Tag Archive for: accessibility

Accessible PowerPoint

If you’re not making your PowerPoint accessible, you’re excluding people from your audience, plain and simple. It doesn’t matter if you are just presenting or exporting to PDF. There are specific accessibility considerations you must use to have an inclusive presentation. This session will explore the built-in accessibility tools, some “hidden features” and the best way to get the most accessible PPT documents into PDF or for presenting to a live audience.

  • Accessibility barriers in PowerPoint
  • Setting the Read Order
  • Writing effective alt-text
  • Using the Accessibility Checker
  • How to handle video and audio content
  • Tables, charts and graphs
  • Exporting to PDF and beyond

Accessible Forms and Tables

Adobe InDesign is a powerhouse for creating accessible forms and tables, but it can be tricky to get started without some key foundations. Join Dax Castro for a walk through of the basics of creating accessible tables and PDFs with InDesign.

You’ll learn:

  • How and why to define tags when exporting to PDF
  • How and why to set tag order for exported PDF files
  • Why alt text is important and how to include it
  • How and why to specify reading order
  • When to artifact or describe an object

Accessibility in InDesign and Acrobat

InDesign and Acrobat are powerful tools for creating accessible documents—but to use them successfully, it’s crucial to understand a few basics first. We’ll dive into key features, best practices, and techniques for ensuring your PDFs are universally accessible and compliant with the latest standards.

Key Takeaways:

  • Understanding the structural elements of accessible PDFs
  • Techniques for creating accessible PDFs from various document formats
  • Tools and resources for testing and verifying PDF accessibility

Designing for a Neurodiverse Audience

According to studies, 10–30% of the general population may be considered “neurodiverse,” so it’s incredibly important for designers to consider this audience! In this session, we’ll explore the importance of designing for neurodiverse audiences and learn how to create inclusive and accessible experiences for neurodivergent individuals and those with diverse cognitive abilities. You’ll also gain insights into neurodivergent experiences and discover practical strategies and best practices for designing content, interfaces, and environments for a neurodivergent audience.

Key Takeaways:

  • Basic concepts related to neurodivergence and the impact on design
  • Techniques for creating user-centered designs that accommodate neurodivergence and diverse cognitive needs
  • Tips for fostering inclusivity and empathy in design processes
  • Strategies for ensuring accessibility for neurodivergent audiences

Digital Accessibility in the Analog World

Accessibility can extend far beyond our digital devices to include various unexpected media forms, including billboards, board games, and print media. By addressing often-overlooked areas of design, we can highlight opportunities for innovation and inclusivity in spaces that are typically marginalized. You’ll be inspired by insights from diverse industry professionals and innovative examples of accessible design in action.

Topics include:

  • Practical strategies for overcoming common challenges
  • Ideas for expanding accessibility to unexpected places
  • Frequently overlooked design opportunities to expand accessibility

The Foundations of Accessibility

By now, you’ve certainly heard that designing for accessibility is a must, but where do you start? What tools do you need? And how do you know if you’re doing it right? Accessibility expert Dax Castro is here with a crash course for absolute beginners on how to start designing accessibly.

Topics include:

  • The meaning of “accessible design”
  • An overview of what’s involved: tools, tasks, and guidelines
  • Simple steps for getting started

PowerPoint and Accessibility

PowerPoint presentations are just a fact of life. However, making them accessible can be a struggle. It’s time to supercharge your skills for creating accessible PowerPoint presentations that reach more of your audience regardless of their abilities. We’ll cover the fundamentals of accessible presentation design including:

  • Presentation layouts and color
  • Program barriers to watch out for
  • Accessible video and audio
  • Converting presentations to PDF
  • Tips for giving a more accessible presentation

Accessible PDFs: Critical Next Steps

In Accessible InDesign Documents Part 1 and Part 2, we explored how to set up your file to export accessible PDFs. But there’s only so much InDesign can do! In this session, we’ll see the critical next steps you need to take in Acrobat.

Topics include:

  • The key items to check in every PDF
  • Accessibility vs. usability
  • Testing documents with a screen reader
  • How to use the Preflight panel to your advantage
  • Which testing tools you should be using

Accessible InDesign Documents, Part 2

In Part 1, we laid out the basics that you need to know to make accessible documents in InDesign.

Now, let’s take the next step and explore some of the most important rules for building accessible PDF files.

Topics include:

  • Working with accessible colors
  • Best practices for accessible tables
  • Accessible hyperlinks
  • Exporting to PDF
  • Checking for compliance

Accessible InDesign Documents, Part 1

Ensuring that the PDF files you export from InDesign are accessible to everyone is not only a good idea, it’s the right thing to do! In this session, you’ll learn what accessibility and “Section 508” means and how you can produce PDF documents that are accessible to all!

This tutorial is split into three separate sessions. This session takes you through the steps of adding basic accessibility features to your InDesign files.

Topics include:

  • How to build an InDesign document the right way from the start
  • Controlling content order
  • Using accessibility features in InDesign