Is your material accessible? Accessibility is a concept I keep in mind whether I’m designing elearning elements, writing web material, or creating courses. Accessible design means designing for everyone and with an accessible mindset, you think of your audience’s needs during the creation process. You become proactive instead of reactive.
By changing the way you think, you can design accessible material without a lot of extra work. Proactive designers consider their audience up front, use an accessibility checklist to stay on track, and run material through an accessibility checker to help them spot potential problems.
Getting Started
The scope of accessibility can be quite daunting but with a process in place, you can create material more quickly and efficiently. Before you begin, take some time to do the following:
- Understand the accessibility laws for your area
- Know the timelines for compliance
- Read about the basic technical requirements
- Get help from knowledgeable sources
Once you understand the basics, create a process to follow each time you create accessible material or read more about getting started.
Accessibility Step-by-Step
If you’re new to accessibility, try following the steps I use to create accessible material.
- Check your current material using an accessibility checklist.
- Create new material using an accessibility mindset.
- Make changes section by section.
- Review and test your material.
- Create a template for similar material.
- Repeat.
You can use these steps for any material you create but remember that each type of document has its own requirements based on the type of material you are creating. Look at my accessible design by document tips or read more about my accessibility step-by-step process.
Accessible Design by Document
Many accessibility requirements apply to all material but others are document specific. Make sure you understand the requirements for each of the following types of material:
- Web Pages
- Word Documents
- Power Point Slides
- PDFs
- Online Courses
Whether you need to create one type of document or many, develop a process you can reuse. Read my accessible design by document tips for more information or look at the free resources available online.
Free Resources
You can find a lot of information on the internet to help you create accessible material. I use the following resources:
- Accessibility Websites
- Accessibility Checklist
Learn more about the free resources I use to create accessible material or contact me for further information.
Getting Help
Please contact me for individual help at info@michelebrannonhamilton.com. I offer the following services:
- Consulting
- Training
- Modules (coming soon)
Creating accessible material can seem overwhelming at first but by using a process that reminds you to think about your audience and check your material from the user’s perspective, you can create material that is accessible to everyone. Also, being proactive cuts down potential problems which ends up saving you time in the long run. Why follow the crowd when you can lead by design? Be proactive. Design for everyone.
For more information about my accessibility services, visit my getting help page.