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Submission guidelines
Three easy ways to boost your digital accessibility skills
By Elizabeth Rogers.
Last week the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) turned 25, and technology has become a lot more inclusive as a result. Is our digital world accessible yet? Well, there’s still a long way to go – but we can all play a part.
Reading WCAG can be a little daunting (and rather technical!) Instead, here are three ways you can boost your digital skills this Global Accessibility Awareness Day:
Choose a skill to practice
Not sure about the best practices for captioning videos, how to effectively structure headings in a document, or how to write meaningful alternative text for images on your website? There are many components to digital accessibility, but you don’t have to master them all at once. Choose one thing and practice it until it becomes part of your regular routine.
Now sure where to start? Think about what tasks you do most often, or what you’re the most curious about. Some of the most common issues in digital media involve colour contrast, heading structure, link text, alternative text and tables.
Try a new tool
You might have noticed a new accessibility checking tool pop up in the Waterloo Content Management System (WCMS 3) lately, or heard about SiteImprove rolling out across campus. These tools have tips and advice built in to help you learn as you create or remediate.
In addition, a lot of software and devices we use have built-in accessibility functionality – both for creating accessible content and for consuming that content (such as text-to-voice or high contrast mode.) While your experience won’t be the same as someone who uses these features regularly , it can help you better understand the many ways people engage with technology.
Follow disabled and neurodivergent creators
Understanding what challenges people face and how they do things can help us build better content and technology solutions. Disabled creators on LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram and other channels share their experiences and insights to help raise awareness about disability. Many of them work in equity, diversity and inclusion and share tips and resources as well. You can also follow hashtags such as #GAAD, #a11y, #Accessibility or #InclusiveDesign.
If reading up on the latest technology is your thing, look for content from disabled reviewers too.
Remember, no one starts out an expert. Continuous learning and practice will help us create better online experiences for everyone.
Amplify Season 2: Centering Stories from the Margins
A message from the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism.
Our academic landscape is filled with many diverse narratives of students facing obstacles and adversities while completing their education at UWaterloo. The Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism (EDI-R) has created a platform to elevate these stories and pave the way for a more inclusive and empathetic understanding of the university experience.
Amplify: Centering Stories from the Margins is an empowering podcast that reminds us to refocus on the voices of UWaterloo students who are members of marginalized communities.
In season 2, we will be learning about student experiences navigating campus with a disability, accommodations, intersectionality, as well as personal challenges and triumphs.
This podcast strives to create a space where all students feel seen, heard, and validated as they contribute to a broader dialogue on equity by promoting awareness and encouraging understanding.
Tune in to "Amplify" as we embark on a transformative journey, one conversation at a time.
CRE-MSD launches redeveloped Ontario MSD Prevention Guideline
A message from the Faculty of Health.
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are a leading cause of lost time and injury claims in Ontario, negatively impacting health in the workplace. To combat this problem, the Ontario Health and Safety System has enlisted the University of Waterloo’s Centre of Research Expertise for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders (CRE-MSD) to develop and maintain the MSD Prevention Guideline for Ontario.
With funding from the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD), CRE-MSD recently launched a redeveloped Ontario MSD Prevention Guideline. The re-launched Guideline is Ontario’s source of evidence-based MSD prevention resources to promote worker health and well-being. Through extensive collaboration with diverse stakeholders, including health and safety professionals, associations and researchers, CRE-MSD has spearheaded the transformation of the Guideline into a visually appealing, user-centred platform.
“Whether you’re an employee, manager, researcher, health and safety practitioner, or student, the redeveloped website provides easy access to practical strategies for preventing MSD,” said CRE-MSD Director Dr. Jack Callaghan. “It’s the most comprehensive research-based source of information for the prevention of MSD. It will help transform workplaces into safer, healthier environments, because work shouldn’t hurt!”
The Ontario MLITSD originally funded CRE-MSD to develop and implement the Ontario MSD Prevention Guideline website in 2016. The goal of this website is to create a freely accessible stand-alone platform so that MSD prevention content remains current and is widely available. The commitment of CRE-MSD to preventing MSD in the workplace is evident in the Centre’s internationally recognized expertise in this field, along with the broad adoption of the Guideline resources. The Guideline is a comprehensive source of MSD prevention information that applies to any size of organization or industry, equipping them with the information and tools needed to keep workers safe and healthy.
CRE-MSD is based in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Sciences and is committed to improving the understanding and prevention of work-related MSD (such as sprain and strain injuries in body regions like the back, shoulder, and wrist), which are the most common workplace injuries. These disorders are preventable, and the hazards can be mitigated, yet MSD continue to account for more than one-third of all lost-time workplace injuries in Ontario.
Update to Policy 17- Quotations and Tenders
A message from Finance.
Effective May 1, 2024, updates to Policy 17 – Quotations and Tenders went into effect. Purchases under $10,000 CAD will no longer need three quotations or a Purchase Order to proceed with purchasing. This will bring our institution in line with other comparable institutions and reduce the unnecessary administrative burden around procuring small dollar transactions. In addition, we are also introducing Guidelines for Quotations and Tenders. This document outlines detailed/specific exceptions to Policy 17, as well as providing additional flexibility for making minor updates in the future as Procurement requirements change.
Other helpful information:
- Transaction splitting is not permitted to circumvent the thresholds outlined in Policy 17 – Quotations and Tenders.
- “Per transaction” refers to the total expected spend with the Supplier (projected annual spend multiplied by the maximum number of years the goods/services are projected to be provided by the Supplier) not by the singular purchase with that Supplier.
For more information, please read the full communication.
If you have questions, please contact the Procurement Team within Finance via email at Procure@uwaterloo.ca.