This document discusses making educational documents accessible for people with print disabilities. It defines print disability and outlines various challenges people may face in accessing printed text due to visual, cognitive, or physical impairments. It then provides solutions for making documents accessible, including using structured documents, modifying text features, creating audio books, using text-to-speech software, and linking text and audio. It emphasizes the importance of these solutions and provides evidence of their benefits. It concludes by discussing implications for learning technology professionals, including expanding their skills, practices, and training to better support users with print disabilities.

1. Why didn’t anybody
tell me about this?
What every learning technologist should
know about accessible documents
Dominik Lukeš, @techczech

2. Conversation reminder
Please tweet any questions, comments
@techczech

3. Load2Learn
online resource of downloadable
curriculum materials for print disabled
learners
provides access to digital books and
images that can be used by learners
with their own technology
being developed by Dyslexia Action and
RNIB, funded by DfE

4. Problem: Print disability
“A print-disabled person is anyone for whom
a visual, cognitive or physical disability
hinders the ability to read print. This
includes all visual impairments, dyslexia,
and any physical disabilities that prevent
the handling of a physical copy of a print
publication.”
CLA License,
http://www.cla.co.uk/data/pdfs/print_disability/cla_guidelines_for_the_pdl_aug10.pdf

5. Print Disability: Perception
Issues
Cannot see text
Can only see text at a certain size
Cannot see certain colours, colour
combinations
Prefers certain contrast

6. Print Disability: Issues with
Processing Text
Difficulties decoding written word
Difficulties finding information in large
chunks of text
Needs special formatting (e.g. Sans
Serif, not-justified, no all caps, no
underline, no italics)

7. Print Disability: Physical
Difficulties
Can only use the keyboard
Can only use a pointing device
Can only use voice input

8. Key legal provisions
Make an accessible copy of a
document for a print disabled person
under the CLA PD Licence
Accessible document: large print,
electronic copy, audio version (MP3),
Braille
Unless a suitable commercial
alternative exists

9. Conversation reminder
Please tweet any questions, comments
@techczech

10. Solution: Making text
accessible
1. Structured documents with easy
navigation (Word, PDF)
2. Modification of font colour, font type, font
size, background colour (PDF, Word)
3. Narrated Audio books
4. Text-to-speech: PDF, Wordtalk,
Balbolka, voices, screen reader
5. Audio and text linked (DAISY, WordTalk)

11. Solution 1: Structured
documents
All sections have titles marked with
Heading styles
Word documents, PDFs, Web Pages

12. Solution 2: Text and document
modification
Change font size proportionally
Change font colours and background
colours

13. Solution 3: Audio books and
other audio

14. Evidence for Audio Books
Boys found audio-reading enjoyable and
their self-confidence as readers improved.
„a marked reduction in the quantity of
errors … when reading independently‟
The boys found audio reading was
relatively effortless yet they perceived that
they were reading books appropriate to
their age and could read „hard words‟ like
their peers (Byrom, 1998, p.5)

15. Audio as spectacles
„some children require spectacles to enable
them to read a book, others may require an
audio tape to enable them to read the same
book‟ (Byrom, 1998, p. 6)
„Today some of these people with dyslexia
even regard the computer as their
equivalent to the glasses of the weak-
sighted‟. (Tank & Frederikson, 2007, p.947)

16. Audio books at home
parents reported that audio-books
appeared to have „a positive influence in
reducing emotional– behavioural
problems‟
and that the use of audio-books within the
home environment appeared to reduce
their child’s sense of frustration and
distractibility attributed to greater ease in
studying. (Milani et al, 2003, p.93)

17. Solution 4: Text to speech
Synthetic voice (Anna, Jess, Brian)
Reader software (Balabolka, WordTalk)

18. Evidence for text to speech
Students took their SQA standard grade
examinations in „Accessible PDF‟ format.
Staff praised: “independence offered by
the electronic format”
Students “all found them easier to use
than a scribe”
“mean score was 8.93 compared with
8.00 for scribes” (Nisbet et al, 2005, p.1)

19. More evidence for text to speech
Text to speech can „relieve the burden
of decoding for struggling readers,
allowing them to focus on
comprehension‟ (Wise, Ring, and
Olson, 2000).
students „could double or triple the
time that they could sustain reading‟
(Elkind et al, 1996, p.160).

20. Solution 5: Text and audio
linked by DAISY
Structured document linking audio and text
Text is highlighted in sync with audio

21. Solution 5: Speech recognition

22. Audio note taking
„By using the note tool, they engaged in new
literacy practices by envisioning new ways
to access their thought processes to
engage in spontaneous, instantaneous
response to the e-books‟ (Larson, 2009, p.
256)

23. Evidence for DAISY
„Research confirms that highlighting text as it
is spoken can help learners pay attention
and remember more’ (cited in Silver-Pacuilla
and Fleischman, 2006, p. 84)

24. DAISY for Dyslexia
DAISY is used by people with dyslexia
in Denmark and other countries.
„Today some of these people with
dyslexia even regard the computer as
their equivalent to the glasses of the
weak-sighted‟. (Tank & Frederikson,
2007, p.947)

25. Conversation reminder
Please tweet any questions, comments
@techczech

26. What it means for day-to-day
work of Learning Technology
professionals?
Skills and knowledge
Expanded practice
User training and advocacy

27. Knowledge and skills
Structured documents
Using PDFs accessibly
Text to speech how and why
Alternative formats like DAISY
Sources of materials in alternative
formats

28. Changed practice
Produce all documents with structure
Model good behavious for staff you
support
Try using documents in different
formats
Advocate for increased accessibility
with users

29. User training: Mini curriculum
Structured documents (save yourself
time and use headings styles!!!!!)
Modification of font size, colour (PDF,
Word)
Keyboard shortcuts
Text to speech: how to create MP3 files
from documents with software and
voices

30. Learn Tools for Print
Accessibility
Microsoft Word (LibreOffice) structured
Adobe Acrobat Accessibility features
Portable Apps (MyStudyBar)
Synthetic voices
Text to speech tools (Balabolka,
WordTalk, Amis)

31. Keyboard Shortcuts
Do you know how to type keyboard shortcuts
correctly?
How many keyboard shortcuts do you know?

32. Text size
Ctrl - Shift - < or >
Ctrl - [ or ]
Styles
Ctrl - Alt - 1, 2, 3
Alt - Shift - arrow keys
Ctrl - PgUp / PgDn

33. Key new terms to remember
Print disability: New term covering
existing disabilities and reflected in
copyright regulation.
Accessible documents: Can be
modified to suit learners‟ needs and can
be converted into alternative formats.

34. Where to
go next?

35. Load2Learn.org.uk

36. #ITR12: Inclusive Technologies
for Reading MOOC
5 hours a week, 22 weeks
Free pilot open to all, 150 signed up already
October 8
Load2Learn.org.uk/training/onlinecourse

37. Collabor8 4 Change in Inclusive
Technologies
Unconference to come and share best
practices
12 October, 6-9pm
TES SEN Show, London
Load2Learn.org.uk/training/c84c

38. Inclusive Technology Training
Days
Load2Learn.org.uk/training/trainingdays
Coming up in October/November

39. Computer Productivity and
Accessibility Cue Cards
Load2Learn.org.uk/training/cuecards
Increased opportunities for learning
Creative Commons licensed, remix
encouraged

40. Thank you!
Dominik Lukes, @techczech
Load2Learn.org.uk
#ITR12