When technology is inaccessible, disabled students are oppressed and excluded, have to do substantial emotional labor, have to come up with workarounds on the spot, and have little remaining energy and time to learn.
Assistive Technology (AT)
AT In brief
Technology specifically designed for and used by disabled people
AT Examples
Screen Readers: Turn visual information (text, buttons, links) on the screen into speech or digital Braille. Blind people, dyslexic people, and people with language-based learning disabilities use screen readers.
Switch: An alternative way to control and put information into technology. Switches are used by physically disabled people who have limited fine motor dexterity.
Alternative Text
Alt Text In brief
Text that describes an image. Screen readers read alt text (it is invisible to sighted folks).
Guidelines
- Context (what info is around the image)
- Audience
- Concise
- Objective
- General to specific
- Tone & language
Most common mistake… too much detail.
Alt Text Example 1
- Context: ReggieNet page
- Audience: college students
Alt Text Example 2
- Context: syllabus
- Audience: college students
Alt Text Example 3
- Context: syllabus
- Audience: college students
Alt Text Activity
Word Docs
Word Accessibility Considerations
- Headings
- Images
- Meaningful links
- Font & color
- Tables
Word Activity
Download the Haben Plain file and add all of the necessary accessibility “mark up.”
PowerPoints
PPT Accessibility Considerations
- Accessible themes
- Built in layouts
- Reading order
- Beware of “design ideas”
PPT Activity
Create a quick reference guide for yourself about accessibility in the form of an *accessible* slide deck. Download the PPT template to get started.
