OBEL is committed to promoting and ensuring accessibility in research. This means that we make every effort to provide equitable access to our research communications. But we are still learning! We continue to learn more about guidelines (i.e., Web Content Accessibility Guideline: https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/quickref/?versions=2.0), policy (i.e., Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)) and accessibility tools (https://uwaterloo.ca/web-resources/resources/accessibility/tools) to help us continuously improve the accessibility of our science communication.
In this blog, we highlight some of the ways we’re aiming to enhance accessibility in the communication of our research on the web and we include some links that we hope you will find useful. We’d love to hear from you (@BiomechErgoLab) if you have tips to share too!
Disclosure: For this blog, I am going to be using person-first language (person with a disability) instead of identify-first language (disabled person). Using the person-first approach is generally recommended in writing. The use of identity-first language or person-first language is a personal preference in which both options are equally valid and should be respected (Gernsbacher, 2017).
I just want to post my PDF online…
You’ve just finished drafting a pre-print of you most recent paper or your brochure for new ergonomics trainings and services and you want to upload it to share it with the world! Do you simply upload the document in the native file format that it was written in (i.e., Word)? Do you convert your document to a Portable Document Format, better known as a PDF? Do you pause to reflect on how these choices may influence the accessibility of your communications?
What you may not know is that simply uploading a document (even in PDF format) does not guarantee accessibility (Rajkumar et al., 2020). People who are blind or visually impaired that choose to rely on a screen reader (as an example) will have a very different experience if your document was simply written, saved, and uploaded rather than written and structured with accessibility in mind from the start.
Here are 5 tips for enhancing accessibility of written communications that you post online:
Avoid a complicated layout
- Consider using one column of information instead of two or more. This allows for easier flow of information and can help screen readers to process information effectively
- Design flowcharts to be clear and easy to follow. This involves use of contrasting colours and simple pathways
- Make sure graphs and figures provide clear information and are appropriately spaced out with contrasting colours
2 or more columns is less accessible
1 column of information is accessible
Use Headers and tagging
- Tagging in PDFs gives categories to different elements of a written material
- Categories include title, paragraph, figure, graph, table, link, etc
- Tagging allows screen readers to recognize and convey to the reader what type of information is being provided
- Provides a logical structure for flow of information
- Without manual tagging, the PDF software will automatically tag the document. This may result in improper structure and difficulties with screen readers
Set a reading order
- Setting a reading order for your material allow screen readers to read aloud the information in the order you want the information to be read
- If no reading order is set, the screen reader may not read information in the order you had planned (i.e., think about how a call-out box might be read when embedded in the main text body)
Create alternative text
- Since screen readers cannot “read” an image, Screen readers announce alternative text (i.e., “alt text”) in place of images, helping users perceive the content and function of the images
- Although technology can often recognize what an image depicts, alt text can provide critical meaning and context
Consider contrast
- There are varying levels of vision impairment and colour perception among individuals
- Creating information and materials where contrasting colours are used is important for distinguishing and perceiving information
- Dark against light and light against dark
- Especially important for graphs and figures where distinguishing between information/results are important.
- Avoiding the use of green and red and blue for people who have difficulty with colour distinction.
A graph distinguishing information with similar colours, the use of red and green, and the same textures is not accessible
A graph distinguishing information with contrasting colours or shades different textures is accessible
But, what about my voice-over PowerPoint presentation saved to YouTube?
First, pause for a moment and decide if a voice-over PowerPoint is the best medium to communicate your message! If so, here are our tips for enhancing the accessibility of your slide-deck. For more details, check out: https://webaim.org/techniques/powerpoint/.
Avoid a complicated layout (noticing a trend here?)
- Concise and clear information so that slides are easier to read
- Consider the flow of information so that the order the audience reads the slide is the order of information that you as a presenter will deliver
Graphs & Figure use
- Limit the use of graphics on slides as appropriate
- When using graphics, be sure to explain the graphic verbally (for people who are blind or visually impaired) as well as providing text description (for people who are deaf or hard of hearing)
Presentation without description of figure/graph and with low-contrast colours is not accessible
Presentation with description of figure/graph and high contrast colours is accessible
Use Captions and provide materials beforehand (where possible)
- If using services like YouTube, you can adjust your setting to add subtitles and captions automatically (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734796?hl=en&ref_topic=7296214)
- No computer is ever perfect, so be sure to review and correct any automatically added captions to ensure correct use of words, and perhaps most importantly, punctuation (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2734705?hl=en&ref_topic=7296214)
- Provide accessible materials beforehand so that people can take the time to get acquainted with the information
- Copy of the slides
- Transcript if applicable
Consider contrast
- There are varying levels of vision impairment and colour perception among individuals
- Creating information and materials where contrasting colours are used is important for distinguishing and perceiving information
- Dark against light and light against dark
- Especially important for graphs and figures where distinguishing between information/results are important
- Avoid the use of green and red and blue for people who have difficulty with colour distinction
Delivery of presentation
- Do not rush delivery of presentation
- Speak slowly and clearly
- Implement pauses after explanations
- Avoid use of abstract expressions for clarity
- Consider use of live captioning
- Consider use of sign language translator
Concluding thoughts
This is not an exhaustive list of rules, guidelines or policies to follow. However, we do hope that this post has caused to you reflect and ponder about how you’re considering the accessibility of your communications, as a researcher, or as a practitioner sharing evidence-informed training and services. Thinking from our roots in Human Factors Ergonomics, we continuously remind ourselves to “design with the user and for the user” where possible. This means designing our communications, from the get-go, to consider the needs of our broad science communications audience. Keeping accessibility front-of-mind throughout the writing and publishing process can help to enhance access of your science communications too!
References:
Adobe Acrobat (2022). Creating Accessible PDFs in Adobe Acrobat. https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/creating-accessible-pdfs.html
Gernsbacher M. A. (2017). Editorial Perspective: The use of person-first language in scholarly writing may accentuate stigma. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines, 58(7), 859–861. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpp.12706
Ladner, R. E., & Rector, K. (2017). Making your presentation accessible. Interactions, 24(4), 56–59. https://doi.org/10.1145/3085564
Rajkumar, A. J., Lazar, J., Jordan, J. B., Darvishy, A., & Hutter, H.-P. (2020). PDF accessibility of research papers: What tools are needed for assessment and remediation? Proceedings of the Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences. https://doi.org/10.24251/hicss.2020.512
Rios, D., Magasi, S., Novak, C., & Harniss, M. (2016). Conducting Accessible Research: Including People With Disabilities in Public Health, Epidemiological, and Outcomes Studies. American journal of public health, 106(12), 2137–2144. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303448
Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) (2021). How to make your presentations accessible to all. https://www.w3.org/WAI/teach-advocate/accessible-presentations/