Digital Accessibility FunDAI FAQ

Fundamentals of Digital Accessibility for Instructors (FunDAI) Workshop FAQ

This workshop FAQ contains information and handouts on frequently requested digital accessibility topics. Visit Digital Accessibility Checklists for additional FunDAI resources.

Accessible Tables

Tips for creating accessible tables in Microsoft Word:

• Assign a header row (usually the table's top row)
• Create a title (using Word's "Caption" feature)
• Check reading order (using the Tab test)

Video Transcript of Creating Accessible Tables (text file)

To learn more, here's a handout on creating accessible tables in Word (DOC)

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Adding an Additional Placeholder to a Slide Layout Template

In Module 2, you learned that in order to create accessible slide structure, it is important that you utilize PowerPoint's slide layout templates that contain placeholders for content. If you need an additional content placeholder, you can add more in Slide Master View.

Handout on how to add a content placeholder in Slide Master View (DOC).

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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PDF Accessibility

How can I tell if my PDF is accessible?

The best way to determine whether or not the PDF is accessible is to use Adobe Acrobat Pro's Accessibility Checker; however, Adobe Acrobat Pro is rather expensive, and so here are two free steps that will help you check for basic PDF accessibility:

1. Can you highlight individual lines of content in the PDF?

   If not, then the PDF is akin to an inaccessible image, and assistive technology will be unable to access it. Unfortunately, without Adobe Acrobat Pro, you will be unable to "fix" an inaccessible PDF to make it more accessible. However, if you can highlight content in the PDF, it is more likely that assistive technology will be able to access the content.

   

2. Is the content structured? Do the images have alt text?

   You can use the PDF Accessibility Checker, a free tool from Access for All, to scan a PDF to determine how many accessibility errors it has. A useful feature of the PAC is that it allows you to perceive the PDF from the perspective of a screen reader user. This provides you with an opportunity to confirm the document's structure (i.e., are headings present?) and whether or not other accessibility measures have been taken, such as giving images alternative text. Please see the PAC User Instructions for basic information on how to use this tool.

How to create a PDF from a Word document

After you create an accessible Word document, you can save it as a PDF. Handout on creating a PDF from a Word document (DOC)

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Creating Captions and Transcript in YouTube

In Module 4, you learned about the importance of providing captions and a transcript for your videos. There are a number of ways to approach the process of captioning videos; however, we'll focus on two common scenarios; captioning a video that has a script and captioning a video that does NOT have a script.

Scripted Videos

When you create a video, we suggest that you write a script before recording it. The practice of scripting is useful for a number of reasons. It helps you plan the presentation of your content, it usually reduces speech fillers (such as "um"/"ah"), and it helps you stay on track while recording. In terms of video accessibility, a script is also very useful because it drastically speeds up the captioning process. In YouTube, you can upload the script, allowing YouTube to sync the text with the video. To learn more about this process, visit YouTube's instructions on how to add your own captions.

One final benefit of scripting a video is the script can double as the video's transcript. Play the video while reading the transcript to ensure all of the audio information is transcribed accurately (verbatim), important visual components are included, and then upload the transcript to Sakai. Remember to post the transcript near its corresponding video!

Unscripted Videos

If you do not have a script for your video, YouTube can automatically caption the video; however, the captions produced by this feature should be considered only a draft. YouTube's automatic captioning does not provide punctuation nor captialization for the first word of sentences, and it may fail to capitalize some proper nouns. It may also omit or erroneously transcribe important terminology and phrasing. For these reasons, it's important to take the time to correct the automatic captions for your videos. To learn more about this process, visit YouTube's instructions on how to edit captions.

Once you've corrected your video's captions, you can extract the transcript.

Extracting the Transcript for a YouTube Video

YouTube makes it easy to extract a video's transcript. Because you can extract the transcript from both your videos and others' videos, it'll be important to make sure the transcript is accurate (verbatim)--especially after extracting it from others' videos. Please follow the instructions in this handout to learn more about extracting the transcript for a YouTube video (DOC).

Handout on how to add a content placeholder in Slide Master View (DOC).

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Providing Audio Description in Videos

Handout on how to add a content placeholder in Slide Master View (DOC).

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Understanding Basic Keyboard Accessibility

Handout on how to add a content placeholder in Slide Master View (DOC).

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Accessible Tables

Handout on how to add a content placeholder in Slide Master View (DOC).

• Accessible PowerPoint Presentations Session Handout (PDF)

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Digital Accessibility Checklist

• Digital Accessibility Checklist (Word doc)

Understanding Accommodation and Accessibility

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• What are the differences between accommodation and digital accessibility?
• How do accommodations and digital accessibility contribute to student success?

Video Transcript of Accessibility and Accommodation (text file)

Accessible Color and Contrast

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• What options for accessible color contrast are available?
• How is it possible to emphasize or convey information with color to those who are color-blind?

Video Transcript of Making Accessible Color Choices (text file)

Printable handout and resources:

• Accessible Color, Contrast, and Text Checklist with Explanations (Word doc)
• Color Contrast Analyzer from the Paciello Group

Creating Structure for Easier Navigation

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• How does structure make your content easier for students to navigate?
• How do you structure content with heading styles and lists?

Video Transcript of Understanding Content Structure (text file)

Video Transcript of Structuring an Accessible PowerPoint Presentation (text file)

Printable handout:

• Accessible Structure Checklist with Explanations (Word doc)

Making Images Accessible

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• What is alternative text?
• How do you compose useful text representations of images?

Video Transcript of Understanding Alt Text (text file)

Printable handout and resources:

• Accessible Images Checklist with Explanations (Word doc)
• Demystifying Alt Text: Painting a Picture with Words - 2017 NC3ADL Conference (YouTube video) | Video Transcript of Demystifying Alt Text (text file)

Accessible Multimedia

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• What are captions and transcripts?
• How do captions and transcripts ensure your video and/or audio content is available to all of your students?

Video Transcript of Using Transcripts and Captions in Videos (text file)

Printable handout and resources:

• Accessible Hyperlinks and Multimedia Checklist with Explanations (Word doc)
• Using Descriptive Language in Videos (YouTube video) | Video Transcript of Using Descriptive Language in videos (Word file)