Plain Language Checklist
When creating content for the general public, following these guidelines can help reduce confusion and additional explanations and improve accessibility.
When creating content for the general public, following these guidelines can help reduce confusion and additional explanations and improve accessibility.
Libraries worldwide offer a wide variety of accessible programs. Learning about these programs is a great way to discover how libraries are attempting to meet specific accessibility needs. This resource contains examples of accessible programming found in libraries in North America.
The National Braille Press (NBP) is dedicated to empowering the blind and visually impaired by promoting braille literacy and learning through touch. NBP offers a range of programs, materials, and technology designed to support this mission, aiming to enhance accessibility and educational opportunities for those who rely on braille.
Website developers should note these resources as they explain how to use images correctly (and accessibly). The original resources contain more detailed information, and you can find links to specific standards and WCAG success criteria there.
The Government of Canada gives some guidance on their standards for writing web-based content. Of course, the advice applies much more broadly than just the government. We will quickly summarize some of the expectations.
Rachel Shortt has created a best practice guide to presentations. The presenter toolkit covers planning and designing presentations, tips, and things to think about while giving the presentation, answering any questions that may arise from your presentation material.
The rules for the Microsoft accessibility checker are a thorough guide to the various ways a user can ensure that their Microsoft 365 files are accessible. This guide is a helpful resource for library staff and patrons alike to help ensure your Microsoft creations are accessible.
Interested in ensuring that your website is accessible? Watch the Accessible Website webinar to learn about common accessibility barriers, including video demonstrations. The information covered in this webinar includes inaccessible forms, keyboard navigation, the readability of your site, and colour contrast.
Join Kerry Anderson and Kim Johnson from the Public Library Services Branch (PLSB) of the Alberta Government and Laetitia Mfamobani from the National Network for Equitable Library Service testing team as they talk about accessible procurement. The topics include how to incorporate accessibility into the procurement process and contracts.
The 2020 PressReader Report provides an in-depth accessibility analysis of the PressReader website. This report highlights various accessible barriers encountered when navigating this website and accessing its content.
The 2021 PrêtNumérique report provides an in-depth accessibility analysis of the PrêtNumérique platform. It highlights accessible barriers encountered when testing this platform on various devices. The PrêtNumérique report is particularly useful to developers and library patrons interested in the PrêtNumérique content.
The 2020 RBDigital report provides an in-depth accessibility analysis of the RBDigital platform. It highlights various accessible barriers encountered when navigating the form using various assistive technologies.
The Government of British Columbia has compiled a comprehensive resource of plain language tools. This webpage provides applications, articles, videos, and related resources for government writers whose work may be read by professionals or the public.
Microsoft created a thorough guide to the various functions that Magnifier on Windows 10 or 11 can perform. This guide is a helpful resource for library staff and patrons alike, as it provides instruction on how to use a quality-of-life tool for low vision or users who suffer from eyestrain.
This uniquely developer-focused resource can help us create machine-readable metadata about almost anything! This includes if a book is accessible or not and in what way.
There are a lot of varying opinions on how to do accessible fonts. There is no uniform consensus, but there are some general guidelines for publishers and presenters to pay attention to.
Accessibility overlays are software packages which are used to attempt to insert accessibility on top of a poorly accessible website. Web developers, managers with responsibility in for-profit and non-profit capacities, and content teams beware: accessibility overlays can not guarantee WCAG compliance, and they are never a substitute for properly accessible websites.
If your documents, websites, or digital materials (emails, social media posts, programming materials, etc.) have images, gifs, graphics, charts, graphs, maps, and tables, you must add alternative text to describe them. Long descriptions are needed as well for more complex images.
Watch the Social Media Platform webinar to learn about multiple platforms’ accessibility advantages and barriers, with recorded demonstrations of the barriers in select platforms.
The Accessibility Etiquette panel brings together a group of experts to talk about their positive and negative library experiences, how those experiences could have been improved, with suggestions on how to do so.