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Rural Librarian

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.

Accessible Books Consortium

The Accessible Book Consortium (ABC), led by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is dedicated to increasing the availability of accessible book formats (braille, eBooks, audiobooks, etc.) worldwide for people with print disabilities.

Checklist: Creating Accessible Social Media Posts

Accessible social media posts increase the number of people your information will reach. If your social media is accessible, it reflects positively on your library because you create an inclusive environment for all patrons. Use this checklist to create accessible social media posts!

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.

Authors with Disabilities: Read Harder 2022

Created by the Daniel Boone Regional Library (DBRL) for the Read Harder event, the library compiled a list of recommended books by authors with disabilities. Representation matters, and highlighting books by persons with lived experiences can help provide that representation for persons with disabilities in the library.

Library Accessibility Features

The Library Accessibility Features web page by Lisa Kovak discusses the changed libraries can and should make to conform with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). The features discussed on this page include materials, programming, equipment and services, and how to contact the library.

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.

Adaptive Umbrella

The Adaptive Umbrella blog shares information and resources about accessible library programming and services. The blog provides different programming guidelines and ideas for sensory storytimes.

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.

Summer Short Webinar: Font Attributes

The last webinar in the Summer Short series is about font attributes and how to format your text accessibly in your documents.

Summer Short Webinar: Accessible Lists

The third webinar in the Accessible Libraries Summer Short series discusses creating accessible lists in your documents.

Summer Short Webinar: Accessible Headings

This webinar about creating accessible headings is the first session of the Accessible Libraries Summer Short series focused on short tutorials that teach you how to make accessible documents.

Accessible Social Media Webinar Recording

The Accessible Social Media webinar recording is now available! In this presentation, we discuss how you can make your social media posts accessible and inclusive, allowing everyone to access your information. The webinar covers alt text, emojis, hashtags, and more.

Creating Accessible Documents Webinar Recording

This recording of the Creating Accessible Documents webinar guides you through how to make an accessible Word document, including accessible tables, images, and document structure. The webinar includes demonstrations and examples of how you can start creating accessible documents.

Accessible Social Media Webinar Slides

The Accessible Social Media Webinar slides are available and feature the live demos that were part of the presentation. Topics covered include adding alternative text to images, emojis and hashtags.

Creating Accessible Documents Webinar Slides

The slides for the Creating Accessible Documents webinar are now available. Learn more about how to accessibly format your Word documents by using Styles.