Communities Of Power:
Community
Building Tools
Your Accessible Training:
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Community Building Tools Main Page|
Americans with Disabilities Act|
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We hope these tools will help you gather the information you need to plan and carry out a training session which is accessible to everyone! This page is a work in progress. We are always looking for your ideas for training accommodation resources and tips, if you'd like to help build this tool, please e-mail us: mdrc@match.org!
You can download a document we used in a train-the-trainer session
in 2005 which refers to this web page:
MS Word Format
Text Format
Use the following to help scroll down this page:
General Resources| Guides in Print for
Purchase |Before the Training Session |
Etiquette | Accommodation Resources |
General Resources for Hosting Accessible
Trainings
- Accessibility
Guidelines for Speakers,
This is an Adobe PDF file. Includes tips for working with sign language interpreters. - Sample accessible
training statements and scripts to review ,
"Hosting successful meetings or events requires cooperation between event planners, chairpersons, emcees, moderators, coordinators, and attendees. The following hosting responsibilities and guidelines can help produce accessible events that comply with Section 504 requirements." - Recommendations
and things to plan for to comply with the ADA,
"Planning conferences that are accessible to people with disabilities involves focusing on the accessibility of all aspects of your meeting, from choosing a site through promotion, registration, presentations, and handouts." - Guide from the
West Virginia Division Rehabilitation Services
This is an Adobe PDF file. Includes how to provide both physical and information access. -
A
Guide from Accessibility Ontario:
"Two important areas need to be considered when arranging accessible meetings - physical access to the meeting space and access to the meeting contents and proceedings." Includes general, physical access, food, promotional materials, multiple format communications, communication supports, personal assistants, and general etiquette tips.
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Guides in Print for Purchase:
- A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings, June Kailes and
Darrell Jones, $25. ILRU, 2323 S. Shepherd, Ste. 1000, Houston TX 77019;
(713)520-0232.
-
Accessibility
Guidelines for Speakers, Revised July 2000, 18 pages, $20. A concise guide
offering important tips in assuring access to the widest possible audience.
Includes how to: make visual aids accessible through oral narratives and
format; work with sign language interpreters; make soundtracks accessible
through captioning; work with assistive listening systems; convert handout
materials to alternative formats (Braille, large print, disk, audio cassette);
record material on audio cassette; and locate Braille transcription,
captioning, recording and duplicating services. by June Kailes Issacson
- Accessibility Checklist for Events and Meetings, Edition 1.1, Revised June 1998 by June Kailes Issacson A shortened version and companion piece to Accessibility Guidelines for Speakers and A Guide to Planning Accessible Meetings. An indispensable tool for meeting and event planners who are somewhat familiar with access issues.
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Before the Training Session:
Resources
to Promote and Plan for Accessibility
- Checklists for physical accessibility.
- Standardized symbols indicating accessibility from Graphic Artists Guild .
- Sample registration forms for participants.
- When creating signage, take care to make sure that it is simple
with good contrast. Use clear, non-technical English. Keep sentence length to
25 words or fewer. Use sans-serif or simple serif type faces. Use 14 or 16
point font at the minimum. Avoid using color (such as red or green) for
emphasis or as a background as people with color-blindness may have difficulty
distinguishing these colors.
To see how your materials might look to someone who is color blind, go to: http://www.vischeck.com/vischeck/
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Etiquette:
- The City of Sacramento disability etiquette guide .
- Information on using person-first language .
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Accommodation Resources:
Sign Language Interpreters | Hearing Assistive Technology | Braille | Large Print | Audio | Powerpoint Use
Sign Language Interpreters
- Meeting Communication Tips with People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.
- Locating a Qualified Sign Language Interpreter.
- Michigan 2005 Interpreter and TTY Service Directories.
- Video Remote Interpreting Services are valuable in areas where sign language interpreters might not be available.
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Hearing Assistive Techology:
- Learn about Hearing Assistive Technology.
- Communication Access Real-time Translation CART is the equivalent of captioning of live events for people with hearing impairments. The process is so fast that there is virtually no lag time between what is being said and the captioning. Learn about CART and to find Michigan resources.
- Learn about Hearing Dogs.
- The AudiSee: An audiovisual FM system.
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Braille Resources:
- Michigan Disability Rights Coalition. Contact Nick Prass at (800) 760-4600 extension 12.
- List from the National Federation for the Blind
Preparing documents for Braille and screen readers: Dos and Don'ts of Word Processing .
Much, though not all, of the material in next sections is from "A Guide to Making Documents Accessible to People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired by Jennifer Sutton" This is a long document, we have chosen some relevant portions to include here and encourage you to visit the original document for further information!
- Plain text and HTML are generally the most universally accessible choices. .
- Always use numbers as appropriate. For example, use the number one rather than the letter "L" and the number zero rather than the letter “O.”
- Insert hard page break codes at the proper locations rather than using the enter key repeatedly in order to move to the next page.
- Use page numbering codes, rather than simply typing in page numbers.
- Don't use the enter key to end each line, as you would when using a typewriter. Rather, only use the enter key when a new paragraph should begin or when blank lines are needed.
- Don't use columns in the document.
- Keep in mind that you or a contractor may need to reformat certain areas of documents, such as tables or spreadsheets, to assure that people who use Braille or screen readers can understand the text and the concepts that the visual presentation is meant to convey.
- Remember to update this material when revising the other versions.
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Large Print Materials:
How to Make Large-Print Documents. Follow the suggestions below to convert print materials to large print.
- Font is 18 point Arial with single spacing
- Left-justify the text so that the spacing between letters is consistent and easy to track visually. Text is in upper and lower case
- Use of italics, bold, and underlining is kept to a minimum
- Hyphenation at the ends of lines is kept to a minimum
- Use 8-1/2 by 11-inch, non-glossy, off-white paper whenever possible. White paper can create glare, and colored paper lessens the contrast between the print and paper. Also, choose paper that does not permit the letters to bleed through to the other side of the page when printing on both sides.
- Use of parentheses ( ) is minimized
- Text is not crowded onto the page, and the number of pages is kept to a minimum
- Bold the entire document so that the print will be dark enough to offer an additional level of contrast between the print and the paper.
- Make sure that the ink in the printer is generating clean copy without lines or smudges.
- Use the block style for paragraphs whenever possible. If the beginning of each paragraph must be indented, use two spaces, instead of the usual five.
- Left and right margins of one inch are ideal.
- Number pages at the top or bottom left-hand side of the page.
- Eliminate the automatic hyphenation of words
- Don't center text.
- Do not double-space the document, but rather, set line spacing to 1.5.
- Graphs, diagrams, and pictures should be removed and described instead, or they may be enlarged and included on separate pages for those readers who find them useful.
- Tables are carefully constructed to allow tracking from one column to the next
- Column formatting should be removed.
- Data in tables and charts should be explained in the text,.
Labeling and Binding Large Print Documents:
Just as with documents provided in regular print, the presentation of the final product is important. In fact, binding or stapling the large print version may be even more important since there are many additional pages. Selecting a binding method that will permit readers to use magnifying equipment is especially helpful. For example, putting several staples along the vertical edge of the pages is not recommended because doing so often makes the pages difficult to flatten entirely and may obscure the print close to the binding. Using spiral binding would be preferable since the book can either be opened flat or folded in half, making it easier to maneuver while reading.
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Audio Versions of Materials:
- Selecting a Reader :
The person who records the text should be someone who has a clear, pleasant reading voice. In most cases, a dramatic reading is not necessary and may sometimes even be distracting. Professionals with specific experience reading for blind people may be hired, but doing so is not always essential. What is important is that the information be made available and be fully comprehensible to the intended audience. Using a recorder of good quality with an external microphone generally produces satisfactory results. Eliminate as much background noise as possible. Besides speaking clearly and reading at an even pace, the individual who records the text may need to be familiar with its content. If the document is a manual, or otherwise technical in nature, all terms should be pronounced correctly, and unfamiliar words should be spelled. - Recording Tips
If the recorded information will remain unchanged over several years, it will be worthwhile to record in a format that can easily be transformed into other audio media types. It is a good idea to create and retain a high quality master archives copy. Generally, someone who is recording a text reads all of the printed information contained in it. If the document is complicated, notes to the reader may be required, and when a note is inserted, the reader should be made aware of it. Here are a few suggestions for those who are recording. At the beginning of the tape, announce the side of the tape and the tape number if there are multiple tapes in a series. Also, indicate the page number where the reading for that side will begin. Read the table of contents and include the print page number references. Describe visual information in the text so that the meaning will be clear while listening to the audio version. For example, when listening to tables, it is often helpful to hear column and row headings repeated along with the data, though if the table is not too complicated, headings are usually easy to remember. Descriptions become especially important if a manual for an appliance is being recorded and there are frequent references to controls depicted in diagrams. In such cases, a reader should offer as much verbal description as possible in order to pinpoint the location of controls on a device. If extended description is necessary, such as during initial orientation to a device and its controls, preparing notes or a short script is a good idea. - Choosing a Tape Format:
If the text is being recorded in-house, the regular commercial tape format may generally be used, especially if the document is short enough to fit on a 60- or 90-minute tape. Longer projects, like books and manuals, can be recorded on tape using a special format. This format, developed by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, requires that recordings be made at a slower speed. Four tracks of a tape are used, instead of two. Blind people frequently own the players that must be used, but members of the general public cannot use the tapes produced in this manner. Note that this special format is not universally used outside of the United States. If there is a frequent need to create long pieces of audio material for wide distribution, it may be economical to purchase a special tape recorder and a standard stereo duplicator. Otherwise, it may be best to hire one of the contractors already equipped to produce these special format tapes. - Providing Audio Files on Compact Disc:
Compact discs (CDs) generally hold about 70 minutes of audio data. They can either be played on home stereo equipment, or they can be played on computers. They are likely to become increasingly popular as audio tape technology is phased out. It may also be easier to disseminate a CD as an insert into a package, or into the back of a print book, to enable each user to choose a preferred reading medium. - Including Place Markers in Audio Formats :
Place markers are helpful to blind readers if the recorded text refers to specific page numbers or sections which the reader must locate. A simple newsletter may not require place markers, but a book or manual does. Commonly referred to as tone indexing, including these place markers means placing tones, or beeps, in the cassette recordings. These beeps can be heard when a cassette player capable of utilizing this feature is placed in fast-forward or rewind mode. Experienced blind people generally have access to the required special players and are accustomed to listening for these sounds. Traditionally, a single beep tone marks a new page and two tones indicate the beginning of a chapter or section. Simple devices for generating beep tones can be purchased from companies that cater to blind customers. A CD can be created so that listeners who use players capable of doing so can skip from section to section much as they would move from song to song on a music CD. - Copying, Labeling, and Packaging Audio Products
:
Copies of CDs can often be made and distributed in-house, but duplicating tapes in-house may be more difficult, depending upon the tape format selected. Adding braille and large print labels to tapes and compact discs is appreciated, and doing so demonstrates that an organization cares about the presentation of its accessible documents. Braille labels also allow a blind person to identify quickly which side of a cassette is the first side. Labels should be placed on the outside of CD jewel cases or cardboard jackets. Be careful not to place a braille label directly on the CD itself since it can prevent the disc from rotating properly. Packaging for cassettes and CDs varies widely, and selecting an appropriate packaging style often depends upon how the product will be distributed. If the cassettes or discs will be sent alone by mail, for example, sturdy cases will protect the items. But if a short document is distributed on tape and is likely to be read once or twice and then discarded, a tape without a case is generally adequate.
Powerpoint Use:
When possible, the information conveyed via images on a screen should be verbalized. Don't assume everyone can read! If printed handouts are distributed to or if the graphics and/or slides are posted on the World Wide Web, they should be made accessible and offered to blind users and those who indicated a need for alternative materials due to a reading disability.
The Powerpoint Accessibility Wizzard has been created to assist with the conversion of Microsoft PowerPoint® documents to HTML. It is available for purchase.
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