Easier Than you Think: Creating Accessible Electronic Documents

1
Easier Than you Think Creating Accessible
Electronic Documents
Low Hanging Fruit to Improve Accessibility

• Barbara Skoglund
• Minnesota Department of Human Services,
  Disability Services Division

2
Simple things

• Citizens
• Co-workers
• Colleagues

3
Why?

• 20 population with disabilities
• Aging population, increasing needs, Baby Boom
• Independence
• Benefits for everyone
• Government as role model
• Right thing to do
• State and Federal law

4
Who

• Visual
• Blindness
• Low vision
• Color blindness (10)

• Hearing (8-9)
• Deaf
• Hard of hearing

5
Who

• Cognitive
• Learning disabilities
• Memory
• Attention
• Other
• Epilepsy
• Limited - English speaking
• 8th grade reading level (50)

• Motor
• Spinal cord injury
• Loss/damaged limb
• Cerebral Palsy
• Muscular dystrophy
• Multiple sclerosis
• Arthritis
• Parkinsons
• tremors

6
2008 Brookings Study

• State of Minnesota ranked 30th
• 4 Disability Access
• PDFs are more than 1/3 of state.mn.us

7
Common tasks

• Internal meetings
• Internal collaboration
• Training
• Tabling
• External meetings
• Informational materials
• Business uses
• Documents often meat of Web sites
• Video audio

8
Alternative FormatsSeparate and Unequal?

• Timely
• Agendas after meetings
• Information later than others
• Equality
• Equal opportunity
• Cost
• Retro fitting usually costs more
• Convenience

9
Universal Design

• Avoid retrofitting
• Reduce cost
• Use more than one way to convey information

10
Language

• Clear and straightforward
• Active voice
• Limit/define jargon and acronyms
• Full words
• 8th grade reading level
• Ensure all information available in text

11
Layout

• Clear, simple and consistent
• Align using margins and indents, not spaces and
  tabs
• Use headers for tables
• Sans serif type faces i.e. Helvetica, Ariel
• Text with 12 pt minimum, Headings larger
• Large print 14 pt minimum
• Sufficient contrast, avoid patterned backgrounds

12
Image cues

• Image cues helpful for those with cognitive
  issues
• Use alt text

13
Alt Text

• Words representing an image
• Not just for Web
• Not all text is text

• Brief
• Clear
• Contextual
• Ful wds

14
Descriptive Hyperlinks

• Click here
• Download here
• Available online
• Select

• DHS Disability Services Training News and
  Information Web page

15
Hierarchy

• Very Important
• Less Important
• Much less important

• Very Important
• Less Important
• Much less important

• Very Important
• Less Important
• Much less important

• Very Important
• Less Important
• Much less important

16
Microsoft Products

• Use styles

17
Microsoft Products

• Use styles

18
Microsoft Products

• Use tabs and indents

19
Microsoft Products

• Use tabs and indents

20
Microsoft Products

• Use column feature

21
Microsoft Products

• Use table feature

22
No Structural Markup

• Visual
• Microsoft Word Styles
• Using styles, also called structural markup,
  dramatically improves the document accessibility.
• Typical default styles include
• Heading 1
• Heading 2
• Heading 3
• Normal
• List Bullet
• Style Numbered

• Screen Reader
• Microsoft Word Styles Using styles, also called
  structural markup, dramatically improves the
  document accessibility. Typical default styles
  include Heading 1 Heading 2 Heading 3 Normal
  List Bullet Style Numbered

23
Structural Markup

• Visual
• Microsoft Word Styles
• Using styles, also called structural markup,
  dramatically improves the document accessibility.
• Typical default styles include
• Heading 1
• Heading 2
• Heading 3
• Normal
• List Bullet
• Style Numbered

• Screen Reader
• Heading Level One Microsoft Word Styles
• Heading Level Normal Using styles, also called
  structural markup, dramatically improves the
  document accessibility.
• Heading Level Two Typical default styles
  include
• Bulleted List
• Item one Heading 1
• Item two Heading 2
• Item three Heading 3
• Item four Normal
• Item five List Bullet
• Item six Style Numbered

24
Save as

• Style settings are kept when documents are saved
  as PDF or other formats
• Vital to accessibility

25
Unstructured PDF

• Blank text

26
Structured PDF

• Pure text
• No structure
• Several blanks

27
Tagged PDF

• Identifies order
• Identifies structure
• Identifies and labels images
• Labels tables and charts
• Most accessible

28
Check Accessibility
29
PowerPoint

• Complete properties
• Check and correct the object order
• Add captions/transcripts to audio/video
• Add screen tips to links
• Follow Word tips
• define abbrev acros
• alternative text
• clean, consistent layout
• descriptive hyperlinks
• color tips

30
PowerPoint

• Post PPT PowerPoint file
• AND
• Post Outline/RTF rich text file

31
Excel

• Complete properties
• Name Worksheets
• Label columns and rows
• Avoid blank rows and columns
• Use named regions to create descriptive text
• Include axis information on charts/graphs
• Follow Word tips
• alternative text
• consistent layout
• descriptive hyperlinks
• color tips

32
Excel

• Post XLS - Excel file
• AND
• Post CSV common separated value file
• Clearly indicate CSV is a raw data set
• Include separate data definition document

33
Audio

• Text
• Volume control
• Uh oh

34
Video

• Open captions
• Soundtrack must describe
• Avoid flickering, blinking, unnecessary animation
• Uh oh

35
Meeting Preparation

• Distribute materials electronically
• In Advance
• Schedule interpreters/hold seats/arrange breaks
• Test assisted listening devices microphones
• Use captioned video/scripted audio
• Make sure room accessible

36
Meeting

• Presenters read materials on screen
• Use microphones for presenter questions
• Give breaks
• Announce
• Listening devices
• Large print handouts
• Food and other unseen things

37
Welcoming Environment

• Ask!Is there anything we can do to make this
  situation more workable for you?
• Listen, follow through, make changes
• Dont assume codeaccessible
• Be an Ally

38
Ally Actions

• Advocate for
• Posted guidelines
• Accessible design in software training
• Expectations
• employees must create accessible documents

39
Resources

• Microsoft www.microsoft.com/enable/
• Adobe - www.adobe.com/accessibility/
• WebAIM Web Accessibility in Mind
  www.webaim.org/
• American Council of the Blind - Guide to Making
  Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or
  Visually Impaired - www.acb.org/accessible-formats
  .html
• Accessibility Color Wheel - http//gmazzocato.alte
  rvista.org/colorwheel/wheel.php
• Making Accessibility Real Guidelines for
  Meetings, Conferences and Gatherings -
  www.hcbs.org/moreInfo.php/doc/52
• Minnesota STAR program www.starprogram.state.mn.
  us/accessibility_usability.htm
• Creating Section 508 Compliant Excel Documents
  online training - www.dhhs.gov/web/508/Training/ex
  cel-training.ppt.ppt
• Guidelines for Accessible Distance Education,
  Georgia Tech Center for Assistive Technology and
  Environmental Access - http//www.catea.gatech.ed
  u/grade/guides/introduction.php