Information and communication standard

Information on the Information and Communications Standards of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) is posted on the Council of Ontario Universities' website.

Documents

The Accessible Digital Office Document (ADOD) Project contains information for creating accessible digital documents using Microsoft, OpenOffice, iWork, Corel, GoogleDocs, etc.

Microsoft has a website providing information on creating accessible Microsoft Office Applications. The site contains links to information on both Windows 7 and 8 operating systems and Office 2010, Office 2013 and Office 365 programs. Their applications include a feature called "Accessibility Checker" to identify accessibility issues.

On-line articles and tutorials provide accessibility information on all Microsoft Office products.

Alternate format

Standard print materials are not accessible for all users so alternate format including electronic, audio, Braille, or large print versions of textbooks, courseware, library books, etc. is required to ensure equal access to information.

 A print disability or a “perceptual disability” is defined under the Canadian Copyright Act, as:

  • disability that prevents or inhibits a person from reading or hearing a literary, musical, dramatic or artistic work in its original format, and includes such a disability resulting from

    • Severe or total impairment of sight or hearing or the inability to focus or move one’s eyes,

    • The inability to hold or manipulate a book, or

    • An impairment relating to comprehension.

If a student has a disability that prevents the reading of standard print or standard electronic text, AccessAbility Services in partnership with the library will assist in the acquisition of an appropriate alternate format.

Web resources

The University of Waterloo is committed to meeting its obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

The Web Resources website is a “hub” for accessing up to date web related information at Waterloo and campus-wide web guidelines and policies pertaining to websites.

Social Media

Facebook

Learn about the built-in features and technologies that help people with disabilities, like vision loss and deafness, to get the most out of Facebook.

Should there be any issues with accessibility, Facebook has a report page.

Youtube

In order to provide a more accessible video, captions must be added. Youtube gives the option of uploading a caption file or transcript file.

Twitter

Twitter has an accessibility team working on issues related to accessibility. You can follow their tweets at @TwitterA11y