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Why didn’t anybody tell me about this? What every learning technologist should know about accessible documents

Event unresolved: the historical title refers to ALT 2012, while the presentation includes #ITR12. The delivery event has not been confirmed.

Section 1: Why didn’t anybody tell me about this?

What every learning technologist should know about accessible documents

Load2Learn, delivered by Dyslexia Action and RNIB.

Dominik Lukeš, @techczech

Section 2: Conversation reminder

Please tweet any questions, comments @techczech

Section 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

Section 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

Section 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

Section 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)

Section 7: Print Disability: Physical Difficulties

  • Can only use the keyboard
  • Can only use a pointing device
  • Can only use voice input

Section 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

Section 9: Conversation reminder

Please tweet any questions, comments @techczech

Section 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)

Section 11: Solution 1: Structured documents

  • All sections have titles marked with Heading styles
  • Word documents, PDFs, Web Pages

Word document with a heading navigation pane beside a definition of print disability, showing how headings enable navigation.

Section 12: Solution 2: Text and document modification

  • Change font size proportionally
  • Change font colours and background colours

Adobe Reader at 300% zoom, displaying large green text on black; an arrow points to the zoom control.

Adobe Reader accessibility preferences with Replace Document Colors checked and Use High-Contrast colors selected.

Section 13: Solution 3: Audio books and other audio

VLC playlist of Animal Farm MP3 files with playback controls and individual track durations.

Section 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)

Section 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)

Section 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)

Section 17: Solution 4: Text to speech

  • Synthetic voice (Anna, Jess, Brian)
  • Reader software (Balabolka, WordTalk)

Balabolka text-to-speech window with voice selection, rate and pitch controls above a document about WordTalk.

Section 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)

Section 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).

Section 20: Solution 5: Text and audio linked by DAISY

  • Structured document linking audio and text
  • Text is highlighted in sync with audio

AMIS DAISY reader with a navigable contents tree and a highlighted sentence in the What is DAISY? section.

Solution 5: Speech recognition

A headset with headphones and a boom microphone.

Windows speech recognition toolbar and numbered word alternatives, with instructions to say an item number followed by OK.

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)

Section 21: 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)

Section 22: 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)

Section 23: Conversation reminder

Please tweet any questions, comments @techczech

Section 24: What it means for day-to-day work of Learning Technology professionals?

  • Skills and knowledge
  • Expanded practice
  • User training and advocacy

Section 25: Knowledge and skills

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

Section 26: 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

Section 27: 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

Section 28: 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)

Section 29: Keyboard Shortcuts

Do you know how to type keyboard shortcuts correctly?

How many keyboard shortcuts do you know?

Section 30: Text size

  • Ctrl - Shift - < or >
  • Ctrl - [ or ]

Section 31: Styles

  • Ctrl - Alt - 1, 2, 3
  • Alt - Shift - arrow keys
  • Ctrl - PgUp / PgDn

Section 32: 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.

Section 33: Where to go next?

Section 34: Load2Learn.org.uk

Load2Learn search results for GCSE English, showing pagination, sorting controls and textbook covers.

Section 35: #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

Section 36: 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

Section 37: Inclusive Technology Training Days

Load2Learn.org.uk/training/trainingdays

Coming up in October/November

Section 38: Computer Productivity and Accessibility Cue Cards

Load2Learn.org.uk/training/cuecards

Increased opportunities for learning

Creative Commons licensed, remix encouraged

Section 39: Thank you!

Dominik Lukes, @techczech

Load2Learn.org.uk

#ITR12

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