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.
This outline discusses and provides guidelines for creating accessible spreadsheets – in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers. Accessible spreadsheets create an inclusive experience and ensure the information is understandable for all library staff and patrons.
This resource describes and demonstrates why accessibility overlays prevent your website from being accessible. Websites or digital content can be accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies by following accessibility standards and guidelines.
Creating an accessible website is crucial to ensure all users can access your website effectively. To simplify the process of familiarizing with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, we compiled a checklist which provides recommendations for making web content accessible.
Metadata is structured data about data that helps to organize, track, and retrieve data. MARC 21 is the metadata standard for library cataloguing. Accessibility metadata helps patrons find resources that meet their specific accessibility needs.
This checklist contains best practices to ensure that people with multiple print disabilities can easily consume the content of an email. Follow this checklist to make your emails accessible!
The slides for third webinar in the Creating Accessible Presentations series are now available! Learn more about how to make your images, graphics, and videos accessible in your slides.
The American Library Association encourages members and library staff to create materials that are accessible for both library patrons and co-workers. The accessibility resources they provide cover accessible documents (in Word and PDFs), adding alternative text in different technology platforms, and testing the accessibility of the resources.
If you are interested in learning more about screen magnification technologies, this resource is a terrific starting point. The AbilityNet factsheet describes what screen magnification software is and does.
The American Foundation of the Blind (AFB) provides a list of assistive technologies (also known as access technologies) that persons with print disabilities use to consume content. The products page includes a summary of the different technologies as well as the different types and options for each one.
Are you interested in learning more about the AccessibleLibraries.ca website? This video tour guides you through the site and points out useful features for public library staff.
AccessiblePublishing.ca, a website developed by the National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS), presents information and resources to help publishers, libraries, and other organizations create and provide access to accessible eBooks.
To get you started on your accessibility journey, we’ve summarized information from the Accessibility 101 webinar. The fact and links in this training resource will help you establish foundational knowledge that you can build on.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Recommendations that were developed by Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) using the W3C Process. WCAG are the standards for digital accessibility and should be consulted throughout the development and maintaining of digital technologies.
This website provides a WCAG compliance checklist that you can use to evaluate your digital content and a very comprehensive list of resources relevant to digital accessibility. This is one of the broader resource lists available online, and they do a great job breaking them down into relevant categories.
This robust handbook contains information, guidelines, education, and tools meant to improve the accessibility of digital and print media. The Registered Graphic Designers (RGD) assembled the handbook in collaboration with the Government of Ontario.
This is a set of accessibility guidelines from 2016 written by the Canadian Federation of Library Associations (CFLA), in consultation with experts, for all Canadian libraries. This document is a good general outline of recommended accessible and inclusive service practices.
Deque University provides an extensive curriculum of self-guided online courses so you can focus on the skills you need with the flexibility your schedule requires. Along with courses, this site also offers valuable resources such as guides to using screen readers, an ARIA JavaScript pattern library, and a page with a detailed breakdown of disability demographics.
The DLAUG is a set of digital accessibility guidelines created to support users with print disabilities who rely on screen readers to interact with digital libraries. It is heavily based on WCAG rules, but the focus is on the relationship between digital libraries and patrons who use assistive technology such as screen readers.