{"id":8248,"date":"2020-03-10T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-10T09:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=8248"},"modified":"2020-03-09T11:27:15","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T11:27:15","slug":"accessibility-tips-check-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/03\/10\/accessibility-tips-check-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessibility tips: Check accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"684\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-1024x684.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8249\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-1024x684.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-300x201.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-768x513.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-100x67.png 100w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-150x100.png 150w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-200x134.png 200w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-450x301.png 450w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-600x401.png 600w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117-900x602.png 900w, https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/files\/2020\/02\/2020-02-28_1117.png 1185w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the latest of our \u2018Accessibility Tips\u2019 blog posts I will be looking at some quick and easy ways that you can check that the digital materials you produce&nbsp;meet the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/guidance\/accessibility-requirements-for-public-sector-websites-and-apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">legislation requirements<\/a>\u202fand provide an improved learning environment for all. You can read more about digital accessibility in the&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/accessibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Digital Accessibility toolkit<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Use the Accessibility Checklist&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many tools have built-in accessibility checkers, but these will work best if you have already used accessible design features in your documents. This&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/documents\/designing-for-diverse-learners-uos-104.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">Accessibility Checklist<\/a>&nbsp;(which you could even print out and pin up near your desk) will help you create materials that are accessible.&nbsp;Our <a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/?p=8243\">blog post on inclusive design <\/a>also has some great tips on this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think of any accessibility checkers in the tools you use as like spell-checkers; you still try to spell everything correctly as you write, but they are great to use at the end of the process. Like spell-checkers, accessibility checking tools will not necessarily identify every issue.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Check content in Canvas&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When you are creating content in Canvas you can use the integrated accessibility checker which is available wherever the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/docs\/DOC-10728-67952720342\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rich Content Editor (RCE)<\/a>&nbsp;is used. That includes Announcements, Assignments and Discussions as well as Pages. The tool checks tables, headings, alt-text for images and text contrast and offers suggestions to fix issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the Canvas Accessibility Checker see:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2018\/11\/20\/canvas-know-how-accessibility-checker\/\" target=\"_blank\">Canvas Know-How: Using the Accessibility Checker<\/a>&nbsp;on our blog.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/community.canvaslms.com\/docs\/DOC-13345-4152808104\" target=\"_blank\">How do I use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor as an instructor?<\/a>&nbsp; by Canvas&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Check Microsoft Office documents&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you are using Word documents or PowerPoint&nbsp;presentations&nbsp;there is a Microsoft Accessibility Checker that makes it possible for you to check the accessibility of your documents directly from within the&nbsp;programme&nbsp;by selecting&nbsp;<strong>File &gt; Check for issues &gt; Check accessibility<\/strong>. This is useful for pre-existing documents, but if you are creating new documents, following guidance to make them accessible as you create them will help you to&nbsp;minimise&nbsp;the work involved in checking and fixing issues.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about making Word documents and PowerPoint presentations&nbsp;accessible&nbsp;see:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/support.office.com\/en-gb\/article\/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d\" target=\"_blank\">Make your Word documents accessible<\/a>&nbsp;by Microsoft.<\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2018\/06\/05\/5-top-tips-for-creating-inclusive-presentations\" target=\"_blank\">5 Top Tips for creating inclusive presentations<\/a>&nbsp;on our blog.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>Check PDFs&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>PDF (Portable Document Format) has been used extensively for displaying documents online because they can be viewed and look the same across a range of devices. However, now that more material is being viewed on mobile devices and we are thinking more about accessibility, PDFs are posing challenges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Staff at the University of Sussex have access to&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sussex.ac.uk\/its\/services\/software\/list?filter=pc&amp;id=471\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Adobe Acrobat Pro DC<\/a>&nbsp;which allows you to check the accessibility of existing PDFs:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Select&nbsp;<strong>Tools&nbsp;&gt;&nbsp;Accessibility<\/strong>&nbsp;to open the Accessibility Checker.&nbsp;<\/li><li>Run&nbsp;<strong>Full Check<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li><li>Select&nbsp;<strong>Start Checking<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When creating new documents, however, it would be worth considering whether PDF is the best format to use and if you decide to use PDF take care to make it as accessible as possible.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can learn more about this in:&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/helpx.adobe.com\/uk\/acrobat\/using\/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html\" target=\"_blank\">Create and verify PDF accessibility<\/a>&nbsp;from Adobe. <\/li><li><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2019\/12\/03\/problem-document-format-pdfs-and-accessibility\/\" target=\"_blank\">Problem Document Format: PDFs and Accessibility<\/a>&nbsp;on our blog.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>More help and guidance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The TEL team are always happy to advise and support staff in making teaching materials more accessible, so please contact us at&nbsp;<a href=\"mailto:tel@sussex.ac.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">tel@sussex.ac.uk<\/a>&nbsp;if you want to discuss what is best for you and your students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the latest of our \u2018Accessibility Tips\u2019 blog posts I will be looking at some quick and easy ways that you can check that the digital materials you produce&nbsp;meet the\u202flegislation requirements\u202fand provide an improved learning environment for all. You can<span class=\"ellipsis\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/2020\/03\/10\/accessibility-tips-check-accessibility\/\">Read more &#8250;<\/a><\/div>\n<p><!-- end of .read-more --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":94,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[36],"tags":[36,157044],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8248"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/94"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8248"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8248\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8252,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8248\/revisions\/8252"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8248"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8248"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sussex.ac.uk\/tel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8248"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}