This Presentation was delivered to 2014 University of Guelph Accessibility Conference. Title: Perspectives on accessibility of university research: language, location and AODA compliance Who: Krista Jensen, York University and Shawna Reibling, University, Waterloo & Anne Bergen, University of Guelph

1. Perspectives on accessibility
of university research:
language, location and legal
Krista Jensen, York University
Anne Bergen, University of Guelph
Shawna Reibling, Wilfrid Laurier University

2. Agenda
• History of the project
• Knowledge mobilization in academic context
• Accessibility on three levels
– Language & layout
– Location
– Legal
• Barriers & solutions

3. testing accessibility
Project History

4. Project History
• Summaries of single research
studies
– 2 pages long, vetted by researcher,
open access, open copyright.
– SSHRC grant (2008) at YorkU.
– 10 offices in 5 institutions are using
the format.
– Validated by focus groups including
policymakers, community
practitioners and researchers.

5. Wilfrid Laurier
University
• Project in beginning
stages
• wlu.ca/clearlanguage

6. Plain Language
Summaries
University
of Guelph

7. York University

8. testing accessibility
Knowledge mobilization in
academic context

9. Knowledge mobilization definitions
http://www.oise.utoronto.ca/rspe/KM_Products/Terminology/index.html

10. So What’s Behind the Jargon?
PeopleResearch
Making research as accessible as
possible will increase uptake & use!

11. Knowledge mobilization & accessibility
• Engagement
• Accessibility
• Capacity building
• Not “dumbing down”

12. testing accessibility
Accessibility: Language

13. Accessibility: Language
• “clear” or “plain” language
• Uses writing your audience knows
• Gives readers information they need
• Combines what you write with how you write
• Uses design to help reader understand
content

14. Why use clear language?
• Combat information overload
• Give non-specialists access
• Support English as a Second Language /
Lower Literacy audiences

15. Who?
Why?
What?
So what?
Who is this from? Who is this for?
What is the purpose of this
information?
What do I need to do?
What’s at stake? Why should I care?
Readers may ask…

16. How to test your document
• Word-based tools
(Word readability
feature)
– Readability
• CAUTION: Readability
scores alone are not
enough—it’s best to
combine with another
method.
– Accessibility
Source: Microsoft Word 2011 for Mac

17. Testing language continued…
• Feedback from readers
– Informal feedback
– Read aloud protocols
– Plus & minus testing
– Comments (online)

18. How will readers get the information?
•Email
•Phone
•Text message
•Letter
•Sticky note
•Attachment
•Magazine
•Website
•Infographic
•Other?

19. Formatting strategies
• White space
– Short paragraphs
– Wide margins
– “Padding” around images
• Headings
• Bullets
• Tables
• Images (if they complement text)

20. After
Source: www.plainlanguage.gov
Before

21. testing accessibility
Accessibility: Location

22. Accessible Location: Hosting & Storage
wlu.ca/clearlanguage

23. http://dspace.lib.uoguelph.ca/xmlui/handle/10214/2834
 Accessibility & open access considerations
Accessible Location: Institutional Repositories

24. Accessibility: Aggregating Collections
researchimpact.ca
/researchsearch/
 Multiple
methods of
discovering
information.

25. testing accessibility
Accessibility: Legal

26. Accessibility: Legal
• AODA compliance necessary for post-
secondary institutions

27. testing accessibility
Barriers & solutions

28. Limitations/Barriers
• Need to reach more stakeholders, missing
potential users
• Focus groups not include those with disabilities
• Focus on language and visual accessibility
• MS Publisher has no accessibility support
• Adobe InDesign is expensive & requires training.
• What about existing summaries?

29. Solution: Process Tool, 2 versions
• Use summary as a process tool
• Two different versions: one in Word, the other
in Publisher.
• Save word document as a “web page” format
– upload to the web
– “read” using
webanywhere.cs.washington.edu/wa.php

30. !
!
INSERT TITLE OF REPORT HERE
HEADING ONE
Body style text
!
HEADING TWO
Heading Three
!
Heading 4
!
Heading 5
!
!
!
!
TITLE OF REPORT
DATE (COVER SUBHEADING)
Author 1* Author 2*
*Author Position 1
**Author Position 2
Citation: McCron, C. & Bergen, A. (2014). The Best
Thing About The Research Shop. Retrieved from
theresearchshop.ca/resources
The!authors!would!like!to!acknowledge!X!Y!and!the!members!of!Z!
for!their!support!etc!(cover!page!acknowledgements!style)!
Use styles to define title, headings, etc…
NB: need to create pdf in Windows Word (not Mac)

31. Solution: Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Use Word, then fix up in Adobe Acrobat Pro
• Tag existing PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro

32. Can fix up pdf documents in Adobe Acrobat Pro,
starting with or without tagged styles from Word.

33. Solution: InDesign
• Create an accessible template in Adobe
InDesign
• $20/month for two sign ins. (sign in from any
computer)
• Training & weekly tutorials required
• Reformatting over 300 required a lot of
coordination

34. Solution: InDesign
Before After

35. Solution: Be approachable
• Add text: “We are working to make all of our
resource materials accessible. If you require
any of these materials in an alternate format ,
please contact <email>, <phone number>

36. Remediation
of existing
libraries

37. Iterations of
accessibility &
testing

38. Questions to Discuss
• Other potential solutions?
• How can we build accessibility into
communication processes? Design processes?
• What about visual identity branding?
How to deal with community partner visuals?
Infographics?

39. Contact Us
Krista Jensen, Knowledge mobilization officer, York University,
kejensen@yorku.ca
Anne Bergen, Knowledge mobilization coordinator, Institute for
Community Engaged Scholarship/ College of Social and Applied
Human Sciences, University of Guelph bergena@uoguelph.ca
Twitter: @anne_bergen
Shawna Reibling, Knowledge mobilization officer, Wilfrid
Laurier University sreibling@wlu.ca Twitter: @MobilizeShawna