Accessible Information Technology Digital Accessibility Monthly Quick Tip

Global Accessibility Awareness Day May 16, 2024 

 

Online campus map accessibility options, turn-by-turn, report a barrier

 

• Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2024 Resource Webpage

With the arrival of spring, our thoughts may turn to spring cleaning to renew and refresh our living spaces and gardens. This season change can also be a helpful cue to review and improve the digital accessibility of our shared documents! 

PDF documents, in particular, may benefit from a digital accessibility makeover. A bonus is that accessible PDF documents are also searchable! The most important step to take for tackling PDF document accessibility is to make sure that documents have computer-readable text and are not image-only. Taking this step also means that you will be able to search within the document. Next, ensure good usability by providing the document with the needed structure of tags and headings. Last, if there are links and images in the document, make sure that the link text is descriptive and that the images have alternate text descriptions or are labeled or described in the document text. 

When creating PDF documents, it is helpful to start first with Microsoft Word. Microsoft Word documents have computer-readable text and Word has helpful options to create headings, add alternative text descriptions, and check accessibility. Then you can save the document as a Google Doc or PDF and it will retain the accessibility features. 

It is also helpful to consider if a PDF document is the best choice for the information you want to share. For example, if you are sharing information via a webpage, as much as possible, provide the information through web content and avoid the use of PDFs. Web content is typically going to be the most accessible choice. Another good option is a Word document, since it can be quicker and easier to create an accessible Word document. If you have a visually-based PDF document, you can also share a text-based Word or Google Doc version to provide options. 

Use the following links to resources to learn more about document accessibility, including how to ensure you have computer-readable text when creating searchable and accessible PDFs.

• Learn more about creating accessible documents - Accessible Documents Checklist
• Learn more about creating accessible and searchable PDF documents
• Improve Accessibility with the Microsoft Office Suite Accessibility Checker (external link to the Microsoft Support website)
• Create and Verify PDF Accessibility, Acrobat Pro (external link to the Adobe Acrobat Pro Support website)

With many holiday films, music, and performances available virtually this month and the next, consider that recent surveys indicate that fifty percent of Americans now watch content with subtitles most of the time, and even more do so for streaming video. While many people prefer the option of using captions and subtitles, for those with hearing and auditory processing-related disabilities, captions and subtitles are a necessity. A lack of captions and subtitles is a barrier to enjoying audio and video content. 

Use the links that follow to explore resources related to captioning, including our campus audio and video streaming platform, Kaltura, which can be used with Moodle and to learn more about captioning for accessibility. Also, check out our video interview with Professor Jeffers Engelhardt and student Alexia Lapadat, with a discussion about the course Listening, Hearing, and the Human, which includes learning about captioning. Plus, check out a video essay by the artist Christine Sun Kim calling for a richer and more creative approach to captioning. 

 

• Learn more about Kaltura and captioning
• Check out a video interview about the course Listening, Hearing, and the Human
• Learn more about captions and accessibility
• Check out a video from the artist Christine Sun Kim about the importance of captions

This month’s Digital Accessibility Quick Tip is to be thoughtful about color selections for documents, web content, presentations, graphics, and data representation.   

One important practice to be aware of for accessibility is not to use color as the sole way to convey meaning. Instead, combine the use of color with text, labels, or symbols. For example, in a bar chart or pie chart graph, use both color and texture to distinguish among data types. The texture can consist of different types of stripes, cross-hatching, and dots. In a document or web content, instead of colors or in combination with colors, use words (emphasis) or *surround text with asterisks* to draw attention.  

For documents, posters, and presentations, it is important to make sure the font size you use is large enough (12 pt is a good minimum size) and that with the choice of font, the contrast ratio between the text and the background color is sufficient to make the text easily readable. The smaller the font, the higher the contrast ratio needed for legibility. As possible, limit the use of background images behind text, as this can make it difficult to read. A good option when using a background image is to have the text on a solid color background (with high contrast) that then goes on top of a pattern or image.

It is helpful to use a tool to check contrast ratios and approximate how different color values may be perceived for different types of color vision. One such tool that is very effective is the Colour Contrast Analyzer, and a link to that follows. 

People have a variety of types of color vision. Some types of color vision have different sensitivity to colors in the red and green spectrum. Now, glasses and other types of filters are available that can simulate larger spectrum color vision, providing increased differentiation between the red and green color spectrums. The Amherst College Library is offering one type of these glasses, the EnChroma glasses, for checkout. These can be helpful if doing research involving color images, artwork, use of dyes for microscopy, and general exploration.

Following are shared links to resources to learn more about the Library’s new Enchroma glasses for checkout, contrast, color selection for various types of color vision, and a helpful tool to check contrast ratios and color distinguishability for various color vision types. 

• Learn more about EnChroma Glasses
• Get the free Colour Contrast Analyzer tool for Mac or Windows
• Learn more about contrast and color
• Learn more about color choice for various types of color vision

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Just in time for Halloween & the end of the month,  IT ATS is sharing a first monthly Digital Accessibility Quick Tip. 

This Quick Tip is to use descriptive link text. What does it mean to use descriptive link text, and why does it matter for digital accessibility? Using descriptive link text means avoiding “click here” links or vague link names or using long URLs or website addresses as link text. Screen-reader assistive technology users often use a keyboard shortcut to list all the links on a page. In such a list, the links have no surrounding text, so it’s important to make your link names descriptive while also being clear and concise. For example, instead of “Click here to learn about Amherst’s president’,” say “Learn about  Amherst’s president.” 

Surprises can be scary! Use descriptive link text for better usability by letting folks know where they are going on the Web. Also, descriptive link text is important as an inclusive practice for digital accessibility, especially for screen reader users. 

• Learn more about National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM):
• Learn more about descriptive link text and digital accessibility