents – Benefits for Universities (2)
Simple designs decrease time needed to replicate or remediate documents.
Creates inclusive culture.
Decreases legal risks associated with legislative non-compliance and related reputational risk.

7. Accessible Documents – Benefits to Students
Saves time and energy in seeking individual accommodations.
Increased student autonomy and dignity.
Reduced wait times for requested material.
Meets needs of those with temporary disabilities.
Often allows students to use there own technology to access material.

8. Accessible Documents – Benefits to Students (2)
Meets the needs of learning needs beyond issues of disability accommodation.
UDL principles are incorporated.
Document structure supports learning strategies (i.e. headings and lists).
Works for “modern students”
Mobile devices.
Technologies to enhance learning.
Durham College (2018)

9. Creating an Accessible Document
Save time and effort by creating an accessible document at the start rather than making changes at the end.
How:
Set the language of document.
Give the document a title and tags.
Build in structure with identified headings, lists etc.

10. Setting Document Language
Assists a screen reader in knowing how to read document.
Lang. is set in the “Review” tab.

11. Titles and Tags
Titles will be read by screen reader and used if converted to PDF.
Tags make document searchable and have SEO benefits.

12. Accessible Document Elements
Add alternative text to non-text content.
Use paragraph space instead of hard returns.
Use at least 12pt sans serif font for body text.
Structure tables with header rows/columns and formatted cells.

13. Spacing
Screen readers will read hard returns. This can make navigating and understanding a document challenging.
Use features in the “Paragraph” section of the “Home” tab.

14. A Word on Alternative Text
Succinctly describes image for user.
Not needed for decorative images that do not convey meaning.
Only conveys information available in the image.
Does not use “image of…”
Does indicate image type if relevant such as “screen shot of…”
Does not duplicate alt text title and description or related captions.
Council of Ontario Universities (2012)

15. Alternative Text for Complex Data
Add basic alternative text.
Add additional long description in body of document.
For complex graphs, data can be placed in an accessible table.
Can use hyperlink in proximity to graph or chart to accessible file with description (HTML file).
Resource: Alternative Text in STEM Disciplines
Queen’s University Accessibility Hub (n.d.)

16. Hyperlinks
The universal standard for hyperlink formats is blue underlined text.
Create meaningful link text that describes the purpose or destination of links. Example: Trent’s MV-1 Access Shuttle.
Avoid “click here” or “more.”
If including the URL for printed material it should look like: (URL:

17. Formatting Tables Avoid leaving empty rows, columns and cells.
Identify table header rows/columns.
If merged cells are necessary use “span” option in PDF files.
Ensure text in cells is visible.
Format cells based on data types.
Avoid merged cells
Month
Visit
January
2.00 8
February
4.00
March
5.00 9
April
7.00
May
6.00
June
Total
N/A

18. Checking for Accessibility
Built-in accessibility checker in most Microsoft Office products.
Via “File” > “Info” > “Check for Issues”

19. Does the “checker” guarantee accessibility?
The Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office is a good start, but it does not check:
Font size
Font type
Colour contrast
Quality of alternative text
Does not specifically check against WCAG 2.0 criteria.

20. What’s not accessible? Word Art. Text boxes Watermarks
Are there any alternatives?
Word Art and Shapes can have alternative text.
Use paragraph “styles” menu to create appearance of text boxes.

21. PDF Conversion
Adobe Pro is required to create accessible PDF documents.
Ensure “Acrobat” is an add-in on the main ribbon.
Once in the “Acrobat” tab go to “Create PDF”.
Avoid creating a PDF through the file “save as” option.

22. Elements of Accessible PDFs
Keys to accessibility include:
Embedded Fonts
Proper tag structure
Alt Text
Title, language and “initial View.”

23. Accessibility of Existing Documents
Try to work from the source document as this will make changes easier.
More effective change (i.e. when embedding fonts).
Faster changes.
Scanning documents presents challenges – learn about OCR!
University of Illinois Library (2017).

24. Resources and Tools AODA Website Requirements – Government of Ontario
WCAG 2.0 Guidelines
CNIB Clear Print Guidelines
Paciello Colour Contrast Analyser
PAC 3 - PDF Accessibility Checker
AChecker - HTML Accessibility
NVDA Screen Reader – free download

25. Questions?

26. Sources: Referenced and Consulted
Council of Ontario Universities – Accessible Campus Resources
Durham College C.A.F.E. – UDL Website
Karlen Communications –Accessible Word Document Design
Queen’s University Accessibility Hub
University of Illinois Library – OCR Best Practices

27. Contact Information
Andrea Walsh
Accessibility Advisor
Centre for Human Rights, Equity and Accessibility (CHREA)
Trent University
Phone: extension 6602
CHREA Website (URL: