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Creating Accessible Documents

When you hear the word accessible, it probably conjures images of persons with visible disabilities. However, some disabilities are 鈥渋nvisible鈥� (low vision, color blindness, cognitive disabilities) and persons in the workplace may not disclose them. So, be mindful of this when creating documents.

Accessible Documents – Benefits

Accessible documents are easily read by sighted persons and non-sighted persons. When we design a document with different abilities in mind, we support inclusion. Likewise, many accommodations for persons with disabilities support non-disabled persons. Remember the time you were in a noisy restaurant and read the tv captions, or the audio books you鈥檝e enjoyed? These accommodations were designed for the visually and hearing impaired but have benefited all persons.

Creating Accessible Documents

Workplace documents are circulated to employees and the public. So, let鈥檚 ensure we create documents accessible for all abilities. Here are two tips to create accessible documents in Microsoft Word

Headings

Use headings to provide non-sighted users the ability to 鈥渕entally see鈥� sections of the document and provide a comprehensible format for persons with cognitive disabilities. Headings can be found by clicking 鈥淗ome鈥� and 鈥淪tyles鈥�.

Check Accessibility Feature

To check your document, click 鈥淩eview鈥� and 鈥淐heck Accessibility鈥�. This feature will scan your document and provide recommendations, if applicable. With these tips, your documents should reach a broader audience.

References: Bucci-Muchmore, D. (2016, January 18). What is an Accessible Document and Why is Accessibility So Important? Regional Government Services. Retrieved from rgsjpa.org/what-is-an-accessible-document-and-why-is-accessibility-so-important/.Lin, J. (2019, April). Top 10 Ways to Make a Document Accessible. Information Today Inc. Retrieved from Ebcohost.com. Yale University. (2020, September) Usability and Web Accessibility. Retrieved from usability.yale.edu/web-accessibility/articles/headings.

4 Best Applications to improve your smartphone

From lifestyle aids to productivity tools, here are the top four apps that should have a home on your smartphone.

1.Sleep Cycle – The Sleep Cycle application aims to combat your morning blues. It uses your phone鈥�s microphone and accelerometer to track your sleeping pattern through sound and movement, awaking you in your lightest sleep phase closest to your set alarm time.

2.Dark SkyMost –聽 weather applications will tell you the forecast for your town, but the Dark Sky app generates predictions based on your precise location. The app also provides instant warnings if it鈥�ll rain or snow within the next hour where you鈥�re located, supplying sufficient time to grab a coat or umbrella.

3.Google Photos – Google Photos serves as an alternative to your smartphone鈥�s default photo library. It backs up an unlimited number of photos and videos in the cloud, suggests convenient editing features, and creates event albums –providing excellent search features to maintain your catalogue of photos and images.

4.Waze – We are all familiar with Google and Apple Maps as GPS navigation apps, but if you鈥�re in search of an alternative, Waze is an excellent option. It draws on 90 million drivers for live traffic data, and has outstanding features to plan your journeys, including suggesting the most appropriate time for departure.

References: The Guardian News and Media (2017). 鈥�The 20 Best Apps to Improve Your Smartphone.鈥� Retrieved from: the guardian.com/technology/2017/nov/19/20–best–apps–upgrade–smartphone–2017–gadgets

Is Your Writing 鈥�Reader Friendly?

Do you need to confirm if your content is suitable for your readers? The Readability Statistics feature in Microsoft Word can validate the simplicity or complexity of your writing. This will help ensure your text is appropriate for your intended audience. To check for readability, follow these steps:

1.Open Microsoft Word and click the “File” tab, then click” Options”.

2.Click “Proofing”.

3.Under the 鈥�When correcting spelling and grammar in Word鈥� menu, make sure the 鈥淐heck grammar with spelling鈥� check box is selected.

4.Select Show readability statistics.

Reading Friendly Screen shot 1

After you enable this feature, open a file that you would like to test for readability. You can select specific text to check, or make sure no text is highlighted to check the entire document. Initiate a spelling and grammar check by clicking F7. Once Microsoft Word completes the spelling and grammar check, the Readability Statistics window will display.

Reader Friendly Screen Shot 2

Reference: Glenn, W. (2016). How to Test the 鈥�Readability鈥� of Your Writing in Microsoft Word or Outlook. Retrieved from: https://www.howtogeek.com/247921/how–to–test–the–readability–of–your–writing–in–microsoft–word–or–outlook/

Ramapo鈥檚 Instructional Design Center has a contract with LinkedIn and access is available to faculty and staff.

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