Best Practices for Alberta Public Libraries
If you are a part of a public library in Alberta, this resource can help you find the general guidelines and additional resources on implementing the standards in the document.
Library Technician or Assistant
Inclusive Language in A Canadian Style Guide
It is important to follow style guides in media. This guide offers an array of options for talking about disabilities.
Assistive Technology Demonstrations
Assistive technology refers to products, equipment, and systems that enhance reading, learning, working, and daily living for people with disabilities. We have provided explanations and a few examples of demonstrations on how people use assistive technologies so you can understand their role in their lives.
Checklist: Adding Alternative Text and Long Descriptions
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.
Accessibility Etiquette in the Library Panel Discussion
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.
Creating Accessible Presentations: Images, Graphics, and Videos Slides
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.
Creating Accessible Presentations: Features and Tools Slides
In the second webinar in the four-part series about Creating Accessible Presentation Slides, we discuss different features and tools provided by PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote. We will tell you what to avoid (animations) and what to use (captions) when you create accessible presentation slides.
Creating Accessible Presentation: Getting Started Slides
The first webinar in the four-part Creating Accessible Presentations series, learn more about creating inclusive and accessible presentation slides. The slides outline information like colour contrast, font formatting, and accessible hyperlinks.
Checklist: Creating Accessible Documents
Documents can be both accessible and inaccessible. It all depends on how it is formatted. This checklist will help you make an accessible and readable document for everyone. The information in this resource is summarized from previous webinars.
Best Dyslexia-Friendly Books for Kids
The Book Riot article, Best Dyslexia-Friendly Books for Kids by Rachel Rosenburg, lists 12 awesome books for people with dyslexia. The books, written and formatted for children with dyslexia, are organized into categories like picture books, chapter books, and graphic novels.
Accessibility Support for Library Members & Staff
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.
Screen Magnification
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.
Assistive Technology Products
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.
Social Story: Ready for Reading
The Toronto Public Library (TPL) presents a Social Story to help children become familiar with their library. Social Stories are learning tools for children that describe different experiences and situations they will encounter when visiting their public library. TPL suggests that parents or teachers read this story with their children one or more times before visiting the library to make them feel comfortable about their visit.
Inclusive Design for Social Media: Tips for Creating Accessible Channels
The Hootsuite Blog presents guidelines to make your social media posts accessible. Making sure that your social media is accessible will create an inclusive environment and reach a larger audience.
A Guided Tour of AccessibleLibraries.ca
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.
Guide to Image Descriptions
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.
Reading Systems/Apps Tutorials for Screen Reader Users
users through different reading systems/apps. These YouTube videos are an excellent resource for library staff who want to know how the reading systems/apps are accessible with screen readers.
Reading System Features, Testing, and Recommendations
The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) provides an online repository for library patrons with print disabilities. NNELS works with organizations, libraries, and publishers to create accessible books. NNELS has tested and compiled a list of reading systems so that you can choose the reading system that works best for your reading style.
All about reading disabilities: how libraries can support readers with dyslexia
The Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) provides content for people with print disabilities and has webinars for libraries and library staff to help them create accessible services and support the needs of their patrons with disabilities. This webinar explores how libraries can support readers with dyslexia.