Make Your Course Content Accessible using Microsoft Office and Windows. CTE WORKSHOP 2017 CTE WORKSHOP 2017
Learning Objectives
Why do we need accessible instructional materials? In the United States, surveys have shown that more than half of all computer users experience difficulties or impairments related to accessibility, and are likely to benefit from the use of accessible technology. Microsoft.
What is Accessibility? Accessibility ensures that programs and functionality are easily available to the widest range of users, including those who have disabilities and impairments.
Making a Computer Easier to See, Hear, and Use ACCESSIBILITY OPTIONS AVAILABLE IN WINDOWS 7 EASE OF ACCESS CENTER PROGRAM.
Ease of Access Center Windows 7 The Ease of Access Center has many tools to help you change your computer settings so the computer is easier to use. To access the Ease of Access Center 1. Click on the Start button on your keyboard. 2. Select Control Panel. 3. Click Ease of Access Center. Shortcut to Ease of Access Center is +U
Pin the Ease of Access Center Program to the Taskbar You can pin the Ease of Access Center program to the taskbar for easy access. 1. Open the Ease of Access program. 2. Right-click the icon located on the task bar. 3. Select Pin this program to taskbar.
Ease of Access Common Tools 1. Magnifier 2. Narrator 3. On-screen Keyboard 4. High Contrast
Make a Computer Easier to See
Change the Windows 7 Desktop Theme Windows 7 has several built-in desktop themes that control the way Windows looks and sounds. My Themes Themes that you create. Aero Themes Themes that are a combination of glass-like visual effects, widgets, and color schemes. Basic and High Contrast Themes High Contrast themes help people who have trouble seeing items on the screen.
Apply a High Contrast Theme To change the desktop theme to a high contrast theme: Right-click on an empty spot on the computer desktop. Select Personalize. Select a high contrast theme.
Magnify what is on the Screen. To access the Magnifier Select Start Magnifier in the Quick access to common tools section of the Ease of Access Center. Shortcut to Magnifier: Click the Start menu and type Magnifier in the search box. To exit Magnifier, press the Windows key +Esc.
There are 3 Magnifier Views Docked mode In docked mode, the magnified area is docked to the top of the screen. This is the only mode available if you are using a Basic or High Contrast theme. Full-screen mode In full-screen mode the entire screen is magnified. Lens mode In lens mode, a separate window around the mouse pointer is created that acts like a magnifying glass. When you move the mouse pointer, this window moves along with it.
Using the Magnifier To change Magnifier views: Click the Views button Select one of the three types. To change the level of magnification: Press the + button for zoom in or press the - for zoom out. To customize the Magnifier click the Options button.
Magnifier - Docked Mode Available in both Basic and Aero Themes. A portion of the screen is magnified.
Magnifier - Full-Screen Mode Full Screen mode magnifies your entire screen and follows your mouse as you move it around.
Magnifier Lens Mode Available only in Aero Themes : A separate window around the mouse pointer is created that acts like a magnifying glass.
Enlarge the Mouse Pointer This option will allow you to change the color and size of mouse pointers. Open the Ease of Access Center. Under Explore all Settings select Make the mouse easier to use. Choose a mouse pointer from options available. Click OK.
Make Everything Appear Larger Open the Ease of Access Center. Under Explore all Settings select Make the computer easier to see. 1. Under Make things on the screen larger, click Change size of text and icons. A new window will open. 2. Choose Smaller, Medium or Larger.
Zoom in or Zoom Out You can quickly zoom in to any part of your screen. To Zoom In: Hold down the Windows Key and +. To Zoom Out: Hold down Windows Key and. *If your mouse has a scroll wheel, hold down the Ctrl key and scroll the wheel to zoom in and out.
Make a PC Easier to Hear Use text or visual alternatives to sounds Increase the volume on speakers or use headphones to decrease background noise Use Windows Speech Recognition Change the sounds on the PC
Use Text or Visual Alternatives to Sound Open the Ease of Access Center Under Explore all settings, click Use text or visual alternatives for sounds. Select the options that you want to use: Turn on visual notifications for sounds. Turn on text captions for spoken dialog.
Increase the Volume or Use Headphones To increase the volume on your computer: Click on the Speakers button in the notification area of the taskbar. Move slider up or down to increase/decrease speaker volume. Windows 7 Click Mixer to separately control the volume of the speakers or other sound devices. Headphones will allow greater volume and audio clarity. It will also remove distracting background noise.
Creating Accessible Teaching Materials using Microsoft Office
Tips for Accessible Teaching Materials 1. Save all files with a descriptive filename and in the newest format. 2. Include Alt Text with all visuals and tables. 3. Add meaningful hyperlink text and screen tips. 4. Use sufficient contrast for text and background colors. 5. Use built-in headings and styles. 6. Use a simple table structure, and specify column header information. 7. Run the Accessibility Checker.
Best Practices MS Word 2013
Accessibility Features in Word 1. Use Read Mode to remove distractions. 2. Use built in Heading and Styles for structure. 3. Use accessible font and text color. 4. Add Alternative Text for images/clip art/charts/shapes/tables/objects. 5. Use meaningful description/text for hyperlinks. 6. Use Accessibility Checker.
Read Mode for a Clearer View. The new Read Mode in Word 2013 hides most of the buttons and tools to reduce distractions. While in Read Mode you can double-click a picture to get an enlarged view. Click outside image to return to read mode. To access read mode: Click on the View tab Select Read Mode under the Views Group. Shortcut: Press Alt + W the press F
Use Built-In Headings and Styles A heading structure in a Word document allows screen readers to navigate the document more easily. Example of document structure. Heading 1 Heading 2 Heading 2 Heading 3 Heading 3 Heading 3
Use Bulleted and Ordered Lists Create standard lists using the Bullets and Numbers tools on the Home Ribbon. You should avoid using non-unicode symbols for lists.
Use Accessible Font and Text Color Use fonts that are legible and not overly ornate. San Serif fonts such as Arial or Calibri work well. Choose a font that is at least 12 points. Pick a text color and background combination that offers high contrast. The Automatic setting for font colors works well. Do not use color as the only way to convey content.
No More Boring Documents! Text doesn t have to be boring. 1. Highlight the content you want to convert. 2. Go to Home tab and select the Text Effects button. 3. This will bring you to a drop down menu of preselected colored letters with options such as Shadow, Reflection, Glow and Outline.
Alternative Text (Alt Text) Alternative text helps people who use screen readers to understand the content of images/objects in your document. When you use a screen reader to view the document, or save it to a file format such as HTML or DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System), alternative text appears when you move the pointer over a picture/object. Tips: Alt text should describe the information not the picture. Active images require descriptive alt text. Images that contain information require descriptive alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt text.
When should Alt Text be Used? Use Alt text for any of the following: Pictures Clip Art Charts Tables Shapes (that don t contain text and are not in groups.) SmartArt graphics. Groups (all objects in this list, with the exception of shapes, should also have alt text when in groups.) Embedded objects. Video and audio files.
Access the Alt Text Feature To add or modify alternative text: Right-click (or, Shift +F10) on the image. Select Format Picture > Size & Properties. Choose the Alt Text option.
Add or Modify Alternative Text Enter the description of image or object into Description text box. Title box - Enter a brief summary only if you are entering a detailed or long explanation in the Description box. Description box This box should ALWAYS be filled in. Use clear, concise descriptions. Do not provide information that is in the surrounding text. Do NOT use descriptive phrases. Screen reading software identifies images, so do not use phrases such as "image of..." or "graphic of...".
Hyperlink Text Hyperlinks to websites should clearly convey where they will send the user and, ideally, what the user will find there. Avoid phrases like Click here, Here, More information, Read More, and Continue. Poor Example Click here for more information on the Accessibility workshop. Good Example: Accessibility Workshop details are available on College s Training & Development webpage.
Adding Hyperlink Text Highlight the word(s) where you want the hyperlink to be added. Right-click the word(s) then click on Hyperlink to open a dialog box. In the Text to Display box, type the name or phrase that briefly describes the link. In the Address box, type the URL. Click OK Example: View additional information on Equal Access Design of Instruction. The Link will display as follows: Equal Access Universal Design of Instruction
What about Printed Documents? URL s as link text should usually be avoided, unless the document is intended to be printed or if the URL is relevant content. The best solution for a printed document is to add the long URL as a footnote or endnote. http://www.easternflorida.edu/faculty-staff/training-anddevelopment/training-session.cfm?certcode=c018
Run an Accessibility Check for Word To start the Accessibility Checker program: Click on File tab > Info. Select the Check for Issues button. Select the Check Accessibility option. The checker presents accessibility errors, warnings, and tips on how to repair the errors.
Word Document Alternative File Version - PDF PDF files are good for sharing a large number of images, charts and data in one document. File > Save As Select PDF. Click on Options button to make sure that Document structure tags for accessibility is checked. If you select Minimize Size to reduce the size of your PDF, be sure to repeat the preceding step, as this option might uncheck the Document structure tags for accessibility checkbox.
DAISY - (Digital Accessible Information System) The Save as DAISY add-in for Word is an Open XML to DAISY translator that allows Word documents in Open XML format to be saved into DAISY XML. DAISY XML can then be converted into the DAISY Digital Talking Book (DTB) The Office 2013 add-in includes a Lite version of the DAISY Pipeline. You can download the Save as DAISY add-in from the Microsoft Office support site.
Convert MS Word Document to Accessible EPUB3 You can use a combination of MS Word, Save as DAISY add-in and Tobi to easily convert any content to the latest EPUB3 format. Use the following steps: 1. Create an accessible MS Word document. 2. Create a DAISY book or DTBook XML file. 3. Use TOBI to create EPUB3.
Create an Accessible PowerPoint Presentation
Slide Design Use Templates Choose a pre-defined slide template. Headings and associated text will be recognized appropriately and all headings will be collated within the Outline View. Choose a color scheme that provides enough contrast between the text and the background Design Tab > Themes
Suitable Font Type, Color & Size Use effective color contrast between background and text for readability. Use Sans Serif Fonts (e.g. Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, and Verdana.) Use a minimum size of 24 for text where possible.
PowerPoint Accessibility Tips Add Alt Text to all objects. When using bullet points and lists, make sure every point is ended with punctuation. Write no more on a slide than you would on a postcard. General Guideline is 6 lines with 6 words per line. Provide multiple formats of your PowerPoint presentation if needed. Original PPTX file. PDF version. And/or HTML version.
Check Reading Order of Slides Screen readers need to read every slide in a certain order. To verify the order of slide elements: 1. Click on an object. 2. Select Picture Tools Format tab. 3. In the Arrange group select the Selection Pane option. Windows: The bottom most item in the Arrange panel read first. Macintosh: Item #1 in the Rearrange panel is read last.
Use a Pre-defined Slide Layout Slide Layouts hold slide placeholder text and graphic boxes that are set to: Enable Screen Readers to read content. Ensure structured headings and lists. Ensure proper reading order
Selecting a Slide Layout 1. Go to the Home tab. 2. Select Layout from the Slides Group. 3. Choose the slide layout that matches the content you are adding. You can also right-click a slide thumbnail to select a new layout. Important: Each slide must have a unique title. Slide titles are used for navigation and selection by those who are not able to view the slides.
Convert to PDF for Online Viewing PowerPoint presentations should be converted to PDFs for online use. The files are smaller and don't require the user to have Microsoft Office or a special plug-in. When saving, be sure to save in the PDF file format and export. (Don't use the print option to turn your PowerPoint into a "PDF. Screen readers won't work with PDFs created that way.)
PowerPoint - Add or Modify Alternative Text To add or modify alternative text: Right-click (or, Shift +F10) on the image. Select Format Picture > Size & Properties. Choose the Alt Text option.
Avoid Slide transitions Busy slide backgrounds Chart filler patterns Over-crowding text Color schemes providing low contrast Charts without text descriptions
Accessible Videos and Audio in PowerPoint
Use Captions, Subtitles, and Alternative Audio Tracks in Videos Closed captions or subtitles must be encoded into videos before the videos are added to presentations. Transcripts are a nice addition to videos and a must for any audio files inserted into presentations. PowerPoint has a free add-in called STAMP. With Stamp you can add closed captions to video and audio files that are included in your presentation. Download the free Add-in from the Sourceforge website. This version works with PowerPoint 2016, 2013, and 2010.
PDF Accessibility
Adobe, Acrobat and PDF Adobe, Acrobat, and PDF are often used interchangeably but they are not the same. Adobe is a company and is the creator of Acrobat Acrobat is a tool for creating, editing and viewing PDF files. PDF (Portable Document Format) is a format or type of document.
Creating a PDF PDF files are not typically created in Acrobat. You can create a PDF from the following programs. Make sure your document is accessible before converting it to a PDF. Word PowerPoint Excel Publisher Do not print to PDF. This method does not preserve the document s accessibility features. You can also use OpenOffice.org Writer, or Adobe tools such as InDesign to create accessible tagged PDF files.
The Importance of Tagging PDFs PDF tags provide a hidden structured, textual representation of the PDF content that is presented to screen readers. They exist for accessibility purposes only and have no visible effect on the PDF file. Creating a Tagged PDF will make it easier for people with disabilities to interact with PDF documents and forms. Tagged PDFs allow various assistive technologies (AT) and mobile devices to interact with the content of a document and make sense of it. By tagging a PDF, you re identifying what each item is in the document. For example, you define what elements are headers, paragraphs, graphics, etc.
Saving a PDF Natively Open the document. Click the File tab, then click Save As. In the Save As dialog box, click the arrow in the Save as type list, and click PDF. Click Options. Make sure that the Document structure tags for accessibility check box is selected, and then click OK. Click Save.
Create Accessible PDF from existing PDF Open a PDF file in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. Click on the Tools tab. Click on the Action Wizard. Select Accessibility from the Actions Menu.
PDF - Run Full Check to find Issues From the Accessibility Tools Pane, select the Full Check option.
Let s Fix a PowerPoint Presentation
PowerPoint - Run the Accessibility Checker Open a PowerPoint Presentation. File > Info > Check for Issues. Run the Accessibility Checker.
Tutorial - Check Reading Order of Slides Screen readers need to read every slide in a certain order. To verify the order of slide elements: 1. Click on an object. 2. Select Picture Tools Format tab. 3. In the Arrange group select the Selection Pane option. Windows: The bottom most item in the Arrange panel read first. Macintosh: Item #1 in the Rearrange panel is read last.
Tutorial - Add or Modify Alternative Text To add or modify alternative text: Right-click (or, Shift +F10) on the image. Select Format Picture > Size & Properties. Choose the Alt Text option.