Reflect on Accessible Content and Universal Design: An Introductory Immersion Session

Friday, May 6, 2022

10:30 AM – 11:50 AM CT

Location: 345

Primary Presenter/Session Organizer(s)

Jason Francis

Health Sciences Librarian
Stewart Library /Teaching and Information Services
Ogden, Utah

Slides Handouts

Presenter(s)

Diana Meiser

Engineering, Applied Science and Technology Librarian
Teaching and Information Services/Stewart Library
Ogden, Utah
SA

Shaun R. Adamson

Professor/Education Librarian
Stewart Library/Teaching & Information Services
Ogden, Utah
Nathan R. Boettcher

LMS Support Supervisor
Weber State University
Ogden, Utah
Oliver Snow

Executive Director of WSU Online
Weber State University
Ogden, Utah
Angela McLean

Session Format:
An interactive and collaborative instruction session on making online content accessible.

Session Objective/

Overview:
Have you ever wondered how to ensure that content you share with your users is accessible? Join the presenters in learning how to make Word and PDF documents fully accessible through the use of Adobe and Microsoft accessibility checks. This immersion session will provide newcomers to accessibility with practical experience using tools to make content accessible for their user groups.

Methods:
Participants will be shown the accessibility checks available in Adobe and Microsoft Word in order to understand the types of checks to perform and how to determine if provided source files or final documents are accessible.

Participants will work in teams to utilize the accessibility tools outlined to make sample PDFs accessible by performing outlined checks and making corrections under the direction of the presenters.

Participants will be provided with introductory information on Universal Design concepts related to document creation. Participants will create their own source files and submit them for presenter review to assess application of UD concepts in document creation.

Participant Engagement:
Participants will engage with the presenters in a team setting to create accessible documents from provided source materials and create their own documents for presenter assessment. Participants will utilize accessibility functionality in various programs, such as Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat and associated programs. Participants will need access to Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat or to sign up for a free 7 day trial for Adobe Acrobat to participate in some portions of the training.
Learning Objectives:
Participants will be able to list the accessibility requirements that make commonly used files (PDF, Word) accessible, and the pros and cons to working with source files vs. final documents.
Participants will be able to make provided PDFs accessible for users of assistive software e.g., using alt text, tagging content, controlling reading order.
Participants will be able to create an accessible PDF from MSWord using Universal Design principles.