• I to DIsta_ IIIIIly Hieli tUcJi Center rrrainino Vnit 21050 McClellan Rd. Cupertino, CA 95014 www.htctu.net •
HTCTO
Foothill - De Anza Community College District • California Community Colleges Creating Accessible Online Courses • Creating Accessible Online Classes
High Tech Center Training Unit of the California Community Colleges at the Foothill-De Anza Community College District
21050 McClellan Road Cupertino, CA 95014 (408) 996-4636
http://www.htctu.net •
• 1 •
• Copyright 2009 HTCTU http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd-nc/l.O/
• Creating Accessible Online Courses Contents
Creating Accessible Online Classes 1 Background & Overview 5 • Introduction to Assistive Technology 13 Introduction to Alternate Media 17 Campus Accessibility Resources 21 Legal Issues 22 Usable Web Accessibility 26 Production Plans and Workflows for Success 27 Course Production Plan ExaIllples 29 Basic Accessibility Skills & Formatting .3 7 Accessibility Principles for Electronic Documents .44 Creating an Accessible Document in Word ··.·.48 Accessible PDF 52 Accessible PowerPoint. 58 Adobe DreamWeaver 61 WYSIWYG HTML Editors 64 Captioning & Multimedia Accessibility 67 Basic Formatting Concerns for Captions 68 Laws on Video and Captioning 71 The Distance Education Captioning and Transcription (DECT) GranL 73 Captioning Essentials ····· ·· ·.. ·76 Using Any Video Converter 77 Express Scribe 78 • YouTube: easy Do-it-Yourself Captioning 79 Optimizing Content for Online Delivery 81 CMS and LMS Access Issues 81 Live Delivery ofWeb-Based Learning (CCCConfer) 89
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• 4 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Introduction to Creating Accessible Online Classes
• Background & Overview
Introduction to Digital Media
Electronic or digital media includes a wide range oftechnologies and content. When properly designed these media can encourage interest and participation by students in otherwise dry or uninspiring subjects. Naturally, this is recognized as a great tool in designing and delivering Web based instruction.
One ofthe powerful aspects ofelectronic media is the potential to increase the complexity and density ofinformation in learning materials while simultaneously offering the end-user control over how they receive or experience the information. To properly utilize this power requires understanding and following the best practices for proper design.
When an individual has a disability that prevents them from utilizing a particular sense or ability, often an Assistive Technology(AT) will be used to provide this or similar functionality. In the context ofdigital media, AT is used to translate information from one medium to another in order to provide a means for individuals to navigate and interact with the content.
Some information is obviously going to be difficult ifnot impossible for people with certain disabilities to access without AT. This is where AT comes in and creates an alternative format ofthe information that can be accessed via a different sensory • system. For individuals who are blind or who have low vision, visually-oriented information can be converted into audio and/or tactile information. For individuals who are deaf or hard ofhearing, verbal information can be delivered as text, charts, tables, and illustrations.
Human ability and disability exist on a continuum, just as the range of digital media and technology provide a continuum of options and considerations for representing information. The facts, principles, concepts, and procedures ofmost disciplines should be able to transcend different digital media limitations. Typically, by following the prescribed standards and best practices for any given technology you can produce the most usable and functional content possible. Often, this is enough to provide access to students using AT.
AT and Digital Media
Basic Digital Media Categories • Text
• • Images • Audio
5 Creating Accessible Online Courses
• Video
• Complex
These classifications ofmedia effectively cover the majority ofoptions for delivering Web-based instructional content. Each media type has certain advantages • and considerations in regards to accessibility, but with a little understanding they can all be used to deliver digital content in an accessible way.
With any digital media, it is always important to understand the playback context the student will open the content in.
Following is a table ofbasic access strategies for these media types.
Media Access Strategy Type
Generally accessible to most assistive technologies such as Text screen readers and electronic reading systems.
Provide a textual equivalent that can be rendered into an Images accessible format via assistive technology for non·sighted viewers.
Provide a text transcript ofthe audio information that can be Audio rendered into an accessible format via Assistive Technology for non-sighted viewers. •
Captioning should be put in place (open or closed) in order Video to provide an equivalent experience for individuals who are unable to hear the audio content.
Complex media containing other media types (text, images, audio, and video) must begin with the best practices for accessibility in each ofthe included media types. In addition, appropriate markup ofheadings and other content must be Complex applied to the different media constructs throughout the media file. By applying appropriate markup and definition to content, assistive technologies can better process and interact with the material.
We'll be discussing these media types in more detail throughout the following sections.
Text As the most common form of digital information, digital text has many advantages • 6 Creating Accessible Online Courses
in the number ofAT applications that can access it. Text is often thought ofas the base-level digital format for providing access to information, as most AT can • process digital text. However, there is more to providing access than simply allowing information to be represented in alternate formats. Access to information in general, and to education specifically, is increased when effective organizational structures are provided. By organizing the content into sections defined by headers we are allowing a means for the end user to efficiently navigate and interact with the material. In providing this structure we also increase the overall usability ofthe information for all students, regardless of disability.
Digital text comes in a variety offormats, and it is common to denote the type of file format with a three or four letter extension following a period, indicated here in parenthesis after each file type.
There is a range of accessibility and usability potential among the digital text flavors, running from simple to powerful. Starting with Plain Text (.txt), which is quite literally, plain text with no formatting, moving to Rich Text Format (.rtf) documents, spanning proprietary document formats like Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) and InDesign (jndd), etc., and ending up with the ever common HTML (.htm or .html) and PDF (.pdf).
Digital Text Formats in Order ofPotential Usability:
1. HTML • 2. RTF 3. TXT
Digital Text Formats in Order of Intrinsic Accessibility: 1. TXT 2. RTF
3. HTML Technical accessibility really refers to the ability of assistive technology to process the information. Usability is the degree to which an individual can understand and make use ofyour content. In order to maximize the effectiveness ofyour digital text, it is important to emphasize the USABILITY ofyour content, not just the technical accessibility.
Proprietary Issues There are many digital file formats that use digital text, but not all file formats will open interchangeably without owning the proper application. Because ofthis, a key consideration is to use a non-proprietary file format or ensure that the necessary • technology to open the file is also available to the student. 7 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Ofall the digital text formats, properly formatted HTML provides a high level of access and usability while being freely distributable and easily viewed by many freely available applications. Images • Images have a unique power to instill emotions and affect attitudes in ways that textual information can not. Images also take advantage ofour visual ability to decode complex and sophisticated information, allowing us to quickly and automatically make sense ofit while organizing it under different categories. It is easy to see how digital images can be a tremendous asset in designing and delivering Web-based instruction.
Sometimes a powerful instructional image is conveying complex information that is most effectively represented as graphic information, and sometimes it is just a pretty picture. Either case may be appropriate or even vital to your course content, but in the case of images that contain information significant to the instruction, you will need to provide a textual description ofthe content.
Containing the Image Whatever the ultimate purpose and instructional value ofan image may be, most of the time images will be contained in some sort ofdocument file. Depending on the document format, you may be able to associate a text description of the information directly into the image. Sometimes you will need to place the textual description in • the document either before or after the image, or as an image caption.
Relationship Between Digital Images and Documents
Images aod Alternate: Text rJaq\lire adocument to ilet jlS a~contaiMr"l(l order to provide an association between the two elements.
Headline ofgreat importl
~~ ~ ~ ~. ~ TEXT TEXT ~ .. ~ ~ ~ ~ lf11.ag~ .. Image
~ Maflifl ~ ~ 'gIns skirt Man in [!] TEXT : lm,~~ ~ Alternate Text grass sldrt ~ .. ~ AlternateText DigitaJ Do(umenT Combined Unit • 8 Creating Accessible Online Courses
In the above image, the alternate text given is "relationship between alt text and image within a document". This description effectively conveys the message contained in the image. Note that the complex details are not mentioned, as the concepts they are explaining have already been presented in the preceeding text. • The relationship between digital images and the documents they are contained in is important to understand. Most digital image files do not allow you to embed textual information inside the image file. Typically, when you place the digital image into an electronic document, the electronic document will provide some means of associating a textual description with the image. However, ifyou use that image in another document or different document format, you will likely have to re-associate a textual description with the image in the new document format. This is because the textual information is only associated within the context of the bigger digital document. The individual digital image file remains a separate entity from the associated text. For example, in a Web page, the "alt" tag is used to describe the content of an image, but the "alt" tag is part ofthe Web page, not part ofthe image.
A Picture is Worth... As part ofthe range ofcontent that can be contained in an image, you will find digital images oftextual information, but this is not the same as digital text. A quick and easy way to check ifyou're dealing with digital text or a digital image oftext is to try and select the text on your screen and copy it to a word processor or text editor. Ifyou can copy the text into the word processor or text editor, you're dealing with digital text. Ifyou can't copy the text, you may be dealing with an image of • text. There are computer programs that can try to determine what the actual text is inside a digital image, these programs are known as Optical Character Recognition (OCR) programs. When you use an OCR program on digital text, it will save the resulting digital text as a text file (.txt, .rtf, .doc, .html, etc.)
Until computers are able to look at an image and automatically determine the content, providing an effective text description for images is vital to ensuring accessibility and usability ofthat digital image.
Audio
Digital audio can be stored in several different formats, and with a wide variety ofquality and file size. Regardless ofthe specific digital audio format used, the strategy for providing access remains the same: provide a transcript.
Audio information can convey many types ofinformation, from verbal dialogue to music and sound effects. Obviously, verbal dialogue can be transcribed into text, but transcribing music and sound effects is not as easy to do. Typically, ifyou can not provide a direct transcription, you can try to describe the nature/effect the music or sound effect is trying to create. • In general, the basic rule ofthumb is to provide a transcript ofthe spoken dialogue 9 Creating Accessible Online Courses
and other meaningful audio content for individuals who may be deaf or hard of hearing.
Audio fifes must always be accompanied by a text transcript. • Audio File Text Transcript +
Unlike digital image files, certain audio file formats will allow you to permanently associate textual information with the audio content. In this way, the audio file always has the textual description included no matter where you copy or move the • file. There is an important limitation, however, as the playback device or software must provide a method for viewing the textual description.
Some common audio files that support the permanent association oftextual descriptions are MP3 (.mp3), MP4 (.mp4), Apple Audio Codec (.aac), Quicktime Audio (.mov), and the Apple proprietary formats (.m4a, .m4b, .m4v). It is important to know which file format your audio information is in, and how to associate textual information with that file.
Example Audio File and Transcript Sample Audio File (MP3, 13 KB)
Accompanying Transcript (RTF, 5 KB)
Even ifyou embed the transcript ofan audio file in the meta-information (ID3 tags) of that digital file, you should also provide the text transcript as a separate download. Ifa student is completely deaf(as opposed to having a degree ofpartial hearing loss) they may prefer to only have to download the smaller text file rather than the much larger audio file where the transcript is embedded in the ID3 tags.
Remember that producing good quality recordings can also help increase the • accessibility and usability ofaudio files for individuals who are hard ofhearing. If the overall quality of an audio recording is poor, AT will have an even more difficult
10 Creating Accessible Online Courses
time with the information.
Video
Digital video information typically includes audio, which again needs to be • transcribed. However, because it is video, the text transcript must be delivered synchronously with the corresponding dialogue as it is spoken on screen. This is called captioning, and it comes in two flavors: open and closed.
Closed Captions are the captions that you can turn on and off, assuming that you know how to work your television's remote control.
Open Captions are the captions that are permanently turned on, similar to foreign language subtitles.
There is an important distinction between captions and subtitles: subtitles provide a translation ofdialogue, while captions provide a textual indication of all significant audio information, including sound effects and music. For accessibility concerns, subtitles are not equivalent to captions because subtitles do not convey all ofthe significant audio information ofthe video.
Captions vs. Subtitles • Captions Subtitles Native Language X
Translation X
Dialogue X X
Significant Audio X
Depending on the digital video file format, the production tools you have available, and your level oftechnical skills and abilities, the options for creating captions will vary. Ultimately, with proper planning and resources it is possible to caption digital video for use as instructional materials in Web-based instruction.
Today there is a small pool ofdigital video file formats commonly in use that allow for captioning. They are Quicktime Movie (.mov), MPEG (.mpg or .mpeg), AVI (.avi), Flash Video (.flv or .swf), Windows Media (.wmv or .asx) and Real Player • Media (.rpm) 11 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Complex Digital Media
Complex media refers to those digital media formats and systems that can contain • multiple media types at the same time, and/or provide means for user interaction with the content. Complex media can be a single digital file or a system that coordinates multiple digital files being exchanged between the instructor and students. HTML and PDP files are common examples of complex media files that can support a variety ofdif ferent media types. Learning Management systems such as MoodIe or Blackboard are examples ofcomplex media delivery systems, providing a variety ofways to organize and deliver digital content and offering multiple methods for interaction with the content and other users.
Complex Digital Document
Digital Text •
Interactive Forms
••. & 11['1 • aU Digi,taIVideo • 12 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Typically, complex digital media is an assemblage ofdiscreet media files such as text, images, audio, and video. By following the best practices for creating these individual digital files, you can help ensure the accessibility and usability ofthe • information when it is presented as part of a complex document or digital media system. In addition, it is important to become familiar with any built-in accessibility tools that are included in whatever complex media file format or system you use. In addition to ensuring the accessibility ofthe discreet media assets used in a com plex media file or system, it is critical to ensure accessibility ofthe various interac tive aspects to ensure that they are compatible with different AT. Introduction to Assistive Technology
Assistive Technology (AT) refers to a broad spectrum of devices and software that can be helpful to people with disabilities. Relative to Distance Education, AT typi cally refers to a range oftechnology used for communication and cognition. As technology is often a determining factor in how distance education is designed and delivered, it is critical to ensure accessible technology is compatible with instruc tional technology and media.
Many forms ofAT deliver a specific format ofmedia, or "alternate media" to an individual with a disability. Alternate media is any form ofmedia that is appropriate and effective in communicating with a specific sensory ability. Many forms ofmod ern media such as MP3 's and HTML pages become "Alternate Media" specifically • when used by individuals with disabilities. One ofthe key aspects ofunderstanding alternate media is separating the message or content from the mode ofpresentation or specific media form. This means you create one piece ofcontent that can be used by multiple forms ofAT.
One ofthe ultimate goals in designing accessible instructional materials is to pro vide the end user with the ability to effectively control and customize the presenta tion of information. The ultimate realization ofthis concept is a single electronic document that can be presented through any interface the student might choose (or require). By defining content with consistent logical and navigational structures such as headings and page numbers, you allow content to be consistently and ac curately rendered on a variety ofinterfaces. This allows for the end user to have control over the various nuances oftheir specific interface without the author having to anticipate every possible technology that might be used to view the content.
Principles ofUniversal Design The concept of one source document that can be accessed by all forms ofassistive technology and automatically converted into an accessible format needed by the recipient is sometimes referred to as "Universal Design for Learning" or "DDL", borrowing from the architectural concept ofUniversal Design. While the overall concepts ofUniversal Design are admirable, within the context of designing acces • sible online courses, it can sometimes be more helpful to think in terms of"Uni- 13 Creating Accessible Online Courses
versal Compatibility". The idea ofcreating a document that can be everything to all users can be a bit overwhelming, but perhaps it is a little less intimidating to create a document wherein the material has the appropriate structure for assistive technology to snap onto. Ensuring that instructional technology and media is able to interface with assistive technologies is the primary focus of creating accessible • web-based instruction.
Assistive Technologies Following is a list ofcommon categories ofAT. It is important to recognize that this list is just a starting point, as the ultimate range of assistive technologies is as varied as the range of disabilities. • Screen Readers • Screen Magnifiers • Speech Recognition • Closed Captioning Decoders • Alternative Keyboard Access • Refreshable Braille Displays • Reading Systems We'll be taking a closer look at these technologies in the following sections. Screen Readers • Screen readers are a form ofAssistive Computer Technology (ACT) that provide an audible rendering ofcomputer-based information. Typically used by individuals who are blind, screen readers are intended to provide visual information as audio information (sound). This is not altogether difficult in and of itself, but challenges can arise when screen readers are faced with certain types ofcontent. Emerging media formats and technologies that do not provide a means for reorganizing and delivering the information via an alternate interface or media form are common challenges for screen readers.
Screen readers are also used to control Refreshable Braille Displays, which allow for dynamic representations ofBraille characters through tiny mechanical pins aligned in a long strip.
Screen Magnifiers Screen Magnifiers are a form ofACT that provide an enlarged view ofthe computer display. The more sophisticated screen magnifiers also provide the ability to alter the visual display in ways that can enhance readability for certain visual disabilities. •
Enlarging digital content can have surprisingly drastic effects on basic academic
14 Creating Accessible Online Courses
processes such as reading comprehension and basic ability to navigate a graphic user interface. Simple acts like reading a line oftext can become careful acts of eye-hand coordination.
• CCTV's Closed Circuit TeleVision (CCTV) systems provide a means for enlarging non electronic information, and in some cases, provide limited means for altering the display characteristics to improve legibility for certain visual disabilities.
CCTV's are available in a wide range ofconfigurations and styles. Typically, the most versatile and highest quality CCTV systems are also the most expensive and bulky. Smaller, more portable systems are emerging that improve the portability factor, but these remain quite expensive. Speech Recognition Speech recognition is a process in which spoken dialogue is analyzed and converted into digital text. Results vary tremendously between users and technology platforms, and there is no system in existence that can deliver perfect speech recognition 100% ofthe time.
Users ofspeech recognition frequently spend extra effort to correct and maintain the most accurate user profiles and performance oftheir system. • Closed Captioning Decoders Closed Captioning decoders are the essential element in displaying traditional analog broadcast captions, often referred to as "Line-21" captions. Whatever the underlying technology may be, the concept is the same: present a synchronized text version ofthe spoken dialogue and meaningful audio content.
With digital video files, the Line-21 model from analog broadcasting is not always supported, so alternate technologies have been created to provide the basic functionality required to display synchronized textual information with the spoken dialogue and meaningful sound events. Alternative Keyboard Access Alternative Keyboard Access refers to specialized switches and software that provide better control for individuals with various disabilities. Sometimes these solutions are just physically adapted keyboards, and sometimes they are limited switches with software-driven routines to provide the full range ofkey options available through a traditional "QWERTY" keyboard. Often times the computer mouse will be replaced with a custom switch or keyboard-based control. One ofthe common issues with alternative keyboard access is the use ofspecialized keyboard commands that either conflict with existing keyboard commands for other programs, or are impossible to emulate via certain customized switches. Refreshable Braille Displays • A refreshable Braille display is a system ofpresenting computer information as 15 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Braille code. Using a series ofplastic pins, different Braille characters can be presented dynamically to allow the information from a computer display to be rendered as Braille information. Available in varying sizes, these refreshable Braille displays require a software application to convert the electronic information into Braille as well as a properly structured document that can be • parsed and translated into Braille. Reading Systems Reading systems are used to present visual information as auditory information, as well as providing a means to alter and customize the visual appearance of electronic information.
Common features ofreading systems include an ability to visually highlight words as they are being read aloud, as well as the ability to enlarge and change text fonts and document colors. Some reading systems include dictionaries, homonym checkers, and word prediction functions. Mind mapping and critical thinking tools are also provided in some reading systems. Disability by AT and AU Media Recognizing that both human difference and technological innovation contribute to the dynamic nature ofAT, the lines can blur between categories ofAT, and sometimes technologies are abandoned as newer and more effective technologies are developed. In addition, often individuals will have multiple disabilities that require combinations ofAT and alternate media.
Here are some common disability types with corresponding examples of common AT and alternate media accommodations: • • Blindness: Screen Readers, Refreshable Braille Displays, DAISY, Braille, Books on Tape, Audio CD's, MP3 's, Digital Note-taking
• Low Vision: Screen Readers, Screen Magnifiers, Large Print, DAISY, MP3 's, Audio CD's
• Deafness: Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids, Assistive Listening Devices, Closed Captioning, ASL, Remote Captioning, Remote Video Interpreting, Text Transcripts, Digital Note-taking
• Mobility Impairment: Speech Recognition, Specialized Keyboards, Alternate Switching Systems, Word Prediction Software, Custom Interface Modifications
• Learning Disabilities: Reading Systems and Study Tools, which typically provide some sort of audio and visual reinforcement, separation, synchronization, and layout alteration. Other common study tools provide word prediction, and features for organization and outlining information. To see how reading can be affected by Dyxlexia see http://www.readregular. comlenglish/dyslexia.htrnl (opens in new window). • 16 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Introduction to Alternate Media
Alternate media is an alternative medium ofpresentation from that in which the work was originally done. A regular hard-copy book, for instance, may be • converted into an electronic (e-text) book. E-text is words (text) that a computer can read. E-text is the basis for all alternate media formats.
The Office for Civil Rights (sometimes abbreviated OCR) has determined that there are three important criteria for providing accommodations to students with disabilities: • timeliness ofdelivery
• accuracy ofthe translation
• provision in a manner and medium appropriate to the significance ofthe message and the abilities ofthe individual with the disability
In order to most easily meet these criteria, online course materials need to be developed from the beginning with accessibility in mind. In this module, we will look at the issues involved with making documents accessible and usable by the widest possible range of students. Electronic Text (Etext)
• HTML, ASCII, MS Word, RTF, etc...
Digital or Electronic Text (Etext) is the category ofmedia comprised of simple text. While some digital media formats such as HTML or MS Word documents can also contain images and sound files (among others), they are also representative ofthe first level oftechnical access for electronic information.
Large Print
Large print is a category ofprint larger than the standard printed addition. While this definition is somewhat arbitrary, most body type set as larger than 14 pts is considered to be "Large Print," though typically the value is closer to 18 or 20 pts. However, sometimes large print is created in much larger sizes. As one ofthe least sophisticated visual accommodations to use, large print is a very common fonn of alternate media for older individuals dealing with sudden degenerative vision loss.
Large print is often printed in a sans serif font with additional spacing. This font is called APHont and is avaUable free from Ame,rican • Printing House for the Blind: www.aph.org. 17 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Braille
Created in the mid-1800s and named after its inventor Louis Braille, braille is a code for tactile reading and writing, used by individuals who are blind. Based on • a six-dot pattern that was designed to fit under an individual's finger-tips, braille characters are used to transcribe words, numbers, characters, and symbols. Since braille only contains 63 symbols, there are extensive rules, known as braille "codes," that assign different meanings to the same braille symbols, depending on when and how the symbols are used. Special braille codes are used for complex information such as math, science, and music. Braille can be embossed onto paper or rendered via refreshable braille displays to display digital information.
b d e f g h 1 J
-Ii - ' •• •• ' ••.. - •• . .· '. .'. •• .'•• .' ••
k 1 m n 0 p q r s t
' t· ' • .' ••• ••• . •• •• ••- •. - •• •• ••- . t-• •• ·- •• -.- •• ·' . .' .'.- .- .
u V X )7 Z \V .... - •• ••- , . '- .. .. •• •• ·.•• •• •• .'•• ••
Closed Captions (CC)
Closed Captions are the textual transcripts ofspoken dialogue and significant auditory information in video and film media. A variety oftechnologies are used • to create and present closed captions, depending on the specific visual media being used. There is also a significant difference between Closed Captions and Subtitles,
18 Creating Accessible Online Courses
as Subtitles only present textual equivalents ofspoken dialogue, whereas Closed Captions provide a textual equivalent for all meaningful audio information. Closed Captions are different from Open Captions in that Closed Captions can be turned on or off by the person watching the visual information. Open Captions, like traditional • subtitles, can not be turned offby the person watching the visual information, and are always onscreen.
MP3's and Other Audio Files
WAY and MP3 are file formats for audio information. MP3 is a smaller (more • compressed) format, which is why it has become so popular. Most MP3 players pro vide limited ability to navigate (move forward and backwards) through the content. Some MP3 players do allow "time jumps" or allow an individual to create "book marks" that create reference points for easy navigation.
DAISY Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) is a media format that combines the power ofdigital text with the appeal and power ofaudio-based information to provide an alternative for individuals with traditional print disabilities like Dyslexia, Blindness, and other learning disabilities that make visual learning more difficult. DAISY content can be navigated via a logical heading structure as well as tradition al page numbers, offering an efficient and easy method to navigate audio content. In addition to improved navigability, users can also interact with the content in more powerful ways. Keyword searching and the ability to add custom bookmarks to the content allow auditory learners to interact with their learning materials in much the same way as visual learners interact with traditional printed materials. • 19 Creating Accessible Online Courses Hardware and Software DAISY Players: •
•
... tAu..... 11_ ~ «Iiott llUlHWI ~ ~ \lblUIM '""'~ Control COn1rol • 20 Creating Accessible Online Courses
• Alternate Media and Assistive Technologies by Disability Type
Recognizing that both human difference and technological innovation contribute to the dynamic nature ofAT, the lines can blur between categories ofAT, and sometimes technologies are abandoned as newer and more effective technologies are developed. In addition, often individuals will have multiple disabilities that require combinations ofAT and alternate media.
Here are some common disability types with corresponding examples ofcommon AT and alternate media accommodations:
• Blindness: Screen Readers, Refreshable Braille Displays, DAISY, Braille, Books on Tape, Audio CD's, MP3's, Digital Note-taking
• Low Vision: Screen Readers, Screen Magnifiers, Large Print, DAISY, MP3's, Audio CD's
• Deafness: Cochlear Implants, Hearing Aids, Assistive Listening Devices, Closed Captioning, ASL, Remote Captioning, Remote Video Interpreting, Text Transcripts, Digital Note-taking
• Mobility Impairment: Speech Recognition, Specialized Keyboards, Alternate Switching Systems, Word Prediction Software, Custom Interface Modifications
• Learning Disabilities: Reading Systems and Study Tools, DAISY (these • typically provide some sort of audio and visual reinforcement, separation, synchronization, and alteration. Word prediction, organization, and specialized study tools. Campus Accessibility Resources
Consider the support services available to you at your campus, specifically, your campus resource base for accessibility information. Do you know what services are available and how to request them? Does this system make sense from a student's perspective, and from the added perspective ofdifferent disabilities?
Disability Services
• How does your campus deliver disability services to students.
• What sources ofassistance are available to both instructors and students?
• Does your campus have an Alternate Media Specialist? If so, who is it and how would you contact this person? Be specific.
• Does your campus have a Learning Disability Specialist? Ifso, who is and • how would you contact this person? Be specific. 21 Creating Accessible Online Courses
• Does your campus have a computer lab that trains students with disabilities in the use of assistive technologies? Ifso, where is it and who's in charge of it? Be specific. Faculty Development • Are there faculty training opportunities for disability-related issues, or accessibility training workshops, etc.?
Library
• Consider your library. What resources are available to you as an instructor for creating accessible instructional material?
• What resources does your library have and which are accessible for students with various disabilities? For example, book holdings, electronic databases, periodicals, and references, etc. Legal Issues
Federal Laws
Federal Laws Requiring Access:
• Americans with Disabilities Act: Title 2 • Rehabilitation Act of 1973: Sections 504 & 508 • The Americans with Disabilities Act The Americans with Disabilities Act is federal legislation that requires private and public entities to provide accessible accommodations to facilities, programs, and services, for individuals with disabilities.
The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 is federal legislation prohibiting discrimination based on disability. The legislation applies to all federal agencies, agencies receiving Federal assistance, Federal employment, and contractors working for the Federal Government. You can find more information about Section 504 by visiting http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction:=Content&lD:=15.
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 508 is federal legislation requiring that electronic information and information technology be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, • maintain, or use electronic information and technology. There is more information about Section 508 at http://www.section508.gov/index.cfm. 22 Creating Accessible Online Courses
California State Laws
• State Laws Requiring Access:
• California Government Code 11135
• Section 67302 ofthe California Education Code
California Government Code 11135 California Government Code 11135 brings to California state law the protections and standards ofaccess found in Title II ofthe Americans with Disabilities Act, and Section 508 ofthe Rehabilitation Act. Read the legislation at http://www.spb. ca.gov/civilrights/documents/CALIFORNIA CODES II.pdf.
Section 67302 ofthe California Education Code Section 67302 ofthe California Education Code requires publishers ofpost secondary instructional materials to make available an electronic version ofthe materials for students with print-related disabilities. Certain provisions apply, such as the requirement for the student to legally own a copy ofthe book, and to have a verified print-related disability. You can read the legislation at http://www.leginfo. ca. gov/cgi-bin!displaycode?section=edc&group=67001-68000&file=67300-67302.
• Table of Comparisons between State and Federal Access Laws
State or Law Application Mandates Fed
Federal Section Anyone Opportunity for disabled Law 504 of receiving federal students to participate must be Rehab funds as effective as that provided to Act others
Federal Section Federal entities Provide access to electronic Law 508 of and information technology Rehab Act
Federal ADA Public entities Equal information access, Law Title II including print and computer based information
State Section California state Applies Section 508 standards Law 11135 entities and Title II guidelines to state (SB 105 • & 302) 23 Creating Accessible Online Courses
State Section Postsecondary Must provide print-disabled Law 67302 textbook students with e-text of (AB 422) publishers purchased textbooks • California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office Legal Opinions
There are many legal opinions from the Chancellons Office, but the following four opinions represent significant developments that affect online distance education design and delivery:
• Legal Opinion E 00-33
• Legal Opinion M 01-17
• Legal Opinion M22-02
• Legal Opinion M 03-09
Legal Opinion E 00-33 regards AB 422, which added section 67302 to the California State Legal Code, requiring the publishers ofpost-secondary instructional materials to provide electronic versions to students with verified print disabilities. Read the legal opinion at: http://www.galvin-group.comJdspsresources/ assets/Legal Opinion 00 33.pdf.
Legal Opinion M 01-17 specifies that Section 508 ofthe Rehabilitation Act of 1973 • as Amended in 1998 applies to the California Community College Technology and Telecommunications Infrastructure Program (TTIP) funding. Read the legal opinion at: http://www.cecco.edu/Portals/4/Legallopinions/attachments/03-09.pdf
Legal Opinion M22-02 details the responsibilities ofcommunity colleges to ensure that students with disabilities are provided equal, effective and legally-required access to audiovisual materials in video format. Read the legal opinion at: http:// www.htctu.net/divisions/altmedialcaptioning/cc/LO M 02-22.pdf
Legal Opinion M 03-09 explains the requirements added to California State Government Code section 11135 by SB105. These requirements extend the obligations of Section 508 ofthe Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as Amended in 1998 to all California State\ entities. Read the legal opinion at: http://www.cccco.edu/ SystemOffice/DivisionslLegaliLegalOpinions/tabid/293/Default.aspx
Summary of Laws
California community colleges, along with all public institutions ofhigher education, are required to provide access to classes and materials for students who have disabilities. A number offederal and state laws apply, but we are going to focus on two: Section 504 and Section 508 ofthe Rehabilitation Act.
Section 504 applies to any college campus that has received federal funding. If you take the money, the requirements of Section 504 trail along with it. • 24 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Section 508 applies to the California community colleges and the California State Universities because of California state law (SB 105 and SB 302, codified into California State Law as part ofthe Education Code Section 11135).
Section 504 requires that the specific needs of individuals with disabilities be • accommodated so that those individuals can learn as effectively as their nondisabled peers. These accommodations are driven by student requests. The disability service offices on your campuses are set up specifically to deal with accommodations under Section 504.
(Please note that accommodation laws also apply to campus employees, and your campus human resources department will handle these. The campus disability services office is specifically for student needs.)
Section 508, on the other hand, requires that the campus buys (in the case of hardware/software) or creates (in the case ofWeb pages and distance ed courses) provide access to all electronic and information technology (E&IT-Web pages, computers, course management systems, hardware, software, etc.) for all individuals with disabilities-students, staff, and even the general public. Complying with Section 508 is a general campus responsibility and is not driven by individual request, rather the E&IT on campus is expected to be as accessible as possible right from the start.
Section 504 deals with specific accommodations for specific persons; Section 508 deals with general access for all persons.
Under Section 504, the individual makes a request and the campus honors it. Under • Section 508, the idea is to have the access already in place whenever someone who needs it shows up--even ifyou did not know the person was coming.
Section 508 is designed to provide general access. When something is not fully accessible, however, then the individual makes a request under Section 504. So the two laws work together, with Section 504 taking over whenever full access has not been provided under Section 508.
Section 504 Section 508
Accommodation Access
Based on request No prior request needed
Helps individual student/employee As accessible as possible to all
Handled by specific departments General campus responsibility on campus (everyone!)
Doing what it takes to make it Finding the most workable solution from • work the beginning 25 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Begins where Section 508 leaves Leaves offwhere Section 504 begins off Section 504, Section 508, and Distance Education • Under Section 508, distance education courses need to be designed in an accessible way from the very beginning. Section 508 is very clear on the requirements for Web accessibility, giving very specific standards, which include examples. An extensive look at the Section 508 standards is beyond the scope ofthis course, however, the point ofall the standards is to ensure that materials delivered on the Web are accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities. The key points to keep in mind are summarized below.
Usable Web Accessibility • Use Headings
• Describe content-based images
• Name hyperlinks descriptively (examples below illustrate good usability practices for labeling links). Well-labeled, clear directions: Click Here for the Course Outline Unclear directions: Click Here • Include symbols with color to *emphasize differences* • • Navigate the Web page using the keyboard
Solutions for MS Word • Use the styles and formatting options to specify headings
• Avoid using tables or text boxes to control layout and positioning of Word documents
• Include text descriptions when adding content-rich images
• Specify column headers for data tables
Solutions for MS PowerPoint • Use the PowerPoint templates
• Add your text descriptions to images
• Avoid using the Save as Web page option as the only delivery method, can save as PDF using Microsoft Save as PDF plug-in ORAdobe Acrobat •
• If recording PowerPoint as a video, need to develop a captioned version
26 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Solutions for Adobe PDF Documents • Start with the creation ofaccessible MS Word/PowerPoint documents • • Styles applied in MS Word can automatically create PDF Bookmarks • Use the "Adobe PDF" option from the menu bar ofMS Word
• Need to be using MS Word 2000 or later AND Adobe Acrobat 5,6,7,8, or 9
• Another option is the Microsoft Save as PDF plug-in in Office 2007
Key Issue - Proper Document Workflow
Production Plans and Workflows for Success
Given the many different types ofmedia available to work with, and the many possibilities to engage the learner with multiple modes ofcommunication, it becomes important to have a master plan when reviewing a given course for accessibility. Ifyou are not a teacher, you will need to work closely with the teacher who will be delivering the materials to make an effective production plan.
Creating your Accessibility Production Plan
In order to successfully manage the process ofproducing accessible materials for online teaching, it is essential to have a plan. A production plan can help you stay • on track as well as help you coordinate your efforts with other staff and faculty in the design and delivery ofyour online instruction.
An Accessibility Production Plan forces you to consider and assess all accessibility related components in your online course production plan. This valuable exercise accomplishes the following goals:
1. Provides structure to your curriculum planning & course design. The plan forces you to get organized! It helps align your course objectives with course design, instructional strategies, evaluation, and content delivery.
2. Reviews institutional resources available. The plan ensures that you take into account associated production resources, budget, personnel, infrastructure, special materials, etc.
3. Evaluates inventory of media elements. The plan identifies all media elements required each week, and then breaks them down by file type: HTML, audio, video, etc. This process helps you track seemingly accessible pieces ofmedia (such as Word documents, PowerPoint, or PDFs), that • are easy to miss and often overlooked. 27 Creating Accessible Online Courses
4. Projected timeline for completion. The plan serves as a handy reference with alternate media production delivery schedules, turnaround time for captioned video requests, and other deliverables. Your objective is to create a production plan for a course to be delivered online. The • final document from this exercise, in the format ofyour choice (Word, Excel, PDF, html, etc.), will grow over the coming weeks, but for this week you should have a rough weekly breakdown ofyour course.
Review examples ofproduction plans provided in the next chapter. Feel free to explore and customize plans to your specific needs, but at a minimum, your production plan should include the following information:
1. Weekly breakdown ofcourse content and lesson plans (include learning objectives, learning activities, assessments), etc.
2. Inventory ofmedia objects list file type: html, audio, video, PDF, etc.
3. Accessibility status ofmedia objects: accessible/inaccessible; specifics of alt. media or conversion plans are required.
4. A production timeline that includes projected and actual completion dates of accessible media assets. •
5. Related comments/notes.
• 28 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Course Production Plan Examples
Following are two different production plans showing different approaches to managing the different media assets and the requisite accessibility work that needs • to be performed.
Weekly Breakdown in Table Format
Here is an example ofa production plan, based on a weekly organization structure:
Course Title: English Literature: The Romantics Target Delivery Date: Spring semester
Week 1: Introduction to Course
Week I: Introduction to Course Learning Content Assignment Given Student Objective Presentation Questions for Questions discussion posted to Knowledge discussion Download and read forum. of Course Syllabus forum. Syllabus • Objectives Quiz over Syllabus Online quiz content inLMS Contact information under instructor Locate contact info profile in LMS and use it to send an Receipt introductory email to of Syllabus instructor. Introductory Presentation Course Student presence orientation Login III Login to LMS PowerPoint Login to LMS during class LMS at seSSIOn Direct email expected with instructions time • 29 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Locate online syllabus, course objectives, weekly Discussion Post to assignments, posted in Course discussion discussion forums, Forum. orientation forum about • Navigate and electronic PowerPoint experience, Answers LMS resources. Answer and answers to five LMS Course five questions in to the five questions Shell discussion forum questions. posted in about the course Forum. structure in the LMS. Norton Anthology ofEnglish Read selection in Literature, Vol text, write an essay 2; "Introduction of at least 1000 to the Romantic words explaining the Electronic Age", pgs 34-42. Romantic Age and report, why Wordsworth's Grading Norton properly Prelude was rubric Anthology formatted in significant. Explain of English MLAStyle. how "The Prelude" Literature, Vol was received in it's 2; "The Lyrical time and throughout Ballads", pgs Wordsworth's life. • 129-196.
Week 1 Digital Medial Inventory: Syllabus (Word) - Mark Headings and format for structure
Introductory Presentation - Needs captioning
Course orientation PowerPoint -Check slide layout, alt tags. Convert to movie and caption.
LMS Course Shell (Blackboard) - Accessible
Complete: August 1
Week 2: The Lake Poets
Week 2: The Lake Poets Learning Content Assignment Given Student Objective • 30 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Watch PowerPoint
Read selection in text Electronic PowerPoint of Consider the major report, properly • Wordsworth Bio events and turning fonnatted in points ofWordsworth's MLA Style. Knowledge Norton life and compare/ of William Anthology contrast with his ideas Discussion Grading Wordsworth's ofEnglish ofhow a poets' life forum entry, rubric life Literature, should be. Compose summarizing Vol 2; "The 1000 words presenting report. Respond Prelude", pgs your ideas. to the posts of 205-284. at least three Post summary ofreport other students. to discussion forum, and respond to three other posts. Social Complete Respond PowerPoint Watch PowerPoint, attitudes of online to survey of Social respond to online Wordsworth's Wordsworth logged Trends survey. time survey. in LMS. Watch PowerPoint Electronic report, properly PowerPoint of Read selection in text formatted in Coleridge Bio Consider the major MLAStyle. • events and turning Norton Knowledge of Discussion Anthology points ofColeridge's Grading Samuel Taylor forum entry, ofEnglish life and compare/ rubric Coleridge's summarizing Literature, Vol 2; contrast with life. your report. "Samuel Taylor Wordsworth's ideas of Respond to Coleridge", pgs how a poets' life should the posts ofat 323-377. be. Compose 1000 words presenting your least three other students. ideas. Quiz PowerPoint Watch PowerPoint Responses module Understanding of of Gennan to "Kant will tally the impact ofKant Philosophical Respond to "Kant Quiz" in and log on the Lake Poets Revolution Quiz" in LMS LMS final score. • 31 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Recognition of the influence ofthe French Watch PowerPoint Revolution and the Industrial PowerPoint Post summary ofreport Discussion Grading • Revolution on of to discussion forum, forum entry, Rubric the Romantic and respond to three Age, and the other posts. Lake Poets Specifically Week 2 Digital Media Inventory: PowerPoint ofWordsworth Bio -Accessible
PowerPoint ofSocial Trends - Accessible
PowerPoint of Coleridge Bio - Accessible
PowerPoint ofGerman Philosophical Revolution - -Check layout and alt tags. Convert to movie and caption
PowerPoint ofRevolutionary influences on Romantic Age - Check layout and alt tags. Convert to movie and caption
Online Wordsworth Survey(CMS) - Accessible
"Kant Quiz" in LMS - Needs headings, check for extended time settings. Complete: September 1 •
• 32 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Another example of a Course Production Plan
• Course Title: Introduction to Website Design
Target Delivery Date: Fall semester
Type! Content Accessibility Course Student Presentation status of media objects
Read • Course Shell Review Syllabus/ Syllabus! (Accessible) course Grading Due objectives Rubric dates for • PDF only weekly Explore course Video tour .swffile! and Post Posts ofLMS (Accessible) module elements
• .Swf Post • file Set up a short • .swffile! - Read tour local site report (Accessible) of on
• YouTube video (Add captions)
• PowerPoint Create Home (Inaccessible: a Page with needs home specified transcript for page elements added audio)
• PowerPoints on Layout & design principles: • (Accessible) 33 Creating Accessible Online Courses
'>'.' '. <, , .: i ~: : '< . >. ': ,. '<::;Wd~k2:Jmages Type! Content Accessibility Course Student Presentation status ofmedia • objects Add Read Video two .swffile! pages demo images (Accessible) 25-28 to your Images
Resize optimized (use QuickTime file! Video samples (Accessible, cap demo Images tons added) provided)
AddAlt tags • .swffile! Read (Accessible) pages 29-32 Add Use Handouts- flash • Flash Media Work on files to • video fonnats exercises your on pages -Inaccessible: 29-32 convert to html QuickTime file! Video Work Add (Accessible, on demo captions added) PowerPoint on Copyright Laws- (Accessible) Develop a model PDF- PDF(image- contract Post Sample Inaccessible: form short contract Post create accessible (Use report forms PDF and html sample on (Create files) provided as ,\..t','>,' ','~\)'~>". ".' :·;i ',~t".~: ';.: 'Week'<3;'JAccessible'Jvesign<;ikf>~/"~ ~ '~,; l'\~,' ,~{>\~.< " ,:,," , . . .( .;. • 34
Creating Accessible Online Courses
Add Video Read Links QuickTime file/ email demo and on (Accessible) & Video Read Link QuickTime file/ Link demo and Images (Accessible) • Create Video Read Image QuickTime file/ Image demo and maps (Accessible) maps
, , ("'I.', . I': ,;. ., ,":" , 'i' We~k6:;Styl,~,Sh~~t~?;",,' , ' Type/ Content Accessibility Course Student Presentation status ofmedia objects PowerPoint PowerPoint Short (Inaccessible. Read onCSS report Caption images) and Video demo on QuickTime file/ (Accessible) Read PowerPoint Use and (Accessible) Video Read QuickTime file/ Posts demo and (Accessible) • Post Create examples Read PowerPoint Tag- PowerPoint ofTag- and (Accessible) based, based, compound-
'(y.",n\t' :¥~~!~]:)nteractivity :':,; ,~' .,. ,. Type/ Content Accessibility Course Student Presentation status ofmedia objects Video Read QuickTime file/ Add demo and (Accessible) Add Jump Video Read Update QuickTime file/ menu demo and website (Accessible) Create Video Read QuickTime file/ Create fonus demo and (Accessible) • 36 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Type/Accessibility Content Course Student status ofmedia Presentation • objects QuickTime file/ Video Read Create (Inaccessible, and demo needs captions) Add QuickTime file/ Video Read search (Inaccessible, demo and terms needs captions) QuickTime file/ Video Read Set up (Inaccessible, and demo needs captions) Upload QuickTime file/ Video Read Final Peer (Inaccessible, demo and Project needs captions) Final Remarks/Comments •
• 37 Creating Accessible Online Courses •
•
• 38 Creating Accessible Online Courses
Basic Accessibility Skills & Formatting Documents • Best Practices for Creating Accessible Documents Whenever you are creating any document, remember these three tips: 1. Use styles
2. Format with the appropriate tools This includes marking header rows in tables; using columns, rather than tabs; and building spacing into styles, rather than using the enter key.
3. Provide text descriptions of graphics (alt text)
Introduction to Formatting Text for Access and Usability A number ofdisabilities can make it difficult for students to access standard hard-copy print documents. Access issues may include the following: • Physical disability resulting in an inability to hold a book or turn the pages.
• Visual disability resulting in an inability to see the printed page.
• Learning disability (dyslexia or visual-processing disability) resulting in difficulty decoding or understanding the print characters. When the student has an electronic text (e-text) document, many ofthese issues • can be remediated using assistive computer teclmology. • Pages can be turned using a mouse, head-mouse, or even voice-activated technology.
• Text can be enlarged; colors can be changed.
• Braille can be created.
The key to using all ofthis technology is e-text that has been designed with access in mind. Designing for Access
You can read extensively about graphic design and layout. Our focus is a bit different. We will consider access and readability. You can notice for yourselfthe difference between materials that simply look nice and materials that are easy to use and understand.
•A wonderful example ofdesign that is very inaccessible is text placed over a picture that has darker and lighter areas. The text essentially disappears in the areas that are too close to the shade ofthe text. 39 Creating Accessible Online Courses
When you read magazines, newspapers, books, articles, or Web pages, notice your reading experience. Notice that some materials are easier to read and the information is easier to assimilate. Notice that some materials feel emotionally • daunting to read. Other materials give a feeling ofbeing pleasant and inviting. Noticing what works for you is a good start in developing a feel for what it means to make materials accessible and readable.
Page Layout
Text is easier to read and comprehend in smaller blocks. Newspapers and magazines are printed with narrow columns because it is easier for the human eye to scan a narrow column.
At the HTCTU, we were privy to undocumented research conducted by a local computer company. This company found that the amount of information that could be gleaned from reading something on the computer was far less than could be understood when reading the exact same information on paper. This research was never published as it was not exactly what the company was hoping to prove!
There is limited evidence (see the work ofMichael Trimmer) that when engaged in similar tasks on the computer and on paper, there is greater cognitive load associated, with the computerized tasks. Psychology has known since the'50s that short-term memory only holds a small amount of information at a time. It is easiest to process new information in manageable "chunks." The necessity ofpresenting information in a manageable way is amplified • exponentially for students who have visual processing issues---either low vision conditions or various learning disabilities.
What all this means for page layout is that presentation ofthe material influences how learners process information. Presenting material in short, logical sections will allow the student to process the material more easily.
You can use a number oftricks to make your content more easily read and understood:
• "White space" (empty areas without text or graphics, wide margins, short widely spaced paragraphs) makes the content feel "smaller" and more manageable.
• Frequent headings break up and organize the text, as well as providing a sense ofaccomplishment.
• Bulleting individual points helps to make content feel organized and easy to assimilate.
Creating an open, inviting document layout can make a huge difference in the ability ofstudents who have visual or learning disabilities to access and learn the • 40 Creating Accessible Online Courses
infonnation.
• Styles Another aspect ofdocument access is creating one document that can easily be transformed into other document types. It is possible, for instance, to create a document in MS Word that can be taken into large print, braille, HTML, or PDF. The basis for the ~exibility in transformation, i~w\Jsillg s" les cluri!1~ document ell)p~~ ~, ....'j .• ' A~€f:lI1S ..' ,~A~rGtl~till"ill~l;tC"'++ .; i \ '.... ,;..... ••" _ , ",Sk~'_'.M 1... •• ." " ~.. j<\i,. AaBbCcl AaBbf AaBbC AaBbC< Emphasis 11 Heading 1 rr Heading:2 11 Headim13
AaBbCcI AaBbCcl AaBbCcI AaBb( • 1l Narmal Strong Subtitle Title ~>t ~>'> -rea r;>' AaBbCcI AdBbCc1 AaBbCcJ AaBbCcl 1I No· Spacr.. , Subtle Em ... lnteme E... Quote.
Aal1bCcj AABBCC: A..illBCC .<\..\BBCC Intense Q... Subtle Ref... Intense R... Book Title
AaBbCd
II List para.....__~_"1("~'''_~''''._''';~ Save Selection as a New Quick Style .., .~: £Iear Formatting creation, A style is set of characteristics applied to a paragraph (paragraph level styles) or character (attribute level styles), The characteristics built into styles include font style, point size, color, spacing, etc. All ofthese attributes have implications for access, and we will consider each below. Fonts We think ofletters on the computer as, well, letters! In reality, the letters that we use • 41 Creating Accessible Online Courses on the computer or that are used in printed books are carefully drawn images oflet ters, called fonts. A font is the typeface (shape and style) ofa character. Designers use different fonts to give different feels to text. Fonts are important in • document access because different fonts have different readability. There are two basic types offonts: serif fonts and sans seriffonts. Seriffonts have little "fiddly bits" at the ends ofthe strokes. Examples ofseriffonts include Times New Roman, Palatino, Garamond, and New Century Schoolbook. Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii Jj KkLl :rvtm Nn 00 Pp Qq Rr Ss Tt Un Vv Ww XxYy Z~ Serif Font: Times New Roman Sans (which means "without") seriffonts do not have these decorative elements. Sans serif fonts look very smooth. Examples ofsans seriffonts include Arial, Helvetica, Calibri, and Tahoma. Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee FfGg Hh Ii Jj Kk LI Mm Nn 00 Pp Qq Rr 55 Tt • Uu Vv Ww XxYy Zz Sans Serif Font: Arial In standard print materials (books, magazines, newspapers, etc.); seriffonts are used as "body text," the main reading text, because they make reading faster and easier. Times New Roman, a classic serif font, was originally designed for use in The Times newspaper. Sans seriffonts are used in hard-copy materials for headings, large type, and very small type. The font style is important in a document because it affects readability. Electronic documents are displayed on computer screens or small portable devices. Those same serif fonts that are so readable on paper suddenly become fuzzy blobs onscreen. For individuals who have vision issues, this "fuzziness" can present an added challenge. In recognition ofthis issue, American Printing House for the Blind • 42 Creating Accessible Online Courses has designed a font (called APHont, pronounced Ay'-font) specifically designed for individuals who .si n. Aa Bb Cc Dd Ee Ff Gg Hh Ii ]j • Kk LI Mm Nn 00 Pp Qq Rr 5s Tt UU. Vv Ww Xx Yy Zz Sans Serif J1lQ~~J!ljl9lll-t------_..J (See http://www.aph.org/products/aphont.html for a free download ofAPHont) APHont has some unique features that increase its readability for individuals with visual difficulties, including more even spacing, letters that are wider and more open, and larger punctuation marks. Choosing Fonts Typographers and designers spend a great deal oftime choosing jlist the right font to give their projects the desired look and feel. In general, designers will use two or three fonts: one font for the body text and another for the headlines and small print. Sometimes the headlines and small print use the same font and sometimes not. Traditionally seriffonts are used for the main body ofthe work (the body text), and sans seriffonts are used for headlines and small print. When designing for the Web, clarity and readability become paramount considerations. Whereas on paper, a serif font produces the most easily read and • understood text, those same serifs create fuzzy distortions on the computer screen. When do you use which font? The table below summarizes when to choose a serif font or a sans seriffont. Print on Print on Print on paper paper computer (standard (low vision/ or projection vision) LD) screen Body text (the main reading Serif Sans Serif Sans Serif text) Headlines (large, bold, used to Usually Sans Serifor Sans Sans Serif organize and format Serif Serif text) Small print (used for captions, Sans Serif Sans Serif Sans Serif footnotes, endnotes, etc.) Font Size • Another aspect of fonts is the font size, which is measured in points. The point 43 Creating Accessible Online Courses size ofa font is literally the distance between the highest ascender and the lowest descender in a typeface. Point size measures only height, not width. Fonts are measured in points, and in order to have a consistent measuring • system, graphic designers work in points and picas, rather than inches, . So what is a point? • There are 72 points in an inch. • There are 12 points in a pica. • There are 6 picas in an inch. •A standard 8.5 inch by 11 inch page is 51 picas by 66 picas. • The letter "p" stands for picas and measurements are written as a number ofpicas followed by the number ofpoints. Halfa pica (which is 6 points) would be written as Op6. Large print is generally defined at somewhere around 14-18 point. It is not uncommon for students to request even larger font. There is a limit, however, to how large it is reasonable to make text on paper. The HTCTU generally does not recommend creating hard copy large print any larger than around 32 point. One advantage of an accessible document is that the student can use the computer to 12 point font 14 point font • 18 point font 24 point font 36 point font 48 point font make the text as large as she or he might want! Color There are a number ofvery important considerations when it comes to color. • Contrast • Color blindness • 44 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Color processing issues When you are creating a document, always be very aware ofcontrast. It is generally best for readability not to overlay text on top of a busy graphic. Similarly, it you are going to use a colored background, make sure that the text contrasts strongly with • the background. Never use light text on a light background (for instance yellow text on white) or dark text on a dark background (for instance black text on dark blue). Also remember that a significant portion ofthe population has some degree of colorblindness (most often red/green). Ifyou are using green text for correct answers and red text for incorrect answers, some ofyour students may be completely lost. It is fine to use color as a reinforcement, as long as color is not the only indicator. You could, for instance, have the word "correct" in green and "incorrect" in red. It is quite common for students with vision issues, including visual processing issues, to be affected in some way by color. The nice thing about a fully accessible document is that the programs that students use to read the documents can alter the color as necessary. Implications for Students It is probably fairly clear why using a sans seriffont and larger point size will make text more readable for someone who has low vision. \\That may be less clear is that similar adjustments can have a profound affect on the readability oftext for students who have learning disabilities. • In our trainings, we teach instructors to encourage their students with learning disabilities to experiment with the following adjustments: • Use a sans seriffont; • Increase the point size; • Increase the spacing between letters (expanding the character spacing); • Increase the spacing between lines (called leading); and • Play with different font and background colors. For some students these changes make little difference; however, many students find that such adjustments can have a huge effect. Providing the student with an accessible document allows them to have the empowering experience oftaking control oftheir reading environment. Using Styles When a style is applied to a paragraph in MS Word, other programs, such as the Duxbury Braille Translation (DBT) software, HTML, and PDF, will recognize that style and create the appropriate format. In addition, it is possible to create templates • that use those same style names and apply different font and paragraph attributes 45 Creating Accessible Online Courses that are exactly what a particular student needs. Styles are a very powerful tool in your accessibility arsenal. Certain basic styles work well in Word, DBT, HTML, and PDF. These styles include the following: • • Normal, body text • Heading 1-3 • List, list bullet, list number • Index 1-9 Creating Accessible Electronic Documents Creating accessible electronic documents is a process - depending on the established workflow, this process can be simple and part of the design blueprint or necessitate complex steps towards retrofitting materials for full access. Electronic documents that are accessible provide the information to the individual in a manner and method suitable to the needs ofthe individual and independent oftechnological requirements necessary to interact with the page content. For example, a Web page that requires the use ofthe mouse to interact with content would be an example of a specific technological requirement and would pose limitations to individuals unable to use a mouse on a Web page. Accessibility Principles for Electronic Documents • Headings Headings within a document (e.g., Web page, PDF, Word document, etc.) can be used to separate content into "chunks" by identifying the main ideas or concepts of Move To H~.;n' HTCTU Resource. J I Corl Brown Memo".1 Btog; 2 ":~.me.I.·t; Fe Corl Brown Scholorship; J Job OpportUrlty: 2 '''" AtomjcL~!lIrning,CQm Assistive Technok::lgy Proje, .. DiVISions: J Publlcolion.:) ( About the' HTCTU, J • 46 Creating Accessible Online Courses the page. Similar to chapters in a book, headings identify a change in the flow of information on the page and allow individuals to visually scan the document for the desired information. From an accessibility perspective, headings are valuable as they provide individuals • using screen-readers with a simple method to navigate within the document. In a recent study investigating the browsing habits ofscreen-readers users, over 75% of individuals claimed to use headings (when available) always or often to navigate Web pages (http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey/#headings). Rather than navigating line-by-line through a document or Web page, the use ofheadings allows individuals to move through the information based on heading topic. Newer Web browsers are also incorporating such functionality for all users by incorporating key strokes that automatically scroll the Web page to the next or previous heading on the page (as opposed to having to scroll up and down to search for the next heading level). Headings also provide a different method for individuals to "skip" navigational menus and move the focus directly to the desired content. Web designers can also use cascading style sheets (eSS) to differentiate the presentational aspect of each heading on a Web page without removing the meaning ofthe heading element to assistive computer technology. The application of CSS to headings should not affect the ability ofmost assistive computer technologies from interacting with the Web content. More information about headings and semantic structure is available at: • Semantic Structure and Headings (WebAIM - http://webaim.org/techniques/ • semanticstructure/) • Screen-Reader Survey (WebAIM - http://webaim.org/projects/ screenreadersurvey/#headings) Images and Descriptions An important component of developing accessible electronic documents is to add a text description to images. This allows individuals who are visually-impaired or blind using screen-reader software to "hear" the description ofthe image. Additionally, for individuals who are using a text-only Web browser or other mobile device, the text description still provides access to the information when the images are not displayed. Adding the alt-attribute is required under the WCAG 2.0, Level A and the Section 508 Standards. Assistive computer technology relies on the "alternate text" attribute ofan image to communicate the meaning/purpose ofthe image. This alternative text in provided by the author. Depending on the type of image you insert into your document, you will need to specify the type ofalternate text appropriate for the image. • When providing alternative text for images try the following: 47 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Keep the alternative text brief, but be descriptive • Ifthere is text content in the image, include that information in the alternate • text box • Do not use the word "image" to begin your description - instead identify the type of image being used ifit is relevant to the image content (e.g., photograph, painting, screenshot, etc.) • Ifthe image is very detailed and cannot be summarized in a few sentences, consider placing additional information about the image into the page text preceding or following the image More information about alternative text is available at: • Writing Alternate Text (http://jimthatcher.com!webcourse2.htm) • Creating Accessible Images (http://www.webaim.org/techniques/imagesD Naming Hyperlinks The ability to create and present "links" to other documents and information is a major component ofWeb pages. While this is one ofthe simplest methods to direct individuals to other Web pages, documents, or to perform specific functions, hyperlinks can also have potential accessibility challenges. The issue is not how hyperlinks function, but rather the "name" that is used to identify the specific • hyperlink itself. send them to HTCTU staff View the Memorial Service tor Carl Brown (Quicktime MOV) www.apple.com/quicktime/download Carl Brown Scholarship '. Read more about the Carl Brown SCholarship .", Contributions can be made " https:llsecure:entango.com/donatelfhda JobOpportunily .10b #. is '10-003 ~?F,t!~}\,'~ :~>,y} ~2¢.:~>;:'>,' >"; f!r ' "' ;; i: : :.< < ••: '. .':" ---f.+~--'-.i,,+--~,-,\::. liV~ort Links"";';: •...... :;.~ .l:: TV ':'f~!: ;Us~ ~n, ,Ia~ ()r1~~;J.il.:.' "'t::;:Altih'~6eticaIlY . ~ ~,' <~. ""> J; ""t ; :, '; • 48 Creating Accessible Online Courses One feature ofassistive technology is the ability to collect all the hyperlinks on a Web page and present this information to the individual. This allows the user to listen as to what hyperlinks are available on the page and navigate directly to the desired hyperlink in question (as opposed to searching line-by-line). • When hyperlinks have a descriptive name that identifies the purpose ofthe link, it is fairly easy for an individual to navigate the Web page and choose the appropriate hyperlink. However, hyperlinks may be named in such a manner that either the purpose or destination ofthe link is unclear. For example, often times a news headline or teaser to a full news article will have the hyperlink text "Read More" for the rest ofthe Web page. An individual using assistive technology will be informed that there is a hyperlink called "Read More". On the Web page, we can visually infer that the "Read More" hyperlink will provide more information about the news headline, but for someone who is unable to see the page itself, the text "Read More" does not provided context as to the name ofthe news headline. The problem is magnified when there are multiple "Read More" hyperlinks on a page that takes the person to different Web pages. Best Practices for Hyperlinks Generally speaking, it is beneficial to identify the purpose or function of the hyperlink as part ofthe hyperlink name. This often raises questions as to "how much is enough" and "how long is too long" regarding the name ofthe link itself. While there are no established answers, the name should be descriptive enough such that the user can understand (or infer) what information will be obtained by • choosing that specific link. For hyperlinks that take a user to different file types (e.g., QuickTime movie, PDF, Word document, etc.), it can be helpful to include the file type in the name ofthe hyperlink itself. This can be as simple as appending the file type to the end ofthe hyperlink name. For non-HTML based documents, you could also include the approximate file size. This is not specifically an accessibility issue, but allows the user to determine how large the file will be and whether or not the connection speed will support such a file size. Here are some examples of including the name and file information in a hyperlink: • Adobe Acrobat Datasheet [PDF. SOaK] • Course Syllabus [PDF] • Letter ofIntroduction [MS Word] • My Summer Vacation [QT Movie] Additional Readings for Hyperlinks • Links and HyperText (http://webaim.org/techniques/hypertext!) • Hyperlink Titles (http://www.arizona.edu/uaweb/accessible/accessible-titles. • lllilU 49 Creating Accessible Online Courses • HTML Best Practices: Links (http://html.cita.illinois.edulnav/link/) Creating an Accessible Document in MS Word The HTCTU offers a free day-long course in creating accessible Word documents (Formatting with Microsoft Word). We present a brief synopsis here, and for more • detailed information, please sign up for the full course. Documents created in MS Word are inherently quite accessible, and there are some tricks that you can use to ensure that the documents you create will not only be accessible in Word but also be accessible when transformed into other formats (Web pages, PDF documents, braille documents). The basic tips to keep in mind include the following: • Use styles • Use tabs, not spaces to move words • Use the column format, not tabs to create a columnar effect • Do not add additional spaces around punctuation Selecting Text Text can be selected in quite a few ways other than swiping with the mouse. • Double click on individual words to select them. • • Triple click on a paragraph to select it. • Use the right- or left-arrow keys while holding the shift key to select individual characters. • Use the up- or down-arrow keys while holding the shift key to select lines. • Hold the shift key and tap horne or end to select a line from the cursor point to the beginning (horne) or to the end (end). • Use shift page up or page down to select from the cursor point up or down a page. • Use the "shift-click" technique to select text between two points. • To select all the text in the document, use Ctrl + A. Applying Styles in Word To apply a paragraph style, you simply need to have the flashing cursor (the I-beam) in the paragraph that you want to format and choose the appropriate style. You do • not need to select the entire paragraph, and in fact, it is better not to do so. Simply click the mouse once in the paragraph you want to format. 50 Creating Accessible Online Courses Word 2007: Pick from the styles list on the Home tab ofthe Ribbon. Use the Styles dialogue box on the Quick Access Toolbar. Open the Styles and Formatting Pane: Alt + 0 + S; or open the Apply Styles task pane: Ctrl + Shift + S. • Word 2003: Pick from the formatting list----either from the Style menu on the Formatting toolbar or from the list on the Styles and Formatting pane. Keyboard Shortcuts Ifyou are creating a lot ofdocuments in Word, you can save a great deal oftime and energy by learning to use keyboard shortcuts. The following styles have built-in keyboard shortcuts: • Heading One = Ctrl + Alt + 1 • Heading Two = Ctrl + Alt + 2 • Heading Three = Ctrl + Alt + 3 • Remove manual formatting = Ctrl + Spacebar • Normal style = Ctrl + Shift + N • Change case = Shift + F3 • Headings Headings are probably the most important style to use in MS Word, as it provides the essential descriptive element for organizing and processing the information. Using MS Word, it is possible to impose some structure to the document in order to separate the heading information from the various paragraphs. These headings can be retained iflater converting to a Web page or a PDF document. 1. Move the cursor to the text information you wish to identify as a heading. 2. Under the Home menu, choose the appropriate heading style from the Style menu. Geology 2.3 - Volcanoes Types of La:va • Pillow Lava 51 Creating Accessible Online Courses 3. Ifthe heading level you need does not appear, click on the small arrow in the lower right comer ofthe Style ribbon. The text formatting may change from the normal or default style. The presentation • ofthe text size, color, and font style can be manipulated by opening the Styles 'tl~ar Fotmattingof I Instance(s) ,Qelete Heading 2,,, Removet'ro.m QUickSti/h!,Galiery palette (click on the small arrow in the lower right comer ofthe Style ribbon). Click on the heading you wish to change and select "Modify". This will allow you to modify the presentation ofthat heading. • Columns • 52 Creating Accessible Online Courses column setting. Do not, under any circumstances, use tabs or spaces to get columns. Word 2007: Go under Page Layout and look on the Page Setup group. Word 2003: Go under the menu to Format> Columns and choose the number of • columns you wish. Columns look better ifthe text is justified, a setting that you can select for the alignment ofthe paragraph. Adding AU Tags Microsoft Word 2007 (Windows platform) allows document authors to include text descriptions for images. For questions about how to properly describe an image or how much information to include, please remember to keep your descriptions brief and relevant to the central point. This method should be used for image content that is relatively simple and does not require extensive description ofthe image. If a longer description ofthe image is necessary to fully explain its content, consider inserting a more detailed description ofthe image within the document text that precedes and follows the image. 1. Open the document in Microsoft Word 2007. • ~ternative text: ._--- 'web browhers diSPla~ alternative telttwhilepictur·es are loading or ifthey are !TIissing ..Web seaf'ch engines use "alternidive textto help find Webpages. Alternati\ie Text is also used toaSsistJ.I$ers with disabilities",' 2. Select the image and perform a right-mouse button click. Choose the "Size" option. 3. Under the "Alt Text" tab, enter a short text description ofthe image. Include information about the content and/or function ofthe image. Word 2007: The location ofthe alt text varies depending on how the picture was put • into the document. 53 Creating Accessible Online Courses Pictures that were inserted into the document • Right click on the picture to open its context menu. • Click "Size." • • You'll see an option for alternate text that you can fill in. Pictures that were pasted into the document • Right click on the picture to open it's context menu. • You'll see a tab for alternate text. Word 2003 • Right click on the picture to open it's context menu. • Click "format picture." • Click the Web Tab. • Fill in the box for alternate text. Instant Large Print Now that you have an accessible Word document, there is one more trick to learn. It is very easy to change the font size in Word: 1. Select all the text in the document (Ctrl +A) • 2. Then use Ctrl + Shift +> to enlarge the text 3. Continue holding down the control and shift keys as you tap the right angle bracket (» and the text in your document will enlarge proportionally. 4. To make the text smaller, use the left angle bracket: Ctrl + Shift + <. Students can make the text any size they wish to on demand! Accessible PDF Accessible PDF documents can be created using the Adobe Acrobat software application in conjunction with Microsoft Office 2000IXP/2003/2007 applications. Adobe has also provided support for the creation of accessible PDF documents using other software applications (e.g., Adobe InDesign, Open Office, Adobe LiveCycle Designer, etc.). Using the appropriate Adobe tools, PDF documents can be created that support the interaction ofassistive computer technologies used by students with disabilities. Note - the PDF documents that will be created are often called "tagged-PDFs". Tagged PDFs provide the most flexibility and usability for assistive computer • 54 Creating Accessible Online Courses technology. PDF documents created using third-party tools (e.g., CutePDF, PrimoPDF, etc.) are not tagged-PDFs and would need to be evaluated using the • methods described in the Fixing PDF Documents section. Note - while it is possible to create PDF documents that are accessible, primary consideration should be given to HTML-based versions when creating accessible electronic documents. IfHTML-based documents are not appropriate, then an accessible version ofthe PDF document type may be considered. For more information about the use (and abuse!) ofPDF documents, please read http://www. alistapart.com/articles/pdf accessibility (page will open in a new browser window). Creating accessible versions ofPDF documents begins with integrating accessibility into the document authoring workflow. Most ofthe steps necessary to creating accessible PDF versions are identified in the Microsoft Word 2007 section. The steps in this section identify methods for adding accessibility information into the PDF document after it has already been produced. It is highly recommended to add the appropriate accessibility information into the document during the authoring phase (e.g., when in Microsoft Word, etc.) instead ofretrofitting the PDF version. Creating PDF documents from Microsoft Word 2007 Before creating PDF documents from Microsoft Word, it is highly recommended to review the section on Microsoft Word 2007 and follow those accessibility authoring guidelines. To create a PDF from Microsoft Word 2007, it is necessary to have either Adobe • Acrobat 9 installed OR to have downloaded the free Save As PDF or XPS plug-in Word Document Save-the document in the defaLJ.tt me format: ;Word Template ::1 1 ,;~I~ave Save the document ·in a tempfate that can ;:0 PelHed to format futurficfocurnents, i, ' ..."",'m"",m,m . Word 27-2003 Document .,'" .saYl! a< Save a copy of the document that ts.fully comabble wtthWord 97-2003, i ~ erint Pr~pare • '.;,,1.·1 .,... , 55 Creating Accessible Online Courses (link opens in a new window) from Microsoft. This will allow you to create PDF documents that support accessibility. After including the appropriate accessibility information, choose Save As and then either "Adobe PDF" or "PDF or XPS" to save the document as a PDF. The Adobe PDF option will only be displayed if you have installed Adobe Acrobat. • Ifcreating PDF documents from Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Before creating PDF documents from Microsoft PowerPoint, it is highly recommended to review the section on Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 and follow those accessibility authoring guidelines. 'PowerPoint PresentatIon Save the Jlresentation in the defautt file format. Powe~Point~bow 'Save as a, presenbtionthatalwaYS'opensilr1: Slide Show view, . PowerPGint~1-2003 Presentation Save a copy of the presentation thatls fliJr~ • compatible with PowerPa,inl97 -2003. ~. ;; Operlthe Save A'5.di1alog boxtos,erect from '11,11 nn"~ ttl IIi' m,.tlIol''\; • 56 Creating Accessible Online Courses To create a PDF from Microsoft PowerPoint 2007, it is necessary to have either Adobe Acrobat 9 installed OR to have downloaded the free Save As PDF or XPS plug-in from Microsoft. This will allow you to create PDF documents that support accessibility. After including the appropriate accessibility information, choose Save • As and then either "Adobe PDF" or "PDF or XPS" to save the document as a PDF. The Adobe PDF option will only be displayed ifyou have installed Adobe Acrobat. Adding Tags to PDFs Note - it is highly recommended that the first step in creating an accessible PDF is to use the original word-processing version ofthe electronic document (e.g., the Microsoft Word version). Manually repairing PDF documents can be time consuming when compared to using the original version of the file. Ifyou are creating a PDF document using the steps specified in the section "Creating Accessible PDF Documents", then you do not need to perfonn the following procedures. The following is applicable only ifyou are starting with an untagged PDF document. Adding tags manually to a PDF document using Adobe Acrobat does have some limitations. While Acrobat can automatically add tags to a PDF document, there is no guarantee that the document content will be tagged in the correct reading order. Documents that contain regions ofhigh complexity, such as visually-rich layouts, may not result in a tagged structure that follows the logical reading order ofthe original document. Any graphics or charts in the PDF document may not be processed correctly and may be rendered as "Figures" or "Inline Shapes". It is necessary to identify these items and add the appropriate alternative text • descriptions. One suggested workflow may be as follows: 1. Add tags to the PDF, ifthey do not already exist 2. Evaluate the reading order ofthe PDF document 3. Use the TouchUp Reading Order tool to reclassify content, add headings, and manipulate the overall reading order ofthe document. The above workflow is just one suggestion. As you become more familiar with the PDF documents you interact with on a regular basis, you may need to alter this general workflow to better suit your production environment. Adobe Acrobat 8.x and 9.x allows users to create a tagged PDF document from untagged PDF files. Adding tags to a PDF will allow you to add the appropriate accessibility information to the document (i.e., headings, image descriptions, etc.). After you have added tags to a PDF document, it may be necessary to that the document reading is correct. • 1. Open the PDF document that does not contain the tagged structure. 2. Select Advanced from the menu bar. 57 Creating Accessible Online Courses 3. Select Accessibility. 4. Choose "Add Tags to Document". 5. After the program finishes processing the document, use Save As and save the file with a new name. • 6. Open the new PDF document to check the logical order ofthe tagged file. For very large PDF documents, it may be better to separate the file into several smaller PDF files before running the "Add Tags to Document" function. Checking Reading Order It is important to assess the reading order ofa tagged PDF document ifyou are unsure if the "Add Tags to Document" function performed correctly (generally, this is not an issue with single column documents, but should be checked for multi· column layouts). An effective method to assessing the logical reading order ofthe tagged PDF is to save the PDF as a text file. This will present to you a file similar to how assistive computer technologies will read the document. Check the logical reading order ofthe text file as to where there may bc errors in order ofthe tags in the PDF document. 1. Open the PDF file in Adobe Acrobat, and select File from the menu bar. 2. Choose "Save As..." and you will receive the Save As window. 3. In the drop-down box "Save as type:" choose the option Text (Accessible). This will create a text file that can be opened in any text editor or word • processing application. 4. Review the text file for errors in the logical reading order ofthe text. Ifyou are using Adobe Acrobat 8, then this same functionality is also available by choosing File> Export> Text> Text (Accessible) from the button toolbar. PDF Headings For PDF documents, it is possible to add heading information when using Adobe Acrobat after the PDF has been produced. However, when possible, it is recommended to add headings while authoring the content - that is, while using Microsoft Word, Open Office, or another word processing application. Ifit is not possible to use the original word-processing application to add the headings, then heading structure may be added using Adobe Acrobat. 1. Open the TouchUp Reading Order tool (Advanced> Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order). 2. Identify the region oftext content that is to be a heading. 3. Using the cross-hair pointer, draw a box around the text information. Make • 58 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Types of Lava Pillow Lava sure that all the text information you wish to include is encompassed by the blue highlight. In the example below, the text "Geology 2.3 - Volcanoes" has ~ 'm..... ".« ...~.> h ~'~N'~.~» , ... ~» '" 'NO"',", N~~""' ,,,,,,. DralAl a rectangle: around the content then click one cif the D buttons below: ~ 'J . ~ ...[ ,., Te.,.x~t .~;)J [' F.igtJr~:...... , ...... !!!! ...... ' f" Jl • ~~.[ , {~J~iQlJr~/C~p~iiaq{",:" ,.] been outlined in blue. Specify the heading level (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) using the TouchUp Reading Order panel. Repeat the steps as necessary to identify the headings throughout the rest of the PDP document. In the example provided, the text "Geology 2.3 - Volcanoes" is the main topic ofthe document and would be assigned as Heading 1. Ifthere are more than three headings in the document, then use the • Heading 3 option in the Touch Up Reading Order panel for the remaining headings. 59 Creating Accessible Online Courses AU Text for Images in PDF After adding tags to a PDF document, it may be necessary to add text descriptions • for relevant images. The "Add Tags to Document" function will process the PDF and mark content as text, table, or a figure. Once an image has been identified and properly tagged, it is possible to add the text description. Ifa figure does not warrant a text description, then you can mark the element as "Background". 1. Make sure the document you are working with is a tagged-PDF. Tum on the TouchUp Reading Order tool (Advanced> Accessibility> TouchUp Reading Order) 2. Identify the image/figure in question and perform a right-mouse button click. 3. Choose "Edit Alternative Text. ..". Enter the appropriate text description for the image/figure you selected. 4. Choose OK to return to the main document. Summing up Accessible PDFs Ifyou have used styles and included text descriptions in your Word document, those features will transfer into your PDF document with the proper workflow. For Word 2003, you need to have Adobe Acrobat installed. On the menu bar, choose • Adobe> Convert to PDF. For Word 2007, you have two options. The first is using Adobe Acrobat: go to Adobe> Convert to PDF. You can also now download a free add-in from Microsoft. com called Microsoft Save as PDF. Adobe Reader, which is a free tool, has some wonderful accessibility tools, including enlarging print and changing the font/background color ofthe document. For more information on creating accessible PDF documents and using PDF documents for alternate media, see the HTCTU training manuals and tutorials at the HTCTU website: www.htctu.net. Accessible PowerPoint As long as you use the preloaded templates and styles in PowerPoint, you will be creating accessible documents. It is quite easy to modify the templates ifyou want different colors or fonts. You can add alt text in the same way that you did in MS Word by simply right-clicking on the picture. Ifthe PowerPoint document has been built on styles, it is even possible to go very easily from PowerPoint to braille. From the PowerPoint document, choose File and • Save as Outline/RTF. It is a simple matter to open the RTF document in MS Word and change the 60 Creating Accessible Online Courses PowerPoint styles from headings to index (i.e., change Heading 1 to Index 1, Heading 2 to Index 2, etc.). The reformatted document can be saved as a Word doc • and transferred into Duxbury to create a braille document. PowerPoint also works well for large print. Each slide can be printed to a separate page, and the font size is usually very good for students with low vision. The larger issue with PowerPoint is making sure that the design principles of layout and color are followed. Not all the PowerPoint templates have good contrast. Choosing a template with a dark even background color and a sans serif font in white or light yellow will ensure readability. It is also wise to follow the "six pack" rule. Include no more than six lines on one PowerPoint slide. Using Slide Templates for Layout The simplest way to ensure accessibility ofthe information you put into Power Point is to utilize the standard templates included with Power Point. While you can drop content any place on the slide in a variety ofways, only when you use the "Title" and "Content" areas can you ensure the information will be presented to assistive technology. • CI ick to add title ., CHck to add text ; I", 0 ·"""~' Power Point provides templates with many different configurations, allowing for many different types ofcontent to be placed in your presentation. To the left is an example ofa standard empty template. • With this template, you could type in content, or click on the media objects in the center ofthe main content area to import that type ofmedia. By using this template, you can ensure that your accessible information can be presented to students using assistive technology. Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Alt Text for Images Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 (Windows platform) allows document authors to include text descriptions for images. This method should be used for image content that is relatively simple and does not require extensive description ofthe image. If a longer description ofthe image is necessary to fully explain its content, consider inserting a more detailed description ofthe image within the document text that precedes and follows the image. ~Iternative text: • webbrowsers display alternative text whire picbJres are loadIng or ifthey are missing. WEiib,s'earch'ehgihes use ar~rnative text tri' " help fitjd Webpag~s. Alternative Text is also used to assist users ", <;With disabilities:: ,,' ", " • 62 Creating Accessible Online Courses 1. Open the document in Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. 2. Select the image and perform a right-mouse button click. Choose the "Size" option. • 3. Under the "Alt Text" tab, enter a short text description ofthe image. Include information about the content and/or function ofthe image. 4. Select "OK" and continue with the document creation. Adobe Dreamweaver Dreamweaver is a powerful program used not only to create HTML pages, but also entire websites. Dreamweaver provides the tools needed to layout pages with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets), rather than tables which is recommended for better accessibility. It also includes advanced scripting for JavaSript, AJAX, and others. Headings Using Dreamweaver, it is possible to impose some structure to the document in order to separate the heading information from the various paragraphs. NOTE - it is highly recommended to keep the same formatting for the same structure elements (i.e., all the Heading l's look the same, etc.) throughout your Web pages. This can be controlled using the Fonnat menu or by using Cascading Style Sheets if creating Web pages. • 1. Move the cursor to the text information you wish to identify as a heading. 2. Select Text from the menu bar and select Paragraph Format. comriiana~ ';, Site :Wi~dow >"~_ ...... ,;~~,~-,~~~._<~",, Ctrl+Alt+] >,\< ':;9' ~..". ,~~~' ,,«,> ,;~ ~"" j' '\ >;:. Ctrl+Alt+[ ~.:.Ji:iIl:.~_~._.~.~_ .._-,--_.- Paragraph Format ~ None Ctrl+O Align ~ I Paragraph ctrl+Shift+P List ~ ..; Heading 1 Ctrl+ 1 Heading 2 Ctrl+2 ~ Font Heading 3 Ctrl+3 Style ~ I Heading 4 Ctrl+4 ~ CSS Styles ~ i I..J, -Size 'I' Heading 5 Ctrl+S ~nterprlsel Size Change ~ Heading 6 Ctrl+6 ;~eform,a:t:~. e~t Color... L ' ; Ii it '" '" , .-,,·~~~~~~pe~I:~ill ,..:hif,tl;f.?,"",~ Introduction l .. 1 Enterprise engendennent accelerates initiative platfonns, reducing staffing components, j accessibility, resulting in bottom line pluralisms, benefit-wise. Incidental re-sizing staff re, • attrition can.be accelerated by paradigm shifts and focusing on core suitability and cross 63 Creating Accessible Online Courses 3. Choose the appropriate heading option (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) or select Paragraph to identify the text passage as a paragraph. 4. The text formatting may change. The presentation ofthe text size, color, and font style can be manipulated by selecting Text on the menu bar and choosing the Color option. Alternatively, ifyou are using cascading style • sheets (CSS), then you can modify your CSS values to alter the visual presentation ofthe headings. AU Text for Images in Dreamweaver 1. Place your cursor at the appropriate location to insert an image and choose Insert from the menu bar. Select the "Image" option. OK·::t~: '.....~:.. '. /d C;:'!lncel,:, ;1;1: HeJp,L: 2. Ifthe accessibility preferences have been enabled, a prompt will appear to enter the appropriate text description for the image. Enter the description and select the "OK" button. This will provide the necessary accessibility information for assistive technology. • 3. If the image is ofno consequence (aka. eye candy) and does not contain information pertinent to the information, then you can use the drop-down list to select the Data Tables Tables used for presentation purposes are generally referred to a "layout tables" while tables used to organize information are referred to as "data tables". In the past (and to a certain extent today), layout tables were used to control the layout ofthe page to insure a similar site presentation across different Web browsers. Assistive computer technologies initially had difficulty with the use of layout tables for the Web, however, this is not as much an issue in recent practice. Today, most assistive computer technologies can interact with Web pages that have been created using layout tables without additional work on behalfof the Web page developer. For word processing or PDF documents, using layout tables for presentational purposes is not recommended and should be avoided. Layout tables for word processing and PDF documents can cause a number of accessibility challenges and limit the ability ofassistive computer technology to interact with the document content. Data tables are exactly what the name implies - a table that contains data about some information sequenced in a specific format. For example, ifyou have a list of • 64 Creating Accessible Online Courses days, a list ofappointments on specific days, and a list ofspecific times for those appointments on specific days, it would make sense to develop a table to display that information. For the Web, data tables require additional code and information in order to effectively communicate the information to the Web page visitor using assistive computer technology. By choosing the appropriate options in the Table • window, Adobe Dreamweaver can automatically include the appropriate code and simplify the process ofcreating accessible data tables. 1. Select Insert from the menu bar and choose Table. 2. Enter the number ofrows and columns for your table. You can also determine the Width ofyour table (it is recommended to use percentages • instead ofpixels for specifying table width). 3. Select the box with the type ofheading information that is appropriate for your data. You should choose a header type for either the row, column, or both. 4. Enter a brief description in the Summary field. You do not have to enter • information in the Caption field, however, it is important to enter a 65 Creating Accessible Online Courses summary ofthe information contained within the data table. By choosing the appropriate "Header" option, Adobe Dreamweaver will automatically code the table with the necessary accessibility information. All that is left is for the document author to add the actual data to the table in Adobe Drearnweaver. Ifyou need additional rows or columns, simply add the rows or • columns as necessary and the accessibility information will be included. WYSIWYG HTML Editors What You See Is What You Get HTML editors are very commonly used to enter content into CMS (Course Management Systems). Although the examples that follow are from MoodIe and Blackboard, many ofthe same functions can be found in other WYSIWYG Editors. Enterprise arketing • In troduct;on III •••••• III •• Ill. ~." III. III •••• oil. jj., III" •••• III. ,~.nt.~rPrLs..~, .~.o.g~.tJ.g.~rm~.tJt accelerates initiative platforms, reducing staffi technical accessibility, resulting in bottom line P!.I,lI9.U.s.rm., benefit-wise. requirements through attrition can be accelerated by paradigm shifts anc cross-trai ni ng. Headings in HTML Using a WYSIWYG editor, it is possible to impose some structure to the document in order to separate the heading information from the various paragraphs. 1. Move the cursor to the text information you wish to identify as a heading. 2. Choose the appropriate heading option (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) or select Paragraph to identify the text passage as a paragraph. 3. The text formatting may change. The presentation ofthe text size, color, and • 66 Creating Accessible Online Courses font style can be manipulated independently from the heading information. • AU Text for Images in WYSIWYG fD Insert Image f "1t,~'~;t'~T ~,,:,','., 8,S.e.. ie.'.e.·.'.'.,t.•.. '.:.',I.,m.:.•. ·.•.','..',a..:·..9..·.',:.:,',e.'.,,:.•. "'.'" ~ , '""".I:k~ .';>,~ ". ".,., III Browse or Specify Source URl :"~ '1m~~!,gp.~ie~~' , Set Width Set Height • Image TargetURl launch in new window I!!l) Yes No Click Submit to finish. Click Cancel to quit. • 67 Creating Accessible Online Courses Most WYSIWYG editors for learning management systems provide the option to include a text description for images during the upload process. The screenshots below are ofthe MoodIe and Blackboard image upload interfaces. The "Alternate Text" entry is where you would include your text description for the image. When adding content-based images to your instructional materials, include a text description that specifies the content and/or function ofthe image. • MoodIe Image Interface Blackboard Image Interface Checklist of General Tips Change the AutoCorrect settings, and work with Show/Hide turned on (Ctrl + SHIFT + 8 to show invisibles). Do not use spaces to move words, use tabs. Do not use tabs to create columns, use the "column" feature under formats or create a table. Use one tab only for spacing. Adjust tabs with the ruler. Do not use hard returns to add space, adjust the spacing ofthe paragraph. Do not make adjustments to the appearance of a paragraph by hand, instead use styles. Do not use underlining. Use the Strong (bold) and Emphasis (italics) attribute styles for • individual words/phrases. • 68 Creating Accessible Online Courses To take the document into braille, use only the following styles: Normal/default paragraph/body text Heading 1 Heading 2 • Heading 3 List! List Bullet! List Number Index (levels 1-9) For braille, remember, do not space around dashes/hyphens or other punctuation; use four hyphens for a blank line Know when to choose a serif font or a sans serif font. Captioning & Multimedia Accessibility Captioning Basics Captions have been around since the earliest days offilm, and throughout this time they have been largely taken for granted by the public at large. Many people are surprised to learn ofthe complexity and variety of captioning concerns and techniques, especially with the recent proliferation of digital media formats on the World Wide Web. However, there is some reason and purpose behind the scenes that makes it all easy to deal with, once you understand the basics. For an exhaustive overview ofhow to format your captions, please refer to the Described and Captioned Media Program's "Captioning Key" at http://www.dcmp. • org/captioningkey/. Captions vs Subtitles They both look similar to the casual observer, but there are some important differences between captions and subtitles. Traditionally there were established rules regarding the use andformatting of captioning and subtitles, but with the advent ofdigital media much control was lost over the use and techniques ofthe two technologies. Originally, subtitles were intended to simply provide a translation for speakers ofother languages, and captions were intended to provide all ofthe relevant audio information in textual form for native speakers who couldn't hear. Visually, captions are different from subtitles because captions always have a dark background, while subtitles are just white text with no background. There is a more important difference between captions and subtitles than the way they appear onscreen: subtitles are usually a translation ofthe spoken dialogue, while captions are always in the native dialogue being spoken onscreen, and captions also include other sound events besides dialogue. • Today you can find examples ofcaptions being used as subtitles and vice versa, 69 Creating Accessible Online Courses but whether they be subtitles or captions is ultimately moot, as long as they are providing an equivalent experience for those individuals who are unable to hear the content. Basic Formatting Concerns • In general, it is advised that you format captions according to the following principles: • Use two lines • Left-align the two lines • Try to keep less than 32 characters per line • Use a sans seriffont such as Helvetica, Arial, etc. • Use both upper- and lower-case letters • Transcribe dialogue word for word, but avoid nonsense syllables such as "00" and "err." Line Division It is also important to pay attention to how your lines break. You should always try to stick to the following principles: • Keep modifiers with the word they modify • Keep prepositional phrases together • • Keep a person's name and title together • Break lines before a conjunction • Keep auxiliary verbs with the word it modifies • Break captions at the end of a sentence When a sentence is broken into two or more lines of captions, it should be broken at a logical point where speech normally pauses unless it would exceed the 32-characters.per-line requirement. 1. Do not break a modifier from the word it modifies. Example INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE Mark pushed his black Mark pushed truck. his black truck. 2. Do not break a prepositional phrase. Example: • 70 Creating Accessible Online Courses INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE Mary scampered under Mary scampered the table. under the table. • 3. Do not break a person's name nor a title from the name with which it is associated. Examples: INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE Bob and Susan Bob and Susan Smythe Smythe are at the are at the movies. movies. Suzy and Professor Suzy and Professor Barker Barker are here. are here. 4. Do not break a line after a conjunction. Example: INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE In seconds she arrived, In seconds she arrived, and and he ordered a drink. he ordered a drink. 5. Do not break an auxiliary verb from the word it modifies. Example: INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE Mom said I could Mom said I could have have gone to the gone • movies. to the movies. 6. Never end a sentence and begin a new sentence on the same line unless they are short, related sentences containing one or two words. Example: INAPPROPRIATE APPROPRIATE He suspected that his He suspected that his face face turned pale. He knew he turned pale. wouldn't be able to He knew he wouldn't speak be able if spoken to. Running to speak ifspoken to. toward Running toward the the void, he halted... void, he halted... Thanks to Described and Captioned Media Program's Captioning Key for Educational Media for these examples. Presentation Rate The timing ofcaptions will depend somewhat on the speaker who is onscreen, but • in general, the following principles should be observed: 71 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Allow for a minimum of 1.5 seconds duration for each 32 characters oftext. • Allow a minimum oftwo seconds duration to display the last 32 characters • oftext before blanking or moving captions. • Do not display anyone caption for less than one full second. • The maximum presentation rate should be three seconds duration for each 32 characters oftext. Italics Italics are used in captions to indicate off-screen dialogue, such as from the following sources: • Voice-over reading by a narrator • Off-screen dialogue • Dreaming, thinking, etc. • Background audio: PA system, stereo, television, etc. • Foreign words • Emphasis Sound Effects Sound effects should be captioned as well when they add meaning to the content or • are important for any reason. When including sounds in your captions, follow these principles: • Include all important sounds • Use description (in brackets) and onomatopoeia (the sounds an animal makes, like "Meow" or "Moo") • Italicize if off-screen • Lowercase • Sustained sounds use present participle (-ing) • Be as precise as possible Music It is important to include music infonnation in your captions, especially when it directly supports the visual content, or adds important information that the characters will respond to. Here are some considerations to keep in mind when dealing with music in your captions: • 72 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Use descriptions that indicate mood. • Caption lyrics verbatim, including the name ofvocalist or group and song title in brackets. • • Place musical notes around lyrics, and separate with a space. • When no lyrics are available, or you can't use them, provide a description. Laws on Video and Captioning Section 508 on Videos (c) All training and informational video and multimedia productions which support the agency's mission, regardless offormat, that contain speech or other audio information necessary for the comprehension ofthe content, shall be open or closed captioned. Interpretation: Videos must be captioned before they are shown in the classroom for the first time. It is possible to purchase videos that do not have captions, but uncaptioned videos are to be captioned before they are shown in the classroom for the first time, i.e., before they become required course materials. Who pays to have these uncaptioned videos captioned? Remember that Section 508 is a campus responsibility, so it becomes a campus expense. Many campuses are requiring that the department ordering the video also pay for the captioning. Be aware that under Section 508, captioning is required whether or not deaf • students will be in the class. Captions are required so that access is already in place when a disabled student expresses a need. Captioning and Distance Ed Do you have to caption everything?!? There are a few exceptions. "Raw footage" is exempt. Raw footage is defined as materials that are for a single, restricted use and are not archived. An example might be student videos. The students would not need to caption their work. Another example might be a longer video from which only clips will be taken. Ifthe compendium of clips is archived and reused, then that would need to be captioned; however, the original from which the clips were taken would not need to be. Restricted-access materials may be exempt. When a video will be shown only to a restricted set ofusers and none ofthose users require captions, you do not need to caption. An example might be a password protected class in which a video specifically for that class is shown. Please note that • ifthe video is meant to be a permanent part ofthe class term after term, then this 73 Creating Accessible Online Courses exemption no longer applies as you do not know who might be taking the class in the future. Transcripts Transcripts alone are not sufficient for video. Whenever you have pictures and • sound, then the captioned text and video must be synchronized. Imagine ifthe speaker says, "Never mix these two ingredients," and you do not know what is being shown on the screen! Transcripts are fine for audio-only podcasts, however, as there is no picture with which to synchronize the text. A Word about Captions and Foreign Languages Subtitles on foreign films are not the same as captions, but for classroom purposes, they are usually sufficient. Captions are always done in the language spoken in the video. As an example, Spanish language videos would be captioned in Spanish, not English. You are not required to provide translations. Unless the hearing students in the class are expected to be able to understand the Spanish language with no additional support, there is no reason to have this foreign language video captioned. Captions do differ from subtitles in that captions include all auditory content, not just speech. Subtitles are designed for a hearing audience, so they do not include any information about sound other than speech. Slamming doors, barking dogs, laughter, etc. are all included in the text descriptions in captions. Decoders • Closed captions are turned on and off with a "decoder." Televisions (since the '80s) have decoders built in; however, not all overhead projectors have decoders and not all computer software plays captions. Windows Media Player, Real Player, and QuickTime all have the capability to play captions. Just like with your television set, however, the captions must be turned on to be viewed. To Caption or Not to Caption? What multimedia material do you need to caption for your online course? Do you always have to caption? What ifit's raw footage? What ifit's from You Tube? What ifit's a sample of student work? What ifthe instructor owns it? Here is a simple summary ofwhen to caption and when not. • Caption: Ifthe material has video and audio and will be archived for a course or used repeatedly in other courses, then you need to have the material captioned. Please note: Ifthe material has audio and video, you need to caption. A transcript is not sufficient. • Caption: Ifthe video will also be shown in the classroom, regardless of • 74 Creating Accessible Online Courses whether it is instructor-owned or campus-owned, caption it. • Caption: Ifyou take clips from longer works and string them together and archive the finished video, then it needs to be captioned. • • Caption: Any video created by the campus and placed on a public Web site. • Transcript: Ifthe material is audio only, no video, and is archived, then a transcript is all you need. • Do not caption: Ifthe material is only for this term and the class has restricted access (i.e., it's password protected and only students who are enrolled in the class have access), then you only need to caption (or provide a transcript) ifa student requests captioning as an accommodation. • Do not caption: Ifthe material is on YouTube and you are just providing a link, then you only need to caption if a student requests an accommodation. (Please note: YouTube videos are not public domain. Permission may be required to caption.) • Do not caption: Ifthe material is student work or other raw footage that will not be archived. • Do not caption: There is no need to caption longer works ifyou are just pulling clips from it. Wait and caption the montage that you create. • • Do not caption: Ifthe video already has foreign language subtitles, do not caption unless requested to do so as an accommodation. As a simple rule ofthumb: Ifyou're keeping it and more than a limited audience might access it, then caption or transcribe it. Getting Funding for your Captioning Projects Fortunately for everyone working in distance ed in the California community colleges, the Chancellor's Office has recognized the expense ofcaptioning and created a grant to help. The Distance Education Captioning and Transcription (DECT) Grant The Distance Education Captioning and Transcription (DEeT) grant is being administered by College ofthe Canyons in Santa Clarita, California. The director is James Glapa-Grossklag. http://www.canyons.eduiOffices/Distance Learning/Captioning/default.html To find out more about how this grant works, see James' seminar "Fund your Captioning Projects" (link opens in new window). The grant supports captioning and transcription for multimedia materials used in the following activities: • • Distance education classes at CCCs 75 Creating Accessible Online Courses • Live (aka synchronous) distance education • Delayed (aka asynchronous) distance education Classes may be for-credit or non-credit courses; however, conununity education • and community extension courses are not supported. Funding can be paid either as reimbursements to the colleges or as direct payments to vendors when approved vendors are utilized. The application process is as follows: 1. Identify classes that need captioning or transcription 2. Choose vendor selection process 3. Estimate number ofminutes, get quote 4. Submit application 5. Notification of award 6. Submit end-of-term report on retention and success rates The first step is to arrange for an agreement between your college and College ofthe Canyons. Make sure to contact the grant before contracting with the pre-approved vendors • in order to ensure that funds are available. See the FAQs on the DECT Web site for more information: http://www.canyons.edu/Offices/DistanceLearning/Captioning/faq/faq.htm To find out more about how this grant works, see James' seminar "Fund your Captioning Projects" (link opens in new window). Where are My Captions? VHS Tapes VHS tapes may have open captions (captions that are always visible) or closed captions. Subtitles are an example of a type ofopen captions. They do not have to be turned on. They also cannot be turned off. They are part ofthe video picture itself. Closed captions, on the other hand, can be turned on and off. They live between the lines ofthe picture itself on something referred to as Line 21. In order to take the captions from where they are hiding on Line 21 and project them onto the video, a • piece of equipment called a "decoder" must be present. The decoder "decodes" the hidden captioning information and puts it together into visible captions. 76 Creating Accessible Online Courses Ifthe VHS tape has closed captions, then they just need to be turned on. Typically, this is a fairly simple matter when you are showing the tape on a television set. It is often easiest to access the captions with the TV remote, but most TVs have buttons on the front that can also be used to turn on the captions. • Be aware, however, that ifthe tape is being shown through an overhead projector, there may not be a decoder in the circuit. Ifthere is no decoder, you will not be able to show your closed captions. Very few overhead projectors have decoders built in. When no decoder is in the projection unit, an external decoder will be required to turn on the captions. DVD DVDs may have true closed captions, coded on Line 21, and in that case, you will need a decoder to see the captions. DVDs may also have something called Subtitles for the Deafand Hard ofHearing. These captions are called "subtitles" for two reasons: 1. They do not live on Line 21 as true closed captions do. 2. They are formatted like subtitles are on VHS tape (no dark background behind the words). Even though these captions are called subtitles, they can be turned on and off. These subtitles are created with individuals who are deaflHoH in mind, so they are word-for-word transcriptions and do contain all the sound-related information that • standard closed captions would. Web Media Unlike DVDs and VHS tapes, captions on the Web exist in a separate file from the video and audio files. Multimedia on the Web is comprised ofa number of separate files held together by something called a SMIL (Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language) file. The SMIL file is like a master controller that links all the pieces together. The first issue with Web media is to ensure that all the pieces are together in one folder. Ifthe files become separated, the SMIL file will not know where to look for all the pieces. Displaying captions for Web media will depend on what program you use to view the media. Tapes Recorded from TV Ifyou have recorded a VHS tape of a television program, the odds are very good that it is already captioned. As long as the original program was captioned, the tape will be captioned, as well. You do not have to have the captions turned on during • the recording. Television captions live on Line 21, so when you capture the video 77 Creating Accessible Online Courses stream, you also capture the captions. All you have to do is turn the captions on. Captioning Essentials (transcript, timing, and a wrapper with • a handle) Addmittedly, there is a lot involved in the realm of captioning- however, ifyou consider the bigger picture it can all be reduced to a few simple concepts: • You will need a text transcript ofall significant audio (dialogue, sound effects, music, etc.). • The text transcript will have to be formatted to fit on the screen in readable chunks. • The chunks oftext will have to be given a time to show up in the screen. • The final pieces (video, text chunks, and timing) must be combined in an accessible package (file). • The complete production must be presented through an accessible video player. Tools for Captioning There are many captioning tools available, some free and some very expensive. Regardless ofthe tools at your disposal, the essential task is to create a series of • lines oftext, each associated with a time value for when it shall be presented on the screen. Industrious and clever individuals can spend a lot of time using basic tools and cobbling the pieces together, but it is commonly agreed that the most efficient and effective way to deal with captioning issues is to pay an expert to do it for you. Captioning can be incredibly tedious and time-consuming, especially for those who are new to it. The cost vs benefits for captioning inhouse are continuosly in skew of greater cost than benefit, with a few remarkable exceptions. However, ifyou wish to pursue captioning on your own, here are some tools to assist you: Getting a Transcript and Converting Videos One ofthe most time consuming parts of captioning video is getting a transcript. The goal is to guarantee the transcript is as accurate to the original audio as possible (though you should leave out verbal "garbage"--the typical "urn's" and "uh's" that creep into conversation). As you format your transcript, use the conventions from the previous section to format the transcript for inclusion in your final video, including adding speaker changes and sound effects. Time spent making such these minor formatting additions will inevitably save you time in the long run. Speech Recognition While using speech recognition solely to create transcripts would be a very bad • 78 Creating Accessible Online Courses idea, it should be noted that using speech recognition software may serve as another tool in your captioning arsenal to ease the transcription process. Windows computers have had speech recognition software built in to the operating system for a while. With Windows 7, the built-in speech recognition approaches the quality ofthird-party products, such as Nuance's Dragon. The best way to use • speech recognition for transcription is to "echo" the audio; that is, use a headset microphone to play the video/audio and "echo" what you hear, allowing the speech recognition to assist the transcription.Starting with the MediaAny Video ConverterAny Video Converter (http://www.any-video-converter.comlproducts/ for video_free/) is a free Windows program that provides a simple interface for importing video and converting it to a range offormats. It can also download and convert videos from YouTube. Using Any Video Converter: After starting Any Video Converter, click the Add Video button and browse to your video. File Edit Convert i.... f) .. . '. ; • Select MP3 Audio from the Output Profile menu. The default settings should be OK. Click the Convert button. • 79 Creating Accessible Online Courses When the conversion completes, Windows Explorer will open with the folder containing the converted file displaying. Copy the MP3 file to a convenient location. Express Scribe Express Scribe (http://www.nch.com.au/scribe/) is a free Windows and Mac • program that allows the user a high degree of control over the playback of audio files. With Express Scribe, a user can start, pause, and rewind short segments ofan audio file by using simple, universally available keyboard shortcuts--the keyboard shortcuts work regardless ofwhat application currently is being focused. It is also possible to play back audio at a slower speed than the original recording, without overly distorting the spoken text and maintaining comprehensibility. Using Express Scribe to Facilitate Transcription Ifyou are lucky enough to have a video in MP4, FLV, or MOV format, Express Scribe will import it and play it back. Otherwise you will need audio in MP3 or WAV format. To load a video or audio file for playback, click the Load button and browse for the audio/video. You can press the Play button to get a sense of the quality ofthe audio. Ifplayback is too fast, adjust the Playback Speed, in the lower right corner ofthe interface. You may also want Express Scribe to stay on top of other windows. To do this, choose Float Above Other Windows from the View menu. • • 80 Creating Accessible Online Courses Finally, use the Mini Scribe interface to minimize screen real estate. • Express Scribe has very extensive shortcut keys, but the most important for simple playback for purposes oftranscription are: • F9 starts playback • • F4 pauses playback • F7 progressively rewinds audio/video from the current point For more information on digital captioning and other tools, please visit the High Tech Center Training Unit Website: www.htctu.net. YouTube: Easy Do-it-Yourself Captioning YouTube has added a service to their website that allows you to easily create captions for your youtube videos, as well as create the beginnings ofa transcript (using YouTube Speech recognition), and assigning timecode to your transcript. You can download the various assets (text transcript & subtitle file with timecodes) and use them in other programs as well. From the YouTube website: Adding and Editing captions / subtitles A caption file contains both the text and information about when each line oftext should be displayed. A transcript file, on the other hand, just contains the text ofwhat was said in the • video. Ifthe video's in English, YouTube can use speech processing algorithms to 81 Creating Accessible Online Courses determine when the words in a transcript should be displayed. To add captions or subtitles to one ofyour videos, you'll need to have transcript or • caption files with the captions/subtitles in them. Once you have the files, log into your YouTube account to upload them and: Mouse over your usemame located in the upper right comer of every page. Click Video Manager. You will then be directed to a page showing your uploaded videos. Find the video to which you'd like to add captions/subtitles and click the down arrow located to the right ofthe Edit and Insight buttons. Select the Captions and Subtitles button from the drop down menu. Click the Add New Captions or Transcript button on the right hand side ofthe page. You will be prompted to Browse for a file to upload. Select a caption/subtitle or transcript file to upload. Ifyou are uploading a tran script (no timecodes), select Transcript file, otherwise, select Caption file. Select the appropriate language. Ifyou wish, you can also enter a track name. Click the Upload File button. Auto Captions on YouTube: In order to request auto-captions on a video, you must be the video owner. Ifthis is • true: Sign into your account On the Captions and Subtitles pane, click the Request Processing button (you will only see this button ifthe video hasn't been processed yet). You'll see Machine Transcription (processing) in the list of available caption tracks. That means it's working! It can take a few days for the speech recognition track to become available for viewing and download. When you Don't own the Copyright: Dotsub.com Dotsub.com is a website featuring free and for-pay captioning and translating services for YouTube videos. With Dotsub.com you can create captions for other people's videos, and then have the video appear on a new page, with your captions seamlessly integrated into the production. Best yet, it is completely legal! Visit www.dotsub.com for more information. • 82 Creating Accessible Online Courses Optimizing Content for Online Delivery • Content vs Container When dealing with accessibility ofdigital information, it is important to recognize the limitations ofeach component in the delivery ofthis information. Sometimes this is not as clear as you might first expect. While an electronic file might contain text, audio, or video, it is both a container and a "piece" of content. This content can also be placed inside another document, such as a webpage or a PDP, or as content in your LMS. When discussing accessibility capabilities of digital media, you must be aware ofthe context your media exists in. Different potentials for access are available depending on the aspects ofthe media and whether it is a base container, or content inside a bigger container. It is also important to recognize that accessibility does not automatically move from one type ofcontent to another. An accessible PDP document can not be placed in a web page and result in the web page suddenly being accessible. Nor can an inaccessible PDF be placed in an accessible web page and suddenly become accessible. The best practices for web design must be used for the web page as well as the PDP document as discreet objects (content) and as a related unit (container). Content Each digital document can be seen as a container for content, for example, a web • page can contain a wide variety ofcontent, such as text, images, video, or audio files. Each ofthese pieces ofcontent has specific attributes that must be addressed to ensure accessibility. Likewise, web pages must be designed accessibly in order to allow access to the individual pieces ofcontent contained within. Web pages become content when they arc placed in a larger container, such as a Moodle or Blackboard Learning Management System (LMS). Container In addition to the content contained in the web page being accessible, the container (web page or LMS) needs to be designed accessibly as well. It is not enough to make the content accessible, it needs to be placed in a container that allows individuals to navigate and interact with the different types ofcontent contained therein. eMS and LMS Access Issues Container vs Content A container is an environment into which existing digital media can be imported. LMS systems can hold a variety ofdigital media, from PDP and MS Word • documents to MP3 's and Quicktime movies. These files must be created according 83 Creating Accessible Online Courses to the best practices for accessibility, according to each media type. Whatever the accessibility capabilities your LMS may have, the accessibility ofdigital media files (content) you import into the LMS is based on how the files were created. Most LMS systems provide an editing environment for creating content within the LMS. These editing tools vary in the options they provide, but most ofthem include • a way to employ the best practices for creating accessible content, such as headings, bulleted lists, alternate text for images, etc. ·-·---··~_······_·'····'···-··--'·_-·-~""-----··'"-'--_._..-_._-- _-- ..-.- -.~ ~ _ _ -- --.--- -- ~ ---- -._.._--,.,.---.-._ - _--] I. . ._----,---~ Chapter iIntrodu A Question of Capability Recognizing that an LMS serves as a container for content as well as featuring an editor for creating content raises the question ofwhich environment is best for creating accessible content? In order to best answer this question, you must first understand the capability for the LMS to support or provide accessibility as compared to the capability ofyour imported digital content to support or provide accessibility. Hopefully the capability ofthe LMS will allow sufficient options to ensure accessibility, but ifnot, using an HTML editor to create accessible HTML documents that you can then import into the LMS is always an acceptable strategy. Regardless ofthe accessibility concerns ofthe LMS, accessible HTML documents created outside the LMS and then imported into the LMS will retain their accessibility. Content must always be designed in an accessible manner, it is not enough to put a document inside an LMS that is accessible. • 84 Creating Accessible Online Courses , f1ly InstItutIOn 'jeVMiueST cOURsEltJAVMES TEST COURSE)' CONtBOLPAAliL 'COURSEMATcRIAI.S' !WSTUFF' MOOWV Heading 3 , Heading 1 Heading 5 text~based content Addre~~ f'ormatted <"'I < . • ;.~.r.~~~~~ .. ~ >. .~.~.. ". Above: The "Styles" menu from the Blackboard edit window. Container capabilities for access are different from content capabilities for access. As a container for content, you have no control over the accessibility ofthe LMS in tenns ofa delivery tool. As a creator of content, you have ultimate control over the accessibility ofwhat you make and then put into the LMS. However, both the container and content capabilities for accessibility are based on the same principles ofnavigation and interaction. Navigation The capability to navigate throughout an LMS is based on the same concepts of navigation within electronic documents. Through the use ofheadings, assistive technology can navigate within the modules ofan LMS just as it can navigate through an electronic document that is marked up with headers. When you create activities and resources within MoodIe, make sure to use the formatting options to include appropriate heading markup ofyour content. • 85 Creating Accessible Online Courses Tools My COllrses • €I What's New 10 Q €I :.:'e,pnOUYlCements ' ' Courses in which you are enrolled: , CO'UJ'!ie$ you srll Illschh,g: • ::'i:S~:dar' , l:l:I Jayroe"s Test Course No New II ems Announceroents Courses In whl~h lIou lUll llnrolled; , ',' S I - Welcome to Ihe Course! : lllJAYMES TEST COURSE; Jayroe'sXes! '!~~~ :::rt :;::;,},j: i Coume 1 95 New Conlenlilems ila r s ,.. , lUll New Calendar Events ~Personallnfqrmation No syslem snnounQemenls have been posted in Ihe la611 days, • 1 New Announcements . Lut upd Jlli!LlL..... Above: A Blackboard course with headings outlined in red and green boxes. Another issue related to navigation is the capability for assistive technology to bypass redundant navigation structures in an interface or web page. Known as "Skip Links", these navigation aids are detectable by assistive technology while being difficult ifnot impossible to detect with the naked eye. In the pictures on this page, major level headings are outlined in red. The green outlines signify a smaller-level heading. The text that is highlighted in yellow besides each element indicates the heading level via the corresponding HTML tag. • ~~~ng Acc~~i QnllneC~o~u~~ """ .... ~ln'",~.lI*m_l$l»rtilt~) l:'~";~ 1tI,!~e~~:2i1fE:!~~~) ~ ~< , • ,u'}<< " , >. >" "ww~,-.-d&Llkl:.,"cl ;;if;~~~~~~:':.. .! Add a rww lI>J*,.. ~t /ttPMJ llILMPM,/liM 1 lloI1it\ltt'I'JIMl " "'*' \llJMI'11 dMMll'tM CM\enllboul lhil d\1S1. Irt Ifeal'l Tlbt>a)l! _ .." ' !!II ~m"",· .Ntwri5 forum .... ~ x,* , tn~~ "."x_ J1~:t,1~ii1~. 80 w.Ioome nJmr'Xluettori .. , III )( • • "Tl\«IlI'llre!'\Q~ '_b ' IIlnltOdIXW Images When you embed an image in an electronic document, always take advantage of any capability to also insert an alternate text description for the image. Commonly • referred to as an alt image tag, the name originates from an HTML markup tag created to allow for the text description to be embedded in the document for use by assistive technology and other uses. The concept being that assistive technologies used by individuals who can not see the image will be able to read the alternate text description instead. It is important to provide an accurate and concise description ofthe image, but remember to consider whether or not more explanation would be beneficial in the main text ofthe document. When you import images into MoodIe, you are able to associate alternate text with the image. Another aspect ofassessing the accessibility of an LMS is to determine ifthe LMS interface images have appropriate alternate text descriptions. This is • especially important ifthe LMS utilizes graphic buttons as controls for moving between modules and interacting with the content, as in MoodIe. You can see in the following picture how each ofthe graphical icons in the MoodIe shell has meaningful alt text associated to it (yellow highlighted areas). Creating Accessible 0t'l"ne Courses .~lI;·.A=-. ,> ~>,' '~l ~ ~ .~ TOPlii~'u~':'*01d' .....-t.... , ·.Jli·.P.~·',.;..If' .(' i·.~~"""'.;,.w"i~.*'!.~f M'~~"'~'~'" . 'f ." ...... ,...~.! -'''''''~ ..' CrNting .'; -"~JfJIJ t AcllYlll.. Acenslblll .Jay"" S,*,O."" (Stall) ~.....Jf _ .. ~tt>",._"g i:j;.~ilb....-,; t . Online complollloo... rn"",••• 4,~_!M'~,'l" Courses IJ2;ftI /'I./.Ap' 1 ~·IlIPoN"'" 1I:o."K••~WI MOIJGklsnrin If' N..,riV Tax DIIyt "' Above: MoodIe interface with alternate text revealed and highlighted in yellow. In the above image, you might wonder what kind ofalt text would suffice for • such a complex-looking image. Notice the caption used for the image, "MoodIe interface with alternate text revealed and highlighted in yellow." This accurately represents the intended message being conveyed by the image, and is adequate alt text. Sufficient details have already been provided in the main text as to the more complex pieces ofthe picture, and there is no need to go further in the alt text tag. Blackboard And yes, just in case you were wondering, Blackboard supports the association of alt text with images as well. _Insert Image Il Browse~ J or Specify Source URL J Forexampfe, hftp:l.l wwwJltyschaol..edu/ , i"<,>,~<<,.;F, ,,~ . O'.'.i.;'<<:<<:<<<.<0':"~Y'<<" '.,' " > "" ~,"2fC"2'i,'N'''7:F>'t>' r~8,'~,~Image Q~tldns """,,'')t,,""',',' , "",-, '''' "w"ww""" '" ,,,' ' "mm"""m ;,~ ,"'" • I SetWidth Set HeIght Image Target URL [ "] For exa-mple. htip;~tl'wIN"I.fITyscha"l. edlll Alt Te"t • 88 Creating Accessible Online Courses Discussion Boards and Forums Discussion boards and forums have traditionally been some ofthe more problematic aspects of LMS in terms of accessibility for users of assistive technology, especially screen readers. In general, the addition ofextra • communications features also adds to the overall complexity ofthe interface. In addition, deeply threaded discussions can present challenges for users ofassistive technology to interact and respond with. MoodIe provides a simple interface for the discussion boards and news forums that makes it easier to respond and interact with individual messages in a discussion thread. Students have the option to configure how the messages will be displayed and organized, allowing for optimal compatibility with their assistive technology, Creating Accessible Online Courses , ttoMot" "'-_• ,foro_' H_forum' ,... NeetlyTu c.yt Q) ."••""••••• ~~,~::~~r:~,~~~ >:> •• ;,:.<>i;-:.i/ tE~~~~'t~p';:7m<.$'::;:;.:I} .- .!ii'l'luriY ,.~f:;<~%;~l!fi<:~. ' ~,i!:~~T:1·· .,,;;;, ilt"'~·~·h!n,,.,~~. " That'1 ngl'll O'ller)'OM , Urmt to kick Up YQlJr n.ieh 81'4 CGiilbi1l:tO ··'<'1 , ••.• ::' ~lholOdedudJcm alld lalla lOOM ru ¢mdll$ 'QIUIO Il'JQnl al1l no frM _s w<1h tI\C llilS. ECIiIIO.IJI_:t • MoodIe news forum with message display options displayed. Blackboard allows for powerful discussions and forums as well, but some ofthe tools might be difficult for users of assistive technologies to conveniently locate. You can help increase accessibility offorums by making sure the discussions stick to a consistent theme, and starting new thread topics to alleviate excessive long subject threads. '.' " Courso Discussions: Jaym,'a T"t Forum Ej;¥!i~;;;;;~~~:mllI .=".".mu==,~~,~"~="m=«NN='~~=~" ,y N.=__ • ""'~, •...~ Th~~d .. r.oR~~;;:i;c~il~tj:i ~iZk h'~' ',~M~'.k :Uh;~'d ...... I" ... I'" ... I I ~ft I 'bi'#lIid h:~f'#jt '.lIl:tiR l t~~ rtnM$J tQ(~l PI 10/13109 e,17 PW LeI's $tirt Sf mrnd • Above: Blackboard Discussion Forum 89 Creating Accessible Online Courses Summary Checklist for Course Accessibility Remember that the course will only be as accessible as the material you upload! To have a fully accessible course, accessible materials must be loaded into an • accessible shell. • Create accessible documents by using styles, and using proper formatting • Use textual equivalents for nontext content • • 90 Creating Accessible Online Courses o Use alt tags for graphics o Use captions for videos • o Create transcripts for audio • Understand and utilize the accessibility features ofyour course-delivery system. Live Delivery of web-based learning (CCCConfer) Visual Access There are several ways to enhance the visual presentation of information within Elluminate, both on the transmitting and on the receiving side ofthe experience. For students with visual impairments who are using CCC Confer's version of Elluminate, it is important to recognize the availability ofthe built-in assistive technology oftheir operating system. Windows and Mac OS X both provide basic tools that can be used to make the computer environment more accessible. Elluminate takes advantage ofthese capabilities and allows for the operating system to determine what the visual scheme will be. • M~kc ~;ct'.Jr OOrllp.Jher t'~jer l:iJ U$C .: i~:~ ~ !:lxiI, urllW, ~i>:.b.~,~Ii9"" otnd. i;I..da;"'· .. 11';;" tb",llri ....:.,~Iy. PIoiit.I.... S~'Jl.CEi.JlI" .... ill ~·wtfv1"'l}rJfl€lr "11 5tSft f'Jiff.i/l':<' • Shlrt':;n-W€lenMYOOllrcl r S<:!tlJr-Hi~~) CQ(II)\\litt £>;llow .$~t1ir(:Is ""'.npOH~ tt-. nfflt!JO,. lhoy ...1....t""'.tdl... .t.oI't 0..1\ IYrn :I'=U kl9"'" '~~' It'\e t!w.X00t< ,~, ,.''''1\0''', ,#:;,tl{ilfr .." C!Illrotltf,)tlm 1-.1>1<. ,h;, \.I-;~ Iht H¥111Y4I(j ·.<~·If When students with visual impairment utilize screen magnifiers to enlarge or • change the color scheme ofthe computer display, Elluminate will continue to 91 Creating Accessible Online Courses provide interactive text chat, video, whiteboard, and desktop sharing. Changing the system's visual settings or starting assistive technology applications while Elluminate is in mid session can produce undesirable results. It is advised (and expected) that students will have their assistive technologies and system configuration settings in place before launching Elluminate. When students are using assistive technology or custom display configurations, they can safely launch • and use Elluminate. AMX Database Training: Session 1 $elan KMQPn High T~ Ceftll\lr framIng Unll for the Cllitortlla Communirj CoIIeoN • Example ofElluminate running under a High-Contrast system setting. The Elluminate interface itself is configurable to several pre-defined settings, or the end-user can customize which components to view and what size they want them to be. When a user creates a custom interface layout, Elluminate will remember this layout the next time they logon to the system. This allows each user to specify the type ofinterface they will have, according to their needs and desires. To access the pre-defined layout options within Elluminate, start with the "View" menu, and then select "Layouts", and choose from the following options: Default Layout, Wide Layout, Tall Layout, Narrow Minimal Layout, Flat Minimal Layout, Left Docked Minimal Layout, Right Docked Minimal Layout, and Whiteboard Only. It is important to note that in order to be able to resize the individual component windows for a custom layout in Elluminate, one must first ensure that the Layouts are not locked. From within the "View" menu ofthe Elluminate interface, check to see that the "Layouts Locked" option is not checked to ensure the layouts are not locked. Finally, it is important to note that for students who are blind and using a screen reader to access Elluminate, they will have to first install the Java Accessibility • 92 Creating Accessible Online Courses Bridge (http://www.elluminate.com/support/javaaccessibility.jsp).This link will open in a new window. Once this has been installed Elluminate can be used with modem screen reading applications. On the other end ofthings is the ability and need to provide the largest and easiest • to see presentations possible, so as to give everyone a decent chance at seeing what is going on. Elluminate allows you to specify a custom presentation size, called "Screen Size" for your presentations. You can select from a variety ofpre-defined resolutions, or you can choose your own custom settings. In addition to specifying screen sizes for your presentations, Elluminate allows you to enlarge images placed on the whiteboard by selecting them and using the resizing tools to enlarge the Image. Elluminate Specify Import Screen Size Dialog • Audio Access CCC Confer's Elluminate System provides a Closed Captioning icon in the top menu bar that allows for deaf and hearing impaired users to receive captions when they are available. It is important to remember that captions must be specifically requested when you request your Elluminate session. A captioner will be provided for your session and all participants in the session will have the option to display the captions or not. Closed Captioning will be retained in archived sessions so that students can always have access to the information. Additionally, the captions can be saved as text files for later use and review outside the Elluminate session. The Closed Captions in Elluinate can be enlarged as well, up to 32 points. In addition to the Closed Caption capability, students who are deaf or hard of hearing can utilize the text chat area to participate in conversations and ask the instructor questions. The "Participants" dialog provides an overview ofthe Elluminate session participants, and will provide a visual indication when someone is using audio, and • can be used to communicate other standard crowd responses. 93 Creating Accessible Online Courses • ~~I.lIt~ Elluminate Participants Window Keyboard Access As a modem electronic information and communications system, Elluminate meets the 508 criteria for accessibility including keyboard operability. Keyboard operability allows for students who can't use a mouse to operate and interact with the Elluminate system. These keyboard commands arc useful for everyone, regardless of disability. Application Sharing • When using application sharing, take snapshots ofthe application and send it to the whiteboard pressing Ctrl + Print Screen from time to time. Ifyou are sharing moderator privileges, you can take back control ofthe presentation by pressing Ctrl + Space Bar. To terminate application control, press Ctrl + Pause. Audio and Video Communication Press & Release the Talk button = Ctrl +F2 Start & Stop video transmission = Ctrl + F3 Chat Commands Chat = Ctrl + m Laughter emoticon = Ctrl +Alt + 1 Applause emoticon = Ctrl +Alt + 2 Confusion emoticon = Ctrl + Alt + 3 • 94 Creating Accessible Online Courses Disapproval emoticon = Ctrl + Alt + 4 Hand Raise = Ctrl + R Poll Response Yes = Ctrl + 1 • = Poll Response No Ctrl + 2 (Note: These key commands will lend themselves nicely to a table layout once inside MoodIe) • • 95 Creating Accessible Online Courses Notes • • • 96 I) E~!ting chapter (i) !