VIDEO TRANSCRIPT OF ACCESSIBLE HYPERLINKS

As you create content, you may decide that you want to link to a
 web site. You can do this by creating a hyperlink. In this 
video, we'll talk about descriptive  hyperlinks and how to 
create them.

Let's start by talking about why descriptive hyperlinks are so 
useful. Imagine visiting a web page or a document like this 
student resource and viewing all of the hyperlinks as a simple 
list. Though presented differently from what you might be used 
to, you might agree that viewing all of the links as a list 
would make it easy to skim and find the one you need without 
having to read the entire page's content.

That's often how students with sight disabilities find the link 
that they need.

However, if we look closely at each of the hyperlinks from the 
student resource, most of the names aren't very useful. For 
example, if I wanted to view the volunteer calender, I wouldn't 
be sure of which link I should select. Vague hyperlinks like 
these make it difficult to determine which one is the desired 
link.

What if the list looked more like this? Is it a little easier to 
determine where each link will take us? I can also expect a new 
browser window to open when I click these hyperlinks. Generally, 
descriptive hyperlinks make sense out of context and express 
three pieces of information, where the link is going, the 
purpose of the link, and what, if anything, happens when the 
link is clicked.

If there's a good chance that the content will be printed, then 
it's a good idea to provide the link's address near the 
hyperlink.  If the hyperlink is to a downloadable file, then 
indicate the type of file in the text, such as this hyperlink to 
a downloadable PowerPoint presentation. 

To create a hyperlink, first I'll copy the web page's address. 
In my document, I've already typed descriptive hyperlink text 
that identifies where the link is going and why it has been 
provided. I've also let my readers know to expect the link to 
open in a new window. 

So next, I'll highlight the link name, right click, and select 
hyperlink. In the address field, I'll paste the web page's 
address and click OK. There we go, the hyperlink's been created. 
My readers may decide to print this document, so I'll also 
provide the link's address. Before leaving the document, it's a 
good idea to test the hyperlink to make sure that it works. 

Descriptive hyperlinks are accessible and are a great tool for 
sharing web sites and resources with your students. They will 
help ensure that all of your students will be able to quickly 
find the link that they need.