Posted on No Comments on Recap: October ’20 Workshops, Better Late Than Never.

Recap: October ’20 Workshops, Better Late Than Never.

Website Update

I’ll lead with some really BIG NEWS. We finally launched phase one of the Access @ Rice website. It’s still very much a work in progress, but I’d love for you to check it out and send me your feedback!

We are trying to model accessible best practices that anyone can adopt. For the sake of transparency, we’re still working on a couple of important issues:

  • Adding Skip Nav links (to bypass the hamburger menu for keyboard-only users).
  • Responsive containers and images (resizing on smaller screens).

October Workshops Recap

Thanks to everyone who helped make the October accessibility workshop series a smashing success 🎉 <party popper>! I’m already planning the next series of workshops after the Thanksgiving holiday.

In the meantime, here are some numbers from the October series:

  • 5 workshop topics.
  • 19 sessions from October 5 to October 30.
  • About 100 total attendees in all workshops.
  • About 50 unique attendees.

I’m so impressed by your dedication to making Rice a more inclusive place for all!

Shareable Resources

Feel free to share the following workshop links with anyone and everyone! Unfortunately, I didn’t record every session and I haven’t had a chance to clean up all of the captions yet 🙁 <frown>.

  1. Intro to Digital Accessibility
  2. Designing with WCAG
  3. Accessible Docs & PDFs
  4. Better Captions
  5. What to Expect from Policy 851

Please let me know if you have trouble accessing anything, or if you find any accessibility barriers and I will take care of them.

Upcoming Workshops

I’m planning a new round of training events starting in December, which will most likely include active workshops/discussions on Drupal 8 and STE M accessibility.

Look at for those new sessions here, on the Canvas Workshop Calendars, and on Twitter @RiceA11y. In the meantime, feel free to setup a consultation at calendly.com/rice-a11y.

Posted on No Comments on October Accessibility Workshops & Events

October Accessibility Workshops & Events

It’s hard to believe it’s already October. It seems like only yesterday we were kicking off our inaugural accessibility workshops. Here we are, one year later, and we’ve got a new month of awesome workshops lined up for you.

Change can be difficult, but…

It would be an understatement to say A LOT has changed over the past year. One of the changes we’re most excited about is the new Digital Information Accessibility Policy (#851). We totally get it if you don’t share our enthusiasm at the phrase “new policy.” It probably just sounds like one more thing you have to do. But what if we told you that with just a little more attention to a few simple techniques, you can do your part to make Rice a more inclusive community for everyone. We think that’s worth getting excited about.

We’re gonna rock this!

One thing that hasn’t changed is that October is still National Disability Employment Awareness Month and October 10 is World Sight Day, so we’re in celebration mode. We can’t treat you to delicious pizza and salad this time around (thanks COVID 🙄 <eyeroll>). But, you can join us remotely at any of the workshops with your own slice 🍕 or anything else you want to eat or drink 🍹 (we won’t tell 🤐).

Sign up here.

We hope to see you at one (or ALL) of these exciting workshops.

Intro to Digital Accessibility

This 1 hour workshop is designed to give you an overview of digital accessibility at Rice, including what the law says you must do, what Rice wants you to do, Rice’s standards for accessible digital information and online courses, “Low-hanging fruit” of digital accessibility, and more. Join us for one of the following sessions:

Click here to register for one of the following Intro sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Monday, October 5, 3:00 p.m.
  • Monday, October 19, 3:00 p.m.
  • Monday, October 26, 10:00 a.m.

Design With WCAG

This 1 hour workshop is designed to give you a high-level overview of the WCAG 2.1, A-AA standards.
Learn about 8 basic techniques that you can apply widely to digital content. These techniques cover all A and AA criteria relevant to Rice content authors/administrators, including Headings, Forms, Tables, Alt Text, Using color, Readable text, Purposeful links, Closed captions and transcripts. Join us for one of the following sessions:

Click here to register for one of the following WCAG sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Wednesday, October 7, 3:00 p.m.
  • Monday, October 12, 10:00 a.m.
  • Friday, October 23, 3:00 p.m.
  • Tuesday, October 27, 3:00 p.m.

Accessible Docs & PDFs

Learn the best practices for designing accessible Word documents and a workflow for converting them into accessible PDFs. Also learn techniques for remediating existing PDFs. Join us for one of the following sessions:

Click here to register for one of the following PDF sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Friday, October 9, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, October 16, 10:00 a.m.
  • Wednesday, October 21, 3:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, October 28, 10:00 a.m.

Better Captions & Transcripts

This 1-hour workshop is designed to give you an overview of options for live (synchronous) and recorded (asynchronous) closed captions using Zoom, Google Meet, and Kaltura, as well as other applications like PowerPoint 365 and Google Slides. Learn more about the best practices of using automatic speech recognition (ASR) captions and caption editing. Join us for one of the following sessions:

Click here to register for one of the following Caption sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Wednesday, October 14, 10:00 a.m.
  • Thursday, October 29, 3:00 p.m.

What to Expect from Rice’s New Digital Accessibility Policy

We will discuss the details of Rice’s new Digital Information Accessibility Policy, 851. In this Q & A session, some topics include:

What “digital information accessibility” means. Who is responsible for accessible digital information at Rice. Priority areas where digital information should be made accessible ASAP. A timetable for remediating digital information. What to do if you receive an email and accessibility report from Public Affairs. Any other questions or clarifications you may have. Join us for one of the following sessions:

Click here to register for one of the morning Policy sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Tuesday, October 27, 10:00 a.m.
  • Thursday, October 29, 10:00 a.m.
  • Friday, October 30, 10:00 a.m.

Click here to register for one of the afternoon Policy sessions. On the following Zoom registration page, select your preferred date from the dropdown menu.

  • Monday, October 26, 3:00 p.m.
  • Wednesday, October 28, 3:00 p.m.
  • Friday, October 30, 3:00 p.m.
Posted on No Comments on Digital Information Accessibility Policy, The 5 Ws

Digital Information Accessibility Policy, The 5 Ws

We’re proud to announce Rice’s first ever policy regarding the accessibility of digital information and communication technology. Read Rice Policy 851 here.

We’re working hard to create a new digital accessibility website as a one-stop hub for all your questions about training and resources related to the new policy. We’ll be sure to let you know when it’s finished.

In the meantime, I thought I’d write a series of blogs to start answering some of your questions, starting with the five Ws.

 

Why did Rice create this policy?

With so much of the University’s operations moving partially or fully online, it’s more important than ever to ensure that everyone, including people with disabilities, has equal opportunity to independently access and use Rice’s digital information without barriers.

This policy aligns to several of Rice’s V2C2 goals like expanding access and inclusion, providing outstanding undergraduate experiences, building renowned graduate programs and extending Rice’s global impact and reputation.

We cannot hope to truly achieve these goals if we are providing digital experiences that exclude groups of users, even if that’s not our intention.

What does the policy apply to?

“Digital Information” is a broad term that pretty much describes any information and communication technology with a user interface.

Primarily, this policy addresses the need for publicly available digital information, like

  • websites,
  • videos,
  • PDFs,
  • and other applications

to meet Rice’s new standard, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1, AA). It also applies to online and blended course materials as well as procurement of new software.

Who is responsible for following the policy?

Anyone who creates digital information for Rice’s public website and/or online and blended courses should do so with accessibility in mind. This includes faculty, staff, students, and contractors (i.e. “content authors“).

It’s not important for all content authors to become experts in the complete list of WCAG criteria. If we follow a few simple guidelines from the beginning of our design process, we can do a lot to improve digital experiences for all.

When should I start thinking about the policy?

This policy applies to all digital content created on or after October 31st, 2020. It’s about having the guidance to move forward, so don’t panic about going back and remediating years-worth of older digital content. We ask that you revise older content in a timely manner, but we realize it won’t happen over night.

Where will this policy have an impact?

As we continue expanding our online presence and course offerings, this policy will guide us to improve digital experiences for all users at Rice and beyond.

How do I get started?

If you have any questions about the new policy, or to request training, contact me at a11y@rice.edu.

Posted on No Comments on Accessibility Workshops in August

Accessibility Workshops in August

During the month of August, there are plenty of exciting opportunities to attend virtual workshops covering a variety of digital accessibility topics.

Continue reading for more details and registration links.

Note: All workshops are one hour and limited to Rice faculty, staff, and teaching students.

Workshop: Intro to Digital Accessibility

We will discuss what digital accessibility means at Rice. Learn more about Rice’s legal commitments, Rice’s standard and recommendations, “low-hanging fruit” of accessible design, and more…

Register for one (not a series):

Workshop: Accessible Docs & PDFs

We will discuss best practices and strategies for creating and remediating accessible Word documents.  We’ll also review a workflow for converting them into accessible PDFs.

Register for one (not a series):

Workshop: Better Closed Captions

Learn more about the best practices of using automatic speech recognition (ASR) captions and caption editing.

We will discuss of options for live (synchronous) and recorded (asynchronous) closed captions using video applications like Zoom, Google Meet, and Kaltura. We’ll also look at presentation applications like PowerPoint 365 and Google Slides, which have integrated ASR captions.

Register for one (not a series):

Workshop: Accessibility in Canvas

We will discuss how to apply the “low-hanging fruit” of accessible design when working in the Canvas rich content editor. We will also review how to use the Canvas accessibility checker.

Register for one (not a series):

 

 

 

Posted on No Comments on Blackboard Ally File Transformer Free During COVID-19

Blackboard Ally File Transformer Free During COVID-19

The Blackboard Ally File Transformer enables you and your students to convert course files into a variety of different formats including:

  • PDFs with Tags and OCR
  • Audio
  • HTML
  • Electronic braille
  • ePub
  • Beeline Reader

The file transformer has been free to use since April 1, 2020. For more information, see Blackboard’s press release.

Universal Design for Learning

Providing course files in multiple formats gives students more flexibility to choose how they engage with your content and learn.

For example, imagine you have a text-heavy document or article that you need your students to read. With Ally, students can convert the document into an MP3 that they can play in their earbuds while they walk around campus or while they travel home for the weekend. Or, they can convert the same document into an ePub format for easier reading and note taking on their iPad.

Example, PDF to MP3

In this example, I uploaded a tagged PDF to the Blackboard Ally File Transformer and selected Audio as my output, then I downloaded an MP3 file.

Select a File to Upload Select an Alternative Format
Drag and drop or use the 'Browse' button to select a file to upload. Select an alternative format including HTML, ePub, Electronic Braille, Audio, and BeeLine, then select 'Download.'

Check out the MP3 Version and original PDF embedded below.

MP3 Version Converted from Ally

Original PDF uploaded to Ally

Loader Loading...
EAD Logo Taking too long?

Reload Reload document
| Open Open in new tab

Download

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Accessible Live Presentations in Zoom

Following up on last week’s post about automatic speech recognition (ASR) captions and transcripts in video recordings, this week we’re talking about ASR in live presentations.

You might recall that Zoom uses ASR to transcribe and caption videos recorded to the cloud only. So what can you do when you’re presenting during live synchronous class meetings, lectures, and webinars with Zoom?

We recommend using one of two presentation applications available to members of the Rice community. Both applications include live ASR:

PowerPoint 365 Live Captions

Either create your presentation in PowerPoint 365, or upload an existing file from your computer.

When you launch the presentation, select the ‘Use Subtitles’ button in the presentation toolbar to activate real-time captions.

PowerPoint slideshow toolbar with 'subtitles' button and other presentation options.

Google Slides Live Captions

Create your presentation in Slides, or upload an existing file. You’ll need to convert uploaded files to the Slides format to use live captions.

When you launch the presentation, select the ‘Turn on Captions’ button in the presentation toolbar.

Google Slides slideshow toolbar with 'Captions' button and other presentation options.

Important Notes

  • Use PowerPoint or Slides ASR if you do not already have a live captioner assisting you.
  • As an alternative to ASR captions, you can assign someone like a co-teacher, TA, or student to type closed captions in Zoom during live meetings.
  • If you have students who need accommodations, or if you’re hosting a webinar that includes a wide audience across the Rice community and beyond, please contact the Disability Resource Center to learn more about setting up a vendor to provide professional real-time captions.
  • Warning: Recording the presentation with live ASR captions means that the captions will be open (burned into the video) on the recording. The recording will contain its own separate closed captions, which means there will be two sets of captions on the same video.
    • Consider downloading the video file and cropping out the open captions with iMovie (mac) or Video Editor (Windows). You can then re-upload the edited video file to Kaltura where it will be automatically re-captioned.

Additional Resources

In addition to live captions, the following links have great tips about how you can make your presentations more inclusive.

Posted on No Comments on Quick Guide to Video Platforms and Captions

Quick Guide to Video Platforms and Captions

As the need to move more of our content and communications online increases, pre-recorded and live videos are likely to become a bigger part of your digital toolbox. In online courses, public web pages, and live streaming events, it’s up to you as the content author/host to make sure that your videos include accurate captions.

Some platforms include automatic speech recognition (ASR) of pre-recorded video, though the accuracy tends to fall below the threshold of accessibility and needs some manual cleaning up. If you have a student who requires captions during live class meetings, or if you are hosting a webinar for the Rice community and beyond, please contact the Disability Resource Center to learn more about transcription service options.

The following platforms are used commonly to host and share video content. Use this quick guide to choose the one that’s right for you and your audience.

  • Kaltura
  • Zoom
  • YouTube
  • Vimeo

Kaltura

  • License: Canvas-only
  • Recommended use: Academic
  • Pre-recorded video: YES
  • Live video: NO
  • ASR: YES
  • Caption editor: YES, learn more.

Zoom

  • License: Pro currently available for Rice faculty and staff. Webinar available by request only.
  • Recommended use: Academic and Public
  • Pre-recorded video: YES
  • Live video: YES
  • ASR: YES, Cloud recordings only
  • Caption editor: YES, learn more.

YouTube

  • License: NO
  • Recommended use: Public
  • Pre-recorded video: YES
  • Live video: YES
  • ASR: YES, both live and pre-recorded
  • Caption editor: YES, learn more.

Vimeo

  • License: NO
  • Recommended use: Public
  • Pre-recorded video: YES
  • Live video: NO
  • ASR: NO
  • Caption editor: NO

Because Vimeo does not include automatic closed captions, we do not recommend using it unless you have a detailed process for creating and uploading your own caption files. For more information, see the following ‘Contact’ section.

Contact

For additional questions and support, contact the Digital Information Accessibility Coordinator.

Posted on No Comments on Free Digital Accessibility Learning Resources

Free Digital Accessibility Learning Resources

COVID-19 is causing us to move more and more of our information, communications, and operations online, so digital accessibility is more important than ever before.

As a community striving for greater access, inclusiveness, and diversity, it’s up to all of us to improve digital accessibility for everyone, including people with disabilities. When we do not apply accessible design principles and leave barriers in our content, we create opportunities for exclusion and inequity, which are counter to Rice’s V2C2 goals.

Take time this summer to learn more about improving digital access. As you prepare for the fall 2020 semester and beyond, be sure to integrate basic concepts of accessible design into your online learning materials, tasks, and assessments.

Check out these FREE learning resources on Digital Accessibility:

Free Courses/Learning Modules

Web Guides about the Low-Hanging Fruit of digital accessibility

These concepts don’t just apply to Canvas; they can be used broadly to the design of all kinds of web content and digital documents. And remember, accessibility is not about perfection, it’s about progress.

For more guidance, please contact the Digital Accessibility Coordinator:

Posted on No Comments on Use the Check Accessibility Tool in Canvas

Use the Check Accessibility Tool in Canvas

What is the Check Accessibility Tool?

The Canvas Rich Content Editor (RCE) has a handy button to help you check for and fix common accessibility issues. It’s the button that looks like a person with their arms out.

Canvas 'Check Accessibility' tool icon in the RCE.

You’ll find the RCE and Check Accessibility tool anywhere you create content in Canvas, including:

  • Announcements
  • Assignments
  • Discussions
  • Pages
  • Quizzes
  • Syllabus

What Does it Actually Check?

The Accessibility Checker does a decent job of catching several common accessibility barriers, or what we like to refer to as the “low-hanging fruit.” Although it’s fairly consistent about catching some of the low-hanging fruit, it has it’s limits. It’s a good idea to know a little bit more about what to look for and how to fix it.

It’s good at catching:

  • Missing alternative text (alt text) on images
  • Low color contrast ratios
  • Missing Table Headers and Captions
  • Skipped heading levels

It’s not good at catching:

  • Non-descriptive links
  • Missing headings

It can’t catch:

  • Missing closed captions in videos (Zoom, Kaltura, YouTube, etc.)
  • Files uploaded to Canvas (Word docs, PDFS, PowerPoints, etc.)

How does it work?

It’s pretty straight forward. Just create your content in the RCE, and before you select ‘Save and Publish,” click the Check Accessibility button to open a side panel.

Canvas 'Accessibility Checker' panel showing issue 1 of 6, which is a missing text description for an image .

Each issue is listed, one at a time and you can track the total number of issues. The content related to the issue is highlighted. Each issue contains a brief description and a help link to more resources. Sometimes, the tools needed for fixing the issue are included. Apply your changes, then select ‘Next’ to move to the next issue.

Canvas 'Accessibility Checker' panel with no issues. It contains a graphic of three balloons and confetti.Once you’ve fixed all the issues, you should receive a celebratory message indicating that “no accessibility issues were detected.”

Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be able to avoid these common issues in the first place. You’ll have fewer issues to fix until eventually, you’re designing with accessibility in mind.

But what if I still can’t fix everything?

Don’t sweat it! Just do your best. We’re not looking for perfection, just progress. With that said, please contact the Digital Accessibility Coordinator to set up a brief 30 minute consultation and learn more about accessible design.

Contact

Additional Resources