[Athen] creating accessible documents - what do you do differently for each disability type?

[Krista Greear]

Hello Wise Ones,

I am trying to figure out the top things that a student needs in accessible documents, based on disability. Different elements of accessible documents are more important/impactful for certain disabilities. I have brainstormed a rough list for the following 4 types of disabilities:

Students with low vision

  1.  Text in electronic version
  2.  Good quality document, free from handwriting, highlighting, crooked pages, coffee stains, poor contrast, etc
  3.  Text can be used with magnification software. Magnification software ideally includes:
     *   Control over the colors of the background, foreground, and highlighting
     *   Control over the text size
     *   Control over the text font
     *   Control over the spacing between words and between sentences
     *   May have text-to-speech functionality like ZoomText

Students with mobility limitations

  1.  Text in electronic version
  2.  Good quality document, free from handwriting, highlighting, crooked pages, coffee stains, poor contrast, etc
  3.  Text can be used with speech-to-text software

Students with learning disabilities / traumatic brain injuries / ADD/ADHD

  1.  Text in format that can used with text-to-speech software. Text-to-speech software ideally includes:
     *   Control over the voice
     *   Control over the speed
     *   Highlighting text as content is read
     *   Control over the colors of the background, foreground, and highlighting
     *   Control over the text size
     *   Control over the text font
     *   Control over the spacing between words and between sentences
     *   Be able to highlight words in text, and have those highlights saved
     *   Be able to add in own notes, and have those notes saved
     *   Ability to make notecards from text
     *   Ability to export .mp3
  2.  Be able to see the "outline" of the chapter of the book, through the headings/main topics within that chapter
  3.  Main text is not interrupted by page numbers, or running headers (like book or chapter titles that are often at the top of the page)
  4.  Flow of text is easy to understand auditorily. If the main text is interrupted with supplemental text, that is clear to the listener.

Students who are blind

  1.  Text in format that can be used with screen reader
     *   Navigable (headings, ARIA landmarks)
     *   Text can be read aloud by screen reader
     *   Images have alt text
     *   Tables are marked with header rows
     *   Tables are data-based and not for layout
     *   Tables are not nested or extremely complex to navigate
     *   STEM content readable
  2.  Text in format that can be used with a refreshable braille display
     *   Navigable (headings, ARIA landmarks)
     *   Images have alt text
     *   Tables are marked with header rows
     *   Tables are data-based and not for layout
     *   Tables are not nested or extremely complex to navigate

Another way to think of it is "what kind of document do you produce for a student with low vision vs mobility limitation vs learning disabilities/TBI/ADHD vs blind students"? What is missing from the above list? And how would you rank these items in order of importance?

Krista

KRISTA GREEAR
Assistant Director
Disability Resources for Students

011 Mary Gates Hall
Box 352808
Seattle, WA 98195-2808
Direct: 206.221.4136 / Main: 206.543.8924
greeark at uw.edu<mailto:greeark at uw.edu>/ http://disability.uw.edu<http://disability.uw.edu/>
[cid:image001.gif at 01D33387.742D8C60]
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20180216/a68ec125/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.gif
Type: image/gif
Size: 1303 bytes
Desc: image001.gif
URL: <http://mailman12.u.washington.edu/pipermail/athen-list/attachments/20180216/a68ec125/attachment.gif>