Transcript Creating Accessible Documents

Accessible Information
Viki Galt, Disability Information Officer
University of Edinburgh
Why bother to produce accessible
documents?
• Accessible documents are useable
documents
• Ethical considerations
• Legal requirement
• Time and cost?
Word Documents
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Font size – at least 12, best to be 14
Font type – sans serif, best is Arial
Avoid italics and underlining – use bold
Ensure good contrast/text colour
Ensure left alignment
Increase spacing to 1.5 between lines
Use plain English and avoid long
sentences
Word documents 2
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Do not use ambiguous statements
Avoid glossy paper
Don’t laminate documents
Use paper of at least 90gsm thickness
If folding, ensure lines do not cross text
Ensure all pages are numbered
Provide contents page for longer
documents
Email
• Plain text best rather than HTML or Rich
text (most compatible with assistive
technology)
• If using HTML or Rich text use font 14,
Ariel
• All attachments should also be accessible
• Avoid use of italics and underlining
• Give all abbreviations in full
• Give contact number, address and email
PDF Documents
• Keep a copy of the document in an
alternative format e.g. Word
• Keep text layout simple -avoid text boxes
• Use headings and use bookmarks
• Add text descriptions for graphics
• Use bullets to create lists not TAB key
PDF documents 2
• Acrobat professional can perform a full
accessibility check
• Text should follow guidelines already
covered for Word
• Ensure security settings on document do
not exclude those using assistive
technologies
PowerPoint
Presentations
• Limit information on each slide and use a sans serif
typeface (Ariel is best) of font size 28 or above.
• Avoid long sentences.
• Bullet points assist in making slides easier to follow.
• Handouts of slides should be available before the
lecture, where possible.
• Provision of handouts in alternative formats - Braille,
printed on coloured paper, or made available in an online
format, etc.
PowerPoint 2
• Printing handouts – print no more than 2 slides
per page
• Black writing/clear background = good contrast
• Avoid PowerPoint backgrounds which are overly
“fussy”
• Use plain English and avoid abbreviations
• Do not use colour only to make points
• Provide text descriptions for pictorial elements or
graphs
Signage
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Permanent or temporary?
Positioning – height, distance from reader
To Braille or not to Braille? – raised letters?
Font size, type and format as for word
Colour contrast clear
No abbreviations
Icons
Method of display/lamination
Websites
• WCAG (2.0) Guidelines
• New BS 8878 standard on website accessibility coming
soon
• Customisable by user? – font, colour
• No information conveyed by colour or sound alone
• Contact to get help and assistance, site map, navigation
• Compatible with assistive technology
• Works with scripts, frames and style sheets turned off
• Moving and flashing text
• Text alternative for images
• Keyboard navigation
Alternative Format
Tagline
• Add at end of documents “If you require
this document in an alternative format
please contact ….(give name, and 2
modes of contact)
• How do you provide this service?
• Cost, time?
• Not excuse for inaccessible documents
How does this work in Practice?
• Training
• Guidance documents – online, printed
• Liaison with Communications, Estates and
Buildings etc
• Editing branding guidelines
• Discussion with printing, design departments
• General document templates
• Looking and addressing individual documents
• Specialist group
• Individual good practice
Where to get more information
• JISC Tech Dis www.techdis.ac.uk or call
01904 717580
• Commission for Equality and Human
Rights - www.equalityhumanrights.com
• Royal National Institute for the Blind www.rnib.org.uk