Digital Documentation

As Accessible As Possible

Enda P Guinan & Claire McAvinia NUI Maynooth

Digital Documents

Practical Benefits

• Take advantage of the medium • Create large documents more efficiently • Re-use material easily • Helps ensure ease of access

Let Everyone Get Your Work

• Visually impaired users • •

Screenreaders can 'see' text in good docs Tags add navigability

• Restricted mobility users •

Text reflow on the page reduces need to move mouse

• People with dyslexia, dyspraxia etc • • •

Can use with assistive technology Can repurpose as audio/print Can choose own fonts, colour schemes, layout

Checklist

• • • • •

Will plain text do?

Match format with context Can users download, open and manipulate you material easily?

Not sure about fonts, colours? - Let your user decide Are images needed?

Plain text & HTML

• •

Can be read by almost anything.

• •

Alternative to/accompany PDF/PowerPoint?

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Retains useful tags for screenreaders etc.

Easily repurposed Moodle

In conclusion • • •

Minor changes = greater access

– People with disabilities – Distance/international students – Less competent users – Variety of devices, platforms

Good practice = more efficiency Simple text = most accessible & flexible

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More info @ digidocs.nuim.ie