UOW Library has released a new episode of the Light On podcast, focused on this years theme for Open Access Week: Open for Climate Justice.
The podcast is hosted by Sam Hutchinson, produced by (Digidex Blog member) Kristy Newton and features UOW academics Georgia Watson and Distinguished Professor Sharon Robinson, PhD candidate Teaniel Mifsud, and UOW Library’s Clare Job.
In the podcast, you’ll hear about:
how citizen science and science communication contribute to the accessibility of research for a wider audience
how the current Antarctic Futures exhibition at UOW combines scientific research, art and early learning activities to engage people of all ages with social justice and climate science.
how citizen science not only informed UOW research on how people encounter sharks while swimming, surfing or sailing, but also grew into a communication tool and opportunity for sharing knowledge between those involved too
how much people engage with the content in Research Online, because it wouldn’t be a UOW Library podcast without some Research Online statistics! (spoiler: already 2 million downloads this year).
If you’d like to discover more about our podcast guests, you can find them on Twitter. Sharon Robinson is @Antarcticmoss, Georgia Watson is @EcoloGee_, Teaniel Mifsud is @teanielmarie, podcast host Sam Hutchinson is @Saminthelibrary and podcast producer Kristy Newton is @librariano.
Click on the image to open the podcast in a new tab
Luke Gaiter, Senior Manager – Digital Capability Support, The University of Queensland Library Miranda Newell, Digital Content Specialist, The University of Queensland Library
Accessibility benefits everyone
Making content accessible isn’t just about changing existing things or establishing new ones to help a specific group. It’s about shifting how we do things on a structural level to remove barriers that could affect anyone, permanently or temporarily.
Accessibility involves thinking about your users and trying to reduce obstacles which prevent people from using the environments, systems and digital tools that others may take for granted.
‘Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.’
When you create content there are key elements to consider to make your content more accessible.
Structure
Content structure helps users to navigate the text. This can be particularly helpful for users with neurodiverse medical conditions. Use:
heading styles and consistent formatting. Do not skip heading levels. Headings are used by screen reader and other assistive technology users to navigate through content
short paragraphs that cover a single topic
lists to present content. Lists tend to be easier to scan and often require fewer words
Descriptive links. Let your user know what will happen when they click on the link.
Language
Use simple and clear language when you write your content. Plain language is concise, well structured and easy to understand.
The type, size and format of text can affect the accessibility of your content.
Use a Sans Serif font. Sans serif fonts are designed to be simpleand easy to read.
Set font size to beat least 12 points for body text. This is the minimum size recommended for low vision and those who have a form of cognitive disability.
Limit the use of bold, Italics and CAPITALS.
Helpful tools:
Dyslexie font helps to increase the ease of reading and comprehension for some users with dyslexia.
The Ascend browser extension allows users to add accessibility features to their browser, including for dyslexia.
Colour
Check the contrast of the colours you use. Ensuring good contrast between foreground and background colours is important for users who have low vision or colour blindness.
Any diagrams or charts will also need to be explained.
An alt text description is unnecessary if the same information is available in text near the image or is used purely as a decorative element.
Video and audio
Video or audio content should have captions and transcripts. If captions are not included, users who are deaf will miss out on the dialogue and any important sounds. A transcript allows people with deaf blindness to access the content using braille software.
Tables
Tables can be difficult to navigate and understand for those using screen readers if they are not set up to be accessible. Use headers and properties so that screen readers can read out the row headings along with the cell information. Try to keep tables as simple as possible and avoid merging cells.