Disability Language Style Guide
Disability Language Style Guide is also a downloadable PDF that lists appropriate terms and phrases when referring to people with disabilities in publications or conversations. Translated versions are available.
Document Creation
WebAIM: Microsoft Word Creating Accessible Documents
WebAIM has created a valuable resource, instructing users on how to make accessible documents using Microsoft Word. This website is particularly useful for anyone who wishes to make word documents that are born accessible.
Respectful and Plain Language
Respectful and Plain Language is a communication guide for library staff when interacting with and assisting the public.
Plain Language Checklist
When creating content for the general public, following these guidelines can help reduce confusion and additional explanations and improve accessibility.
The Presenter Toolkit
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.
Rules for the Microsoft Accessibility Checker
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.
Plain Language
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.
Accessible Fonts
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.
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.
Accessible Spreadsheet Checklist
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.
Checklist: Email Accessibility
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!
Checklist: Creating Accessible Presentations
When creating presentations, ensuring the file and the content you present are accessible is essential so everyone can access and understand the information you are discussing. The webinar series focuses on three presentation programs – Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides.
Creating Accessible Presentations: Images, Graphics, and Videos Webinar Recording
In the third webinar of our four-part Creating Accessible Presentation series, we learn how to make your images, graphics and videos accessible. The webinar features demonstrations by persons with lived experience of a disability on how images, graphics and videos can be inaccessible.
Creating Accessible Presentations: Features and Tools Webinar Recording
The second webinar in our four-part Creating Accessible Presentations series talks about many of the features and tools available in PowerPoint, Google Slides, and Keynote. This presentation discusses topics including tables, animations, annotations, comments, and more.
Creating Accessible Presentations: Getting Started Webinar Recording
Ready to learn about creating accessible presentation slides in Microsoft PowerPoint, Apple Keynote, and Google Slides? Watch the first webinar in the four-part series to get started.
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.
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.
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.
Accessibility for Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, & Drawings
Google provides help documentation to guide you through the steps needed to create documents using assistive technologies and how to make accessible documents.
3D Printing, Tactiles, and Haptics
There are many new technologies used to convey spatial information, including 3D printing, tactile graphics, and haptics. The Diagram Center: A Benetech Initiative provides information about these different technologies.