Accessibility in OER - Spring 2024 Cohort

1. I am definitely guilty of bolding text instead of using headers, so this session was super eye-opening for me! As I create how-to documents, communications, and other information for staff and instructors, I will ensure to have H1 at the beginning of the document and use H2s throughout documents to make them accessible for all readers.
2. I use link libraries for tons of my work, including creating OER resource libraries. I will make sure there are no long URLs and all links are clearly titled without link language. 
3. I believe when presenting to staff and instructors, modeling accessibility best practices, and pointing them out, would be super helpful. I would love to add an "Intro to Accessibility" training to showcase best practices and accessibility checker tools for all instructors and staff.

I am watching this video late, and I was really happy to hear the discussion on what to do for link library-type resources.   I was really conflicted about what to do in those cases where I thought students would want to download or even print the item for later use.  Bitly is a great idea, and now I am on the hunt for a new free version because Bitly is now limited. 

I don't know about its accessibility or features, but I tend to use TinyURL -- without logging in or anything, though they do have a free plan that lets you customize and keep track. Maybe that will work for your needs. 

Abbreviated links do work!

I would be interested in seeing the training you come up with, Rachel, if you do create such a training.  I was able to talk to people at Pikes Peak today.  Christine Cacetta-Sharp sent me a link to the training that they did at Pikes Peak.  It was designed on MyCourses.  They are just now releasing it to their college.  I'll be excited to learn more about how it goes as we are also needing to come up with training.

Thank you very much for your leadership.  There's so much I don't know and understand.  :-)

1. Styles help in creating a table of content in googel docs

2. Do not use click here. Use Descriptive Words. d not add hyperlink for print.

3. Modelling. Use ANDI  Accesibility testing tool

Hi Manisha yes the do not use click here was eye opening for me!!! I am so use to implementing those mechinsms!

Hi Manisha and Brianna,

Yes, using descriptive words to describe web links has been a very helpful practice in my day-to-day work. I admit I used to have the bad habit of just saying, "click here." I think the descriptive words are helpful for all users.

• What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
  
  I absolutely need to go back through my current OER textbooks and add styles to relevant texts. This is likely going to be a months-long endeavor. 
   
• What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
  
  I have a faculty-development component to my role here at PAC, and I think part of my week-to-week work is going to be training others, and updating older training materials where possible to add accessilbity info.
   
• What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
  
  In some ways, I'm a bit lucky because my role is regularly faculty-facing. I'm thinking this may be a good item for our monthly newsletter. Come to think of it, we probably need to revew the newsletter itself to make sure it practices what it preaches. :). I also can propose additional training sessions during all-hands-on-deck PD events, like convocation, the yearly faculty symposium, etc.

1. . Be consistent in using headers and that all the material is in the same font and do not use bold print.

        2. I need to use more descriptive words and review course material to enhance and improve accessibility.

        3. Develop a departmental team to review syllabi and course materials so that accessibility is used across our entire program as a routine and not a preference. 

Jayne,

We too are planning to review syllabi and course shells for accessibility and are considering how to best approach and break such a large project into manageable bits. I believe that this will be a major component of our summer work as librarians/instrructional designers here at CLTCC.

Kelly,

I agree with your comments on improving the course shells. 

Jayne

A wonderful idea to develop a team to review syllabi! What a great action.

Thank you Joshua and I know you are also working to develop new ideas to help students. 

Hi, Melissa,

What has been the best tip or tool to help you promote accessibility with faculty?  

Thanks,

-Dawn

Hi Melissa,

Yeah, in our breakout group, we were saying how it's going to take forever to get everything changed over. But soonest begun is soonest done!  Good luck!

Melissa, 

I also need to review my OER textbooks and the styles I have been using.

Jayne

1. I will use styles headings more deliberately and consistently.
2. I will use CamelCase.
3. Styles and links will help you guide readers through the logical progression of your thoughts.

Hi Bonnie, 

Have you tried CamelCase yet?  I would be curious to hear your thoughts!

Brittany

I have used the CamelCase convention for many years for hashtags and file names, though I didn't know it had an official name. I've never thought about it from an accessibility perspective. It was just increase clarity and avoid any faux pas when sharing things.

Back in 2012 (?), when Susan Boyle released an album and her promotional team on Twitter tried to promote Susan's Album Party with the hashtag #susanalbumparty. That went viral, and so I'd like to avoid something like that on a much smaller scale. I create OER for art appreciation and art history courses, so have tried to be careful to not send out anything that can be mistaken as "...fart" (or other variants of that word) or "...art is analyzed..." (creating "artisanal", which can be misread at face value or broken down). 

I found the information CamelCase fascinating. I've been using it for many years, but completely unrelated to accessibility. For a long time, it was the standard for file names when creating HTML pages from scratch. If you've ever seen the %20 in a URL, that's because there is a space in the file name. CamelCase made this easier for a person to read the file name.

1. I very much use Tables as calendars for student assignments and part of my syllabus, and while I think they visually help many students to easily follow what is due when, I need to re-think some of the practice differences and accessibily issues that such a system leads to. 
2. I generally prefer actual links rather than ones that are descriptive, because I associate the descriptive links with deceptive spamming practices and frustrating dropped or missing links when things are incorrect (for example, the "feedback" link on the powerpoint slides for this week doesn't actually lead to a feedback form.) I need to figure out how to reconcile my need to keep accurate archival information and make sure that the links are accessible. 
3. Modeling accessible practices and discussing them when distributing class resources is a good start. For my students, too, I can model/show how to use styles and what to do with links as I teach them writing. 

I see many people use images in tables and then a description of the image in the cell below. Tables do not read like text. Tables should only be used for tabular data. We use balckboard, it would be interesting to see how a screen reader in Blackboard reads the tables.

Hi Kalani,

I also use tables as part of my syllabus, and I agree that they meet the access needs of students who need organized information displayed visually. 

However, I plan to explore having both - maybe one syllabus with the traditional week by week table and another syllabus with the weeks and readings/assignments organized as a list, which will be more screen reader friendly. If you have any other ideas, I would love to hear them! 

Hailee 

I plan to explore having both - maybe one syllabus with the traditional week by week table and another syllabus with the weeks and readings/assignments organized as a list, which will be more screen reader friendly.

Curious, if within the week-by-week table if lists are also included (that is typically how I have seen this practiced); such as:

and in list form, with a heading:

Assignments

• Week one

  • Assignment one

  • Assignment two

  • Assignment three

• Week two

  • Assignment one

  • Assignment two

  • Assignment three

And in heading + list form

Week one

• Assignment one
• Assignment two
• Assignment three

Week two

• Assignment one
• Assignment two
• Assignment three

I'd contend your week-by-week table is equally accessible. :)

Totally blind screen reader user whose mileage certinaly may vary.

I'd love to see an example of your table/calendar of assignments. I may be in the minority of screen reader users, but it'd be a draw if I were to be asked to choose between a week-by-week table of assignments versus a week-by-week listing of assignments using headings and lists. Honestly, if done properly, I can navigate a table just as quickly as headings/lists. Everything is contextual and every user's mileage will vary... Just wanted to share that it's all about being thoughtful and intentional with the layout, design and architecture of the things we build and content we produce.

I use tables a lot for my courses and I didn´t realize that I was using them in a way that was inaccessible to some. I will definitely be rethinking the way I use them. I also preferred actual links and feel the same when it comes to making sure the links are accessible. I thought having them as links was ´easier´ for those using them but learning how they are read with screenreaders was eye opening. 

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Making sure that titles in Google Slides are not just bolded and made larger, but in a box specifically regarded as a title. 
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Removing the http://www and supplying a description rather than reading a bunch of letters.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? We  were discussing in our breakout rooms that many of us learn by doing not just listening. Having our colleagues actually practice some of these on an  actual document would be the best way to ensure accesibility is being met. 

Hi Kendra, 

These are exact changes I will be making immediately, as well. I like most in the chat, have a long habit of using bold to signifiy headings. For an upcoming workshop, we hope to also create a workshop environment that asks faculty to bring their syllabi with them to experiment/practice with these same style headings and links. 

I'd love to hear more about your future plans when working with faculty. Putting theory into pracitice is a large part of my learning style and I believe these practical application opportunities will be effective with faculty, as well. 

1. Regarding styles, specific instances in my day-to-day work, I will admit I sometimes forgot to use Styles, and instead will just bold something. I also love using colors and fonts, but I need to make sure to update the Styles tab to match.

2. I mostly just copy-paste links to my teammates. However, it is helpful for them to even have a properly linked cite, no one wants a hyperline a mile long.

3. Some of my teammates as for me to review documents for content, like "hey does this sound good?" I can respond with "Yes it sounds good! Is it formatted with Styles?"

Ashley,

I am guilty of bolding as well, rather than using headings! I need to start using headings when creating documents, and stating out loud why I used specific headings and styles while presenting, so others are aware of formatting for accessibility. 

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   
   I often will use tables to display all sorts of information, not just data. For instance, my resume is built out of tables. I also will merge cells across different rows / columns because it makes sense to me for those cells to be a single one, where it would not make sense to assistive technology.
    
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   
   I already tend to use descriptive links in my day-to-day work. However, I had not encountered best practices around links when something is sent off for print, as I do not handle print media in my current position. All of our work is 'published' digitally and so I do not encounter these situations but it is good to know. 
    
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   
   I think I would focus on the ease of usability it could bring to whoever I'm talking to, especially when discussing styles and how they can automatically update in programs like Word and Google Docs. I always like the "Did you know that you could..." way of starting a conversation on these topics, as it implies I've just found something out and if my colleague has already heard of it, it allows them to dip out of the conversation. Those who have not heard about it though often will then ask questions about what I've come across, and it sounds more excited. 

I also use tables a lot to convey information and had not realized how complicated they would be for assistive technologies.  I am also a heavy user of merged cells, so I appreciate the sessions we have had that focus our attention on what a lot of do without knowing its impact on accessibility.

I agree that print vs. digital delivery can be an issue with links.  In print copies, typing out the link would be the only way to access the material - but digitally you can have that clean appearance.  Our institution has recently made a strong push to work on cleaning up digital links and making them more descriptive.  Again, I think it is an accessibility issue faculty are not aware of.

I agree with your ease of usability argument.  We also talk about building "best practices" that will soon become good habits over time.

I like seeing how adopting best practices turns into habits over time. While it may initially feel challenging, eventually, it becomes effortless. it is crucial to maintain these skills both when creating content pages and building LMS platforms. 

I do the same with tables, thinking about how the information is laid out vs. what it would mean to a screen reader. 

Laura,

I really like your idea of discussing accessibility with others by,"Did you know that you could..."  I would think that it works very well because it is a non-threatening way to approach it. I know our faculty are really resistant to "Have To" so I think doing it the way you talked about would be a great idea. 

I have just gone through and updated the Library's webpages using styles.  Now I need to do the same for our Research Guides. I had no idea how robust the styles tool is!

I have already been coming down on faculty like the Hammer of G-d for just copying and pasting links without descriptive text. I do wonder if permalinks will work with a URL shortener.  That could be something to try.

I think if we could do a short demo using styles, showing how it will auto-update the entire document for consistency, that time-saving should be enough to convince most people to use it.  It did for me.

Hi Paul,

That is an interesting point. I would be curious how permalinks and their authentication requirements would function when shortened. If the sign-in prompts can be maintained, then this would be a huge help to research resources in our library, too!

1.  Specific instances for style would be on weekly agendas and syllabi.  Having the styles presented in an organized format will allow for easier access and reading for everyone.  Slides can also have headings listed for easier ways to get the information instead of going through each slide.

2.Specific instances for links is to make sure to add the name of the link and not just click here.  It removes any confusion from where the student is clicking.

3.  Accessibility training is something that all instructors/faculty should have training in.  With a set structure in place, accessibility can be done and it is very useful and helpful to have a training like this.

Hello Dawn!

Thanks for your insights! I like that you meanted making sure styles are included with syllabi. When our institution moved to a syllabus template, I think it greatly helped with that. I also agree that faculty and staff should have regular accessibility training. I say regular because it is easy to forget some of those "best practics", a refresher would be nice from time to time!

Have a great day!

I admit to being guilty about not having front of mind thinking when it comes to accessibility. I'm enjoying all this learning and will share with my immediate work group, with the intent that we all pass along the knowledge to someone else until we're all doing better. 

1. When creating lecture slides or documents, ensuring consistent and clear formatting using styles such as headings, lists, and paragraphs. Many learning styles or needs can benifit from me implementing these consistently, including my ADHD brain. 

2. Ensuring that hyperlinks within documents or presentations are descriptive and provide context about the linked content. For example, instead of "Click here," using phrases like "read more on Forest Managment Practices" while also putting a shortened link in text next to it for those that will read the material from a printed document. I started doing this in the last couple of years but I never thought to include a short link for those that may end up printing the document. Super helpful! 

3. I will talk to my colleges specifically about how small the changes are but how big of an ipact it can have on ALL STUDENTS. Like the curb example. A few may need it, but many can benifit from it. 

I had also never thought to include a short URL next to a descriptive hyperlink for those who may print out a document or email. That was a very helpful suggestion! 

I aggree using a short url or tiny url is a great idea. I ususlly use the entire URL

1- Within Canvas courses in the Rich Content Editor, especially on Pages. I find that many users implement Styles that are not compliant.

2- Within Canvas courses in the Rich Content Editor, especially in assignments. I find that many users post links that are not descriptive.

3- I believe the best way is effective communication with the users. This would include reminding everyone of access and accessiblity in campus workshops, Canvas notifications and within the daily announcements. Such as random Canvas notifications/announcments like "Is your creation accessible today?".

1. When we check their documents, a major category of inaccessibility is due to heading errors.  We can share the information we learned today and better explain the need for improving material styles.  We see this a lot with WORD documents and PPT.
2. Many faculty do not do this at all - syllabi, handouts, PPT slides, etc.  It is a very easy fix and one whose need can be very clearly explained.
3. We try to model best practices but also refer to Must-Have checklists that include accessibility as a key requirement.  In our examples, we include references to proper headings and the correct links.  We have professional development sessions that highlight these best practices.

I'm interested in the idea of required accessibility checklists.  Curious how you implement them! 

Are they provided as resources that faculty/staff can use for self-assessment?  In other words, they're "required" but no one but the content creators are actually checking them?

Are they baked into certain processes?  (e.g. at certain stages of course development; when submitting materials for a presentation) 

Are there certain people assigned to audit others' materials using these checklists?

When we are working with faculty as they develop courses for new formats -  hybrid or online - we have an element in our checklist that materials are accessible.  Often, there are multiple documents, files, and PPT presentations that have issues = we measure that with Ally (which gives us an accessibility score and highlights what key issues are).  While all that content cannot be mediated at once, it is a great way to start the discussion about what can be done to start = provide ALT text or change header sequences.  We are really developing this communication institution wide and offer professional development for faculty about it and the Ally tool.

1. I currently use H1, H2, etc. and style lists in Word. I didn't previously know about using H1 in PowerPoint for the name of the document if exporting to PDF. So that is one thing I will be sure to incorporate in the future.
2. I currently use descriptive text for links in Word, PowerPoint, and in our LibGuides, but I didn't know about best practice for using links in a Word document that would be printed--great tip!
3. The breatkout sessions that we have been doing are great opportunities themselves. Additionally, I have a set of PDF guides, one for images, one for links, one for Word/PDF files for my colleagues who work in LibGuides. We're also thinking of drafting and sharing a possible standardized accessibility commitment statement for inclusion in syllabi. And perhaps a series of workshops to both raise awareness and provide learning opportunities. 

I agree with your first note about PowerPoint -- and how I hadn't thought of how screenreaders use a logical reading order for text arranged on a slide or anything like that. I've been much more aware of having unique slide titles and paying attention to the readability and logical reading order in my slides. 

As a professor, I create Word documents all the time.  I am trying very hard to make my documents accessible.  It's a new mindset.  I use styles all the time.  I did have a question about links.  I create documents that have links in them that must be copied.  The reason for that is because they are in Word in my host computer and the links have to be copied to Firefox in my students' virtual machines.  Can someone who is blind and is using a screen reader copy a link that "has clothes on" or has an alias associated with a link?  I'm concerned that if I do not use the actual link compared to a link associated with an alias that the screen reader will not be able to pick it up.

I think the biggest way to address the importance of Styles is to communicate the advantages for everyone.  Styles gives more ability to format documents in a way that is readable for everyone.  I will be providing training in the fall and communicating the whys of accessible documents.  I'm glad to receive this training so I can share it with others.

To the question, can someone who is blind and is using a screen reader copy a link that "has clothes on" or has an alias associated with a link? My thoughts are, yes, the option could be "Copy Hyperlink" or "Copy Link" (NVDA Groups). Or in most applications, users are presented with two options, "Copy link address" and "Copy link text" (StackOverflow). As to aliases, I am unsure of how this reference is being used?

I never thought about the outdated style formatting built into some apps.  I need to be more cognizant of my use of tables as well. 

Learning to notice is such a process. It is one of the larger hurdles in the world of accessibility. That said- I strongly encourage you to dive in and try to work through a few tables you have made in the past, even if you are working on reading order in word. The act of working through the challenges and listening at the end is an amazing teacher. Best of luck on the process!

Not to brag, but I am pretty good about using Styles and "dressing" links.  I know most of the how & now I know a bit more of the why.  What would I tell my colleagues...

• Better to be proactive and "bake in"  accessibility rather than front it on later when problems arise.
• Using Styles creates an accessible, searchable document.  It also provides an easy step for editing full documents.
• Long, nonsence links are a nightmare for screen reader users.  Use descriptive text for the link's source.  If a link is necessary, create a short, discriptive url that can be more easily copied and read.
• It is the right thing to do (& it is the law)!

I love bragging! Let's encourage a culture where we talk about how great we are!

Hi Maureen,

I agree with you that getting folks to bake it in rather than bolt it on later is an incredibly critical mindset. I usually remind anyone who is willing to listen that the time spent identifying what needs to be addressed and fixing it will far outweigh the time spent doing it up front, which usually works. I wish I had a broader reach in terms of influence, but those I've spoken to are at least generally receptive to the idea.

Using the law as both carrot and stick doesn't hurt either!

Being proactive is an excellent way to do your instructional design. In grad school a few years ago, we had to listen to our work over the readers and experience our work the way the user did. The instructor had some other prototypes for us to try and experience like the user, for instance low vision. This experience helped greatly in design because I got to understand how important wording and consistentcy were. Having to listen to an entire URL spelled out and read made me realize how important descriptors are. Consistency is also key since the delivery is mostly auditory for the readers. The consistency helps the reader organize the material and know when to expect important details. 

1. I am going to be using headers now when using Word (or Google Docs, etc.). I was completely unaware that there was a difference between using headers and bolding, but now I will never forget!
2. I love using links as frequently, so I will be sure to utilize descriptive links. This is another area where I was unfamiliar with the impact that this has on users of screen readers.
3. Through modeling, sharing info about accessibility checkers, and highlighting the importance of being thoughtful of Accessibility practices when using styles & links. 

I have been using descriptive text with links for quite a while.  A colleague who uses a screen reader mentioned that is it helpful to know if the link opens in a new window so they know to look for that window.  I write 

Visit Northern Virginia Community College OER (opens in new window).

It may not be universal practice, but something that was suggested to me by a user so I listened.

1. I am very good at using styles in my documents all the time, but I never knew that you could right-click for more options. That is awesome. The other area that was new to me was the use of numbers versus bullet points and why it matters. 
2. I am very good at using descriptive links in my day-to-day digital work. It was nice to learn about the URL shorteners and to be reminded of what links sound like on a screen reader. 
3. I think I would approach the innovative faculty that are already doing the accessibility work and talk to them about ways to start brainstorming the crucial conversations, modeling, and other strategies to see how we could best serve our community. I am the eLearning Coordinator/Learning Designer so I work with faculty all the time. We just have to figure out the best way to get the conversations and strategies moving.

1. In daily digital work like creating presentations or documents, ensuring sufficient color contrast and consistent heading styles can enhance accessibility for users with visual impairments.

2. Opportunities to improve link accessibility arise in tasks like designing curriculum or activities. Providing descriptive link text and ensuring links are visually distinguishable can aid users with disabilities.

3. I like to start discussions by emphasizing the necessity of accessibility for inclusive user experiences. My ultimate goal is to lead by example and regularly incorporate accessibility checks into my workflow.

1. The Style may appear simple, but it needs specific efforts and time to make sure that your overall document aligns with accessibility prensiples, making it accessible to all. Use simple, familiar, and easily-parsed fonts. Avoid character complexity  Avoid character ambiguity (i.e. I vs. 1) limit the number of fonts and font variations throughout your content.Consider spacing and weight. Ensure sufficient, but not too much, contrast between the text and the background. Avoid small font sizes.
2. The link description should clearly convey its purpose and destination upon selection.
3.  This benefits all users, not just those relying on assistive technologies, by facilitating easier navigation and understanding.

Hi Yasemin,

I am with you. I now have a better understanding of how all users can benefit from accessible design! That makes the task of creating accessible course materials more meaningful to me. 

Rong

Hi All,

1.  Instead of using generic phrases like "click here" or "read more," use descriptive link text that accurately describes the destination or action. For example, "Learn more about accessibility guidelines" is more informative than "click here."
2.  When creating training materials or e-learning modules, I can ensure that any hyperlinks included in the content are descriptive and provide additional context or resources related to the topic being discussed. This enhances the learning experience for all participants, including those with disabilities or diverse learning styles. When using online collaboration tools such as Google Docs, Microsoft Teams, or Slack, I can ensure that any links shared within documents, messages, or conversations are descriptive and provide context about the linked resource. This is especially important for team members who may be using assistive technologies to access the content.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies. Regularly test your course materials and platform for accessibility using automated accessibility checkers, as well as manual testing with assistive technologies like screen readers. This will help you identify and address any accessibility issues promptly

I shared in an earlier reply...

I have been using descriptive text with links for quite a while.  A colleague who uses a screen reader mentioned that is it helpful to know if the link opens in a new window so they know to look for that window.  I write 

Visit Northern Virginia Community College OER (opens in new window).

It may not be universal practice, but something that was suggested to me by a user so I listened.

There is definitely a need to move beyond the generic phrases to introduce links! I know I defintiely need to get more practice making our introductions more descriptive, but I think once the habit is formed it'll become second nature! 

What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.

• I need to go beyond the H2 headings.  I never really understood why these are so important and how to make them work for me and the outline tool makes a lot of sense. 

What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.

• I uses descriptive names for the links; however, I think that I can be even more specific in my naming protocols.  Short cuts are great to avoid overwhelming readers.

What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.

• Accessibility is more than simply time and a half for exams. We need to help new faculty see the  benefit of using UDL in their design of pages and materials.
• By employing the headings, we can create an outline that ....
• When using headings, we can change all headings in one click.
• Let me show you have xyz can help an ADHD  student learn more efficiently.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   1. When I'm creating HTML content within our LMS, I rarely think about using headings. For some reason that part of my brain only clicks on when I'm in Word.
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   1. I'm pretty solid when it comes to creating descriptive links and putting their clothes on. One question I do have is when the links are opening in a new window, do we still add a parenthetical phrase at the end of the link stating that it opens in a new window?
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   1. First and formost I suppose would be to model the behaviour. When offering PD to faculty and instructors, I could point out where I've made my links descriptive and how I'm styling my documents.

Hi Justin!

I feel like I run into the same issue when working in our LMS too. There are heading options, but I'm not sure if I'm using them as consistently as I should. I assume the ones built within the LMS work with a screen reader the same way as they demoed with Word, but I'd like to check. 

Thanks for sparking some thoughts!

Hannah

To add to complexity of headings, a LMS has its own heading structure then inserts instrucitonal (user) content into that whcih may contain its own heading structure. How to handle this will always perplex me, sometimes the LMS treats instructional (user) created content as its own document and other times it does not... and probably depends on the vendor of the LMS.

1. Styles are important for all the Word documents I use/create in my everyday tasks. One place I see this most applicable is for course syllabi. I think having a template that is accessible is very useful. I know I have done that with some, but I fear not all, of my courses, so I plan to look into this.

2. I frequently use hyperlinks in Word documents and within Blackboard content including sending announcements to my students. I need to be more mindful of changing the links as demonstrated during today's session rather than merely copying and pasting the link verbatim. This is something I need to do for my slides as well.

3. I think demonstrating how a screen reader functions is one of the most effective ways to have these conversations. I attended a meeting earlier this year where our accessibility coordinator spoke briefly about the importance of alt-text for images in emails, but I know there is more explanation that many would benefit from receiving.

1. I think I'm fairly consistent with using the Styles / Heading tools when creating documents. I would like to explore more about how to make tables more accessible in Word, Excel, etc. I review courses and documents for instructors, and a lot use tables for course schedules, so I'd like to make doubly sure these are accessible or if they can be made in a more accessible format. 

2. I also use descriptive links consistently, though I thought it was a great tip to also provide a shortened link along side the descriptive one. I've used Tinyurl in the past to make shortened links for marketing projects, but haven't thought to use them for everyday links as well. 

3. I think accessible styles and links would be a great thing to include in our PD workshops and other opportunities. I also have to practice what I preach and make sure I'm modeling all all my links, headings, and other documents syles in the work I create and share as well. 
 

Hi Hannah,
I see tables a lot for course schedules, and especially using Excel, like you mentioned here. I think making sure you're using the styles/headings is the way to ensure they are accessible, or as discussed during our most recent session, perhaps rethinking if it needs to be a table or could be better as a list of items with the headers for columns/rows. This session was enlightening for us to reconsider what exactly is a "table" and how it is treated by screen readers.

The links is another way we can easily make a change to ensure they are accessible and descriptive for all.

I love your idea for PD workshops about accessibility, as that seems like a great way to share the knowledge and importance of the practice more widely.

Kiersten

1. As we work with faculty to improve the accessibility of their courses, I can see using this acronym and the information provided to guide them. We always look for new ways to emphasize the importance of building from the foundation vs.trying to go back and fix a course. I've found showing a user how you can change the look of a document using styles is a great initial hook. Then when you add the "This also is crucial for accessibility, it's a double hook.
2. I always use descriptive links in my work. I didn't know about shortening the link for print documents. I'll start including that in my documents that may be printed.
3. We're compiling resources to help instructors improve the accessibility of their courses. We'll include this information in those resources.

Kathy,

As you indicated, I also learned about the shortened link for print documents. Also, since you bring up descriptive links, I was not aware that the screen readers read the actual link, thus making descriptions like "Here" difficult. I also like your approach in #1 when working with faculty.

1.  This session was really eye opening. I had no idea about how using headers is so much more helpful than just bolding a title or text. 

2. I feel like I am usually pretty good about the links I post, and making sure they are detailed. What I hadn't thought of, before today, was how a long URL would be translated via text reader. That was also eye opening. 

3. I think that a good start would be to model these practices as well as explain what it is we are doing and why. A short intro to these practices, by way of a training or something to that effect, would also be really helpful. There were so many 'Oh, I hadn't thought of that' moments and most of them were regarding things that only require a small change in the way we do things. It would be beneficial to pass that info along however we can.

1. Day-to-day use of styles is very important for me and I often would do any other thing possible to avoid tables because they never seemed to be accessible enough. I will have to play around with them to see how easy/difficult they are now. 

2. Accessible links have always been important to me so I just need to keep doing what I am doing.

3. Many people find accessibility daunting and just don't have the time it takes to make their websites and materials accessible. It is easier (and I don't mean easy) to have an accessibility-first mindset when creating materials and websites because it is much more difficult (but not impossible) to retrofit them. It isn't just one student with an IEP you are helping, it is everyone whether disability based or situationally-based.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   1. I can improve accessibility practices regarding styles by implementing Headings when building a document.
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   1. Regarding links, I can make a better effort to use descriptive links and double check that the prefix has been removed from all of the links.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   1. The main way is in modeling it in my own documentation and adding it to required formatting for public facing libguides.

I love this notion of modeling well what we know is best practice and crucial for equitable access.

One thing I'd add.. don't just model - encourage others to follow your lead and show them how easy it is. I find this a lot with captions or audio descriptions. If I use it and put it out there publicly, folks ask questions. But I can also pre-empt the conversation by pointing these things out and telling folks just how easy it is to do these things with their own content when they think about it from the start.

Keep up the excellent work!

1. I have been using Styles in the majority of my Word docs for a while now, but I had no idea that the Title style was not good for accessibility. I am going to stop using that! 
2. I am going to start using the shortened link strategy in future emails next to the descriptive hyperlinked text. I had always thought that using only a descriptive hyperlink was best, but it seems that a combination of a descriptive link and a non-linked shortened URL is most inclusive. 
3. I try to model these practices to my colleagues by always applying them in shared documents, but I will make an effort to also verbally remind people from time to time. 

I didn't know about the Title style either!

1. Headings! There are instances I haven't used them for stylist reasons, I had no idea how important they are for those using screen readers.

2. Ensuring I don't use "click here" or just long webadress that will difficult for a screen reader users.

3. Modeling through my own library website.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.

Reminding my colleagues and friends that simply altering the appearance of something doesn't properly communicate the intent and impact of those changes. You know a heading is a heading because you see big, bolded text that's often in a different color. Meaning cannot be conveyed simply by appearance alone. Styles help us to provide rich context to those who can't see appearance. They also provide structured data to communicate to other technologies, in general, what the thing is that you've marked up. In an AI world where we're expecting computers to be super brainy and powerful, that sttructured data becomes even more important to signal the intent and impact to tools that process code and text - not visual appearance.

2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.

If you were to peer down a long hallway that had dozens and dozens of nondescript doors, you would have no way to begin choosing the door you want to open and go through. Link text helps us understand what is on the other side of the click. A long string of random characters and URL strings doesn't put a label on the door - there could be something scary behind that one. :)

Clear link text communicates the intent, purpose and outcome of clicking the link. I also like to use action-oriented link text that makes it clear what action is being taken when a link is toggeled.

3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.

Good accessibility practices don't have to be awkward or involved. It really just takes some thoughtful practice and everyday-use to make these changes become good habits. Using the Styles toolbar in most authoring applications is as easy as clicking a button on a toolbar and, should you need to change the look and feel of all headings, it's as simple as editing that one style (not the two dozen headings you have in your document). Strong, action-oriented link text that clearly communicaites where folks will be taken once they click helps everyone have the right expectation for what's on the other side of their click. These practices don't take much time and they ensure our documents look clean and can be used by everyone.

1) I feel very fortunate to have learned about styles previously.  I did learn to not use the Titles feature in styles and also that there is some confusion about using multiple H1 in an accordion format - hoping to learn more about that specifically.

2) I learned that, while "click here" seems universally regarded as poor practice, there are differing opinions about linking descriptive text itself vs. adding descriptive text and then placing the link next to it.  I'm hoping to learn more about these two options.

3) I talk about styles frequently when working with faculty on OER.  I hope to add conversations about linking practices now that I know more.

1. Multiple H1s *can* be done, but structurally and semantically having multiple primary headings can be lead to an inconsistent and confusing experience for assistive technology users. It's not a direct violation of WCAG AA, but certainly isn't good practice.

2. I'm a fan of linking descriptive text. When doing so, this means link purpose/intent/destination/behavior is communicated when navigating by links alone (which is pretty common in the assistive tech world).

Love that you are such a strong advocate and partner in this work! :)

1) I feel I can be more consistent in using styles, such as labeling headers H1 and subheaders as H2. I didn't understand the important of using these labels and have always just changed the font size.

2) I've gotten better at using descriptive phrases to describe where the link goes and hyperlinking it instead of just dropping the web link. I think it's a good idea to include a shortened web link after the linked descriptive phase so I'm going to try to implement that more.

3) Besides stressing the importance of accessibility, it was a neat trick where Luis demonstrated that if you use styles and change one, you can all the text in the document that use that style. I would let colleagues know that styles can help make their work more efficient. 

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   1. Syllabi, classroom presentation materials, assignment texts.
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   1. same, really, but using tiny url or renaming links so screen readers can digest them better
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   1. creating dept. and programmatic documents using the desing and accessibiliy concepts we have been discussing here.

1. Often when creating presentations or handouts I've just used fontsize, bold, and italics to draw attention to information and not used the styles. I was unaware of the role the styles played in relation to screen reading software and so will definitely be changing my practices! 
2. The links was a new one for me - often we're encouraged not to click hyperlinked text without seeing the url as it could be a cyber-security concern, however, I never considered the impact of a full url being read aloud by a screen reader repeatedly. I'll definitely be working on improving how we diplay URLs and will be reviewing how to incorporate both the a reader friendly url and a printable url. 
3. I think we can begin modeling the use of styles and links in our Library's libguides and presentations. I think it's easier to have a conversation with colleagues on the need for something if you have some examples to share. Once you have examples, your colleagues can use them for reference later on. 

Totally agree Brian - I feel like I spent so much energy working on visual appeal (bold, fontszie, etc) to both direct attention rhetorically but also to be accessible, I always sort of passed off the design features in MS Word and the like as "corporate features;" since last week I've been playing around and find it so useful and also pretty easy to adapt how I used to use fontszie and the like with the more accessiable styles tools.

1. I'm thinking about all the times that I bolded text rather than used headers and I'm groaning. I've created a lot of library instruction documents and am now realizing how inaccessible they may have been for our patrons. Now that I'm aware, that's definitely going to change.

2. While this is not OER related, I did take a look at our library guides and have talked with the other librarian about making our URLs more accessible. This will be a summer project, as there are a lot of links.

3. Modeling behavior, stressing the importance of accessibility to student success and retention, and making accessibility part of the campus culture are all ways that I can share the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to my colleagues.

I think that modeling inclusion and accssibility and being open about the need for accessiblity practices in recruiting and retaining a diverse student population is an important part of what we do. I also think that it goes hand in hand with the emphasis on affordable learning and open educational resources because (at least for me) OER is a social justice issue and inclusion should always be central to a just society. 

I have gotten into the habit of using styles in the website interface we use, however I do not consistently use headers when creating documents to share, and honestly I don't think I've ever used them in PowerPoints. I will have many opportunities on a daily basis to put this into practice!

I was familiar with good linking practice, but I could do better at applying the principles consistently. I have some public documents I need to check.

I think I'd start by suggesting an agenda item at our department meeting, to share some of the essential ideas from this course, just to get the conversation started.

Kate: 

I appreciate that you pinpointed different tools that you've used and how consistently using the heading styles in one doesn't necessarily mean it happens in another. I too will use headers in web content areas and in Word but other applications, I tend to let it fall to the wayside, even if styles are most likely just as easy to apply. The example of PowerPoint hit me between the eyes because I don't think I've used styles there either.

I think what these sessions are doing are making me vastly more aware of my own actions when creating content and so I will now be able to better apply ideas across all my work instead of just some of it! 

- Laura 

Hi, Kate,

I often have trouble remembering to use headings, alt text, and formatting tables and lists. So I use PowerPoint and have the accessibility checker on at all times.

Getting everyone on board with accessibility is difficult because they are often overwhelmed with all the accessibility requirements, but if we start small with something like closed captions that would be a baby step toward out goal.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   1. I create agendas and documents regularly and I had not realized that the Title was not able to be read by a screenreader!
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   1. I am frequently adding links to our LMS, as well as to our website, or even into emails.  Making sure I make them descriptive can be imperative.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   1. I believe I can model best by modeling to the faculty at Hiram.  The more they see it, the more likely they may be to think about incorporating it in their own practices.

1. In Canvas, I use the styles provided in the Rich Content Editor to format instructions. For documents, I adhere to the styles offered in Word/PowerPoint/Google Docs. However, formatting Excel files is a challenge for me.
2. I consistently employ descriptive text for links. However, I am uncertain about how to handle the reference list, particularly when adhering to a citation style like APA. According to APA formatting guidelines, URLs must be spelled out.
3. In our course design kickoff meetings, accessibility is a key topic of discussion as we prepare faculty course developers. Throughout the course design process, instructional designers collaborate with faculty to ensure that all documents and slides are accessible.

1. I have recently gained a lot more experience in using styles in my instructional design rather than just bolding and underlining text for headings. However, I feel that I really need to put this into practice more and to develop a standard "style format" for my course templates in Canvas.

2. I am beginning to replace the "click here" links in the courses that I have built with descriptive links. It's a tedious practice, but it's important, and it has really shown me the value of doing instructional design with a focus on accessibility from the start. 

3. I have already started having conversations with my partners in instructional design about styles and links. I also hope to really focus on this issue with our proposed OER and Instructional Design taskforce at our college.

1. What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   
   I long ago switched to using styles in my documents, but many of the older documents still have bolded headings instead of actual headings. I plan to revisit and revise many of these older documents to make them more accessible over the summer.
2. What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   
   I want to incorporate the use of link shorteners to create links for print that aren’t total eyesores. In working to make links more accessible, I’ve often stripped out the visible links entirely, so this would be a happy medium.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   
   This is something that will be part of our summer workshops and messaging going forward. It seems like an easy entry point into creating more accessible content.

1. While I've made it a habit to use styles in my documents and digital content, I feel like there are more opportunities to normalize this with the faculty I work with.  One thing that has helped in new course development is providing templates (e.g. syllabus, modules) with headings and text placeholders already built in.  The next thing I'd like to work on is helping faculty get into the habit of using styles themselves.  Sometimes it comes to a surprise to them that this is even a feature in Word or Blackboard and that it makes a difference.
2. We have a lot of links in our courses, as that's how we typically present resources to students in each module.  During a build, we'll set up these links ourselves with descriptive text, but when faculty make updates to their own content, they'll often plug in URLs without any descriptive text.  I wonder if a brief self-audit checklist could be helpful here.
3. I try to provide feedback from an accessibility standpoint when colleagues create documents or web content that don't apply these styles and links guidelines.  Usually just commenting on/about the document with recommendations on how to fix it to make it more accessible.

1. This week was very, very helpful. The entire time I was in college and beyond I never learned how and when to use headers. I now have a much better idea! I still need some practice and play but I now know they are not just to make the text look "better" or "fancy".

2. I need to use better descritions for links for sure. I do like to use links when appropirate, YouTube has great teaching materials for health care workers but sometimes in my LMS I forget to put in the title what they are seeing or it makes sense to me but it may not to others.

3. I think one way I can use this to better model for others is to just explain, why do you use this. Show them how it looks and how it benefits many including several of our collegues! I think a lot of times if it is not important to us we overlook it, but if we know someone personally who can benefit we can buy in better and advocate better.

1. Every time now that I open a Word document, I add headings to differentiate between different sections instead of just bolding or italicizing headings. I also started to change the texts on my Blackboard course sites and used the headings feature instead of just making headings bold or in italics. 

2. Using CamelCase consistently. Also, being really intentional in how I embed links and not using "click here." I am still unclear around if links should only be embedded or also listed, or how to strike a balance with those practices. 

3. "I noticed that our links in our welcome letter are not embedded. Are you aware that for individuals using screen readers, links that are not embedded are a challenge? Here is how I changed that in my welcome letter to students in my class. Feel free to use that for the template when you send it out next."

Isabell - Your response resonated with me. I, too, am trying to focus on being more intentional with my links - especially in emails. I catch myself defaulting to "click here" sometimes. I do not know if there is a perfect "rule" for all contexts, but I know especially in emails, I tend to embed the link and list it when I can, as I've run into situations where the embedded link was harder for someone to access on a particular device! 

Styles? 

Much like Luis mentioned, I became a styles super user when working through long papers in graduate school.   In my day-to-day practices, I use these regularly - even in my own notes. What I can do better is to think aloud about why I am using them when I working with others.  I am still struggling with lists because sometimes the tools just dont seem to do what I want or expect.  

Another area - eek the heading 1 thing was a revelation to me.  I can see it in wordprocessing, but now I am wondering how it works in LMS.  I worked with someone recently who formatted a whole template with heading 2 at the top of pages, and I was sure she was wrong and redid it.  The accessibility checker we had agreed, but now I am wondering which of us was right in the context of Canvas. 

 Links?

I was happy to hear advice on what to do with links when we feel people may need access to them in print.  This was an area where I struggled.  I also don't always know what to write as descriptive text, so the directions help.  I am still working on formatting things so that students pay better attention to them.  Sometimes, the automated color and underlining make the text less noticeable (Blackboard Ultra is an example), so I am also bolding them.  Is that bad??

What ways might you message your colleagues about the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links? 

I find it helps to talk to people about how the styles impact other functions of the programs within our word processing and presentation software.  While many people I work with care about accessibility, they don't necessarily look ahead to when others will use the things they have written.  I think letting them know that features like styles positively impact everything they do - even their meeting notes helps get them into the habit of using them all the time.  Basically, Styles ARE a UDL-type feature - they help everyone, decrease cognitive load, and increase comprehensibility. 

Alexis,

That's a great point about Canvas.  I was confused with Pressbooks, too, as it wasn't clear if chapter titles were using a title heading or a heading 1.  I didn't want to skip heading 1 if it was a title, but I also didn't want to duplicate heading levels.  I've had to go back and fix things later despite thinking I knew what I was doing at the beginning.

Styles: I'm fairly consistent about using styles. I did not know that using titles and subtitles is not universal, though, so I will start with H1 now. Also, in the use of tables, I often merge cells not realizing that this can cause an error with the screen reader. I will adjust how I set up my tables for the future.

Links: I'm guilty of using the long URLs. I'll work on using descriptive words and shortening them.

Messaging: I think it made an impact when the screen reader was used and showed how much extra (or not enough) was on the page. It was a good example and think anyone could understand the significance of styles and links with that.

UDL - I started using styles not realizing they were accessible. It was just an easy way to create anchor links in a Google doc. There are benefits to using styles and links that help everyone.

1. What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.

I currently use headers in all of my Word documents and pages on Canvas, but my organization PowerPoint is where I realize I have a glaring omission of accessibility that needs to be corrected. I had only thought about designing presentations based upon my own usability, but not for the students I share them with.

1. What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.

I am pretty consistent with making sure my links are descriptive and the URLs are shortened, but understanding how they work with a screen reader makes me want to go back and check using that technology specifically.

1. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.

I would begin by modeling the behavior myself to show that it is possible and relatively simple if you begin the design process with accessibility in mind. Conversations could be opened to colleagues by giving them the opportunity to check each other’s courses and content to build a system of accountability and support.

Not so much my day- to-day process, but how I teach others needs to be adjusted. I regularly practice access work, and it is second nature to me. I do not see that what is natural to me, is not a perspective that others think about. When I discuss styles and links in the future [typically at a meeting], I hope to reframe how it is approcahed within the group as a logical practice that we can all do and succeed at. I am considered a go to person for accessibility, but I am still learning how to teach others. 

Heather, I think it's great that you are trying to  get others on board with accessibility. Teaching others is so important, and not just the knowledge and skills, but I think also the disposition sometimes. I love how they have defined accessibility as making as many resources as possible accessible to as many as possible and that also means, as one of the members on our team put it today, creating a sense of belonging for everyone. We are going to include an accessibility commitment statement in our syllabus template as an option for faculty to include in their syllabi and are hoping.to use some of this wording.

1. I've been trying to adapt the British Dyslexia Guide Style Guide in Headings from LaTeX.

2. Still trying to figure out internal links versus external links. 

3. I opened a small business and am trying to convince people that there's money in this. Sadly that gets the most attention from people.

1. I'll make sure I'm using Styles when creating documents.  I'll also begin reviewing my syllabi to ensure they are using Styles correctly.

2. The biggest takeaway here for me is to use descriptive text for the link and not the URL.  I had the bad habit of using the URL in the past as I found it easier to locate the original source if the link would break.  After reviewing the examples in Webinar #3 I see why it is necessary to make this change.  

3. As my colleague, Paul Higdon, noted, we need to organize training resources and make them available for faculty.  I have began this process and will work with others on campus to move it forward. 

1. I use Styles on certain documents (for example, my syllabi), but need to improve at using Styles in all documents. For example, I often create more detailed assignment descriptions for students as separate documents but could use Styles to make them more organized and accessibile. 
2. I frequently use descriptive links in emails, lecture slides, and Moodle (our CMS).
3. We can communicate the importance of Styles and descriptive links in several ways, including educating colleagues on how these features can help people with diverse access needs, modeling, and providing multiple opportunities for training. 

1. I believe I am aware of Styles and use Styles appropriatly to convey meaning and relay semantics to assitive technology daily. I often feel like a plain text document would be preferred over a poorly Styled document. There is also "Reader Modes" that will replace styles with user preferences (or alternatives) and see some get stuck in the look of content, rather than content.
2. I have been using descriptive Links for as long as I can remember, with thte expecption when I make the choice that seeing the full URL is benifical to the person. Discription links can have a downfall, especially if the same URL is repeated under different descriptions (please don't do this). Also, I feel lost when the browser has the URL hidden on hover, no indication where the link will go... So, while reading, descriptive links are very helpful, but when navigating knowing where you are going is helpful too.
3. Advocating for accessible Styles and Links, is an ongoing effort. I can think of many things colleagues are aware and take into consideration, but changing behaviour and habits in document creation, takes time.

Hi Jason,

You are a great inspiration as you are already aware of styles and their importance. I agree that it is ongoing work to educate our collegues on why it is important that you use apporpriate styles. So often I think, and I am gulity of this myself, we don't consider how others view the world and assume we all see and interct with it the same. But this is not the case. Keep fighting the good fight!

1.Rsearch guides that we create for each program and certain classes they are heavy traffic areas

2. Overviewing Research Guides that are link heavy.

3. We tend to create without thinking hollistically, being more mindful and intentional in creating and maintaining research guides.

1. I will now be shifting my focus on Stye consistency, such as Title Headings, to create material that provides a predictable, logical and intuitive outline. I don't believe I have ever ventured beyond H2! Also, I adore using tables, and frequently use them in hopes of adding more succinctness to documents. Learing how they can be frustrating has been a revelation. 

2. With the same spriit I applied to tables, I've also always enjoyed drafting, what I hoped, were useful Descriptive Links. Was the "clothing' always as succing as it could be, perhaps not but it will now be at the forefront of my future efforts.  While I rarely include Click Here or use long urls, it is a great reminder to substitute tiny url's and remove unnecessary link language. 

3. The WRLC's Open@WRLC Textbook Affordability Working Group is currently re-drafting DA protocols/guidelines for our OER grant pilot program. As a part of the program, awardees are responsible for completing OER professional development and providing. To help ease the burden of multiple meetings and meet our awardees where they are- the program's instructional webinars will include both asynchronous and synchronous opportunites. We have decided that DA will be a synchronous webinar so that we can create a workshop environment for our instructors, generate discussion and share ideas.

1. I can use headers to break up my content and make it easier to understand. I have always used different font styles and sizes or bold, but now I understand that using the styles will allow users to chunk the information and save valuable time navigating long documents.

2. I will never use "click here" or "learn more" again on a LibGuide or our website! I will make my link names meaningful so that learners will better understand what will happen when they click them

3. I plan on modeling Styles and Links to the staff at my library. I am also going to pass it along to our LibGuide committee so they can make sure our guides are easy for ALL users.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.

          Email is an example that comes to mind. Having more structured email for readers and readability bring better understanding of your message.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.Making class notes and handouts for teaching library instructon. I think the link descriptions are better for everybody.
2. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.I think it may get the message across clearer and more percisely.

1. Regarding styles, I plan to implement more consistent design. Particularly in the materials that I prepare for library instruction, there are many instances where utilizing section headings could benefit my students. Additionally, this has the potential to support understanding for everyone.

2. In my day to day work I often send links to different electronic materials. In the past I have tended to send "naked" links. I had no idea until Luis pointed it out that screen readers do not handle these well. I intend to add descriptive links in the future. 

3. I often have good discussion with my collegeaues about instruction. I think this would be a good place to mention these new techniques and skills I have been learning over the course of the series. Furthermore, the members of our cohort plan to form and accessibility team at our institution to help spread some of these ideas on our campus among both faculty and staff.

I used to send "naked" links too and have switched over to providing descriptive links instead. It is wild how things have changed since I first took accessibility training almost 15 years ago.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? Be as specific as you can.
   1. I am very careful about using styles in my work as I create books. However, I have to make sure those styles are exported with the correct tagging.
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? Be as specific as you can.
   1. When I started my accessibility training, descriptive links were frowned upon. That was almost 15 years ago and accessibility technology has come a long way. I am using more descriptive links than ever, even in my emails where as before, I would just copy and paste the link.
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? Consider sharing sentence starters, crucial conversations, modeling and any other strategies.
   1. I think including these things in my emails and communications is a great way to demonstrate this to others at my institution. I think also engaging those I work with regarding accessibility and what I need to help make our resources accessible will help.

There are many instances for me where I see opportunities to better use accessibility practices regarding both Styles and Links. In my role as Director of WAC and Writing Center, I often am creating documents or compiling resources that are shared with the larger campus community. It is important that I model these practices better to ensure accessibility. Additionally, by modeling these accessibility practices, it can be a useful conversation starter in faculty workshops where we can have a larger conversation about the importance of these practices. I know I will be including information about accessibility in my next workshop and I hope to continue to explore these features within our CMS. 

What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles?

• Using tables for course calendar, online orientation and syllabus
• Not using headers when appropriate
• Bolding texts too often

What specific instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links?

• Be descriptive about the linked content

What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues?

• Continue to advocate for Accessibility professional development
• Create a Canvas Course with examples of accessibility resources

Because I am an assistive technology user, I have to use styles and create accessible links in my own documents as "breadcrumbs" for myself. I teach technical communication, so I also teach styles and links to my students, and, by default, I teach them in the context of accessibility so that I can grade their work. The same thing goes for editing and correspondence I do with my colleagues. I model and emulate accessibility in the work I do for them. Sometimes, colleagues ask me to check their work for accessibility as well.

1. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Styles? 
   
   Being the person that is responsible for running the accessibilty services office, I need to make sure I am setting the example for other with the content I am creating. Although using a particular font might look nice, or bolding an item to highlight it might be ideal to me, it is not going to be appropriate from an accessibility standpoint.
   
   The layout of information is also inportant. It an item is not properly set up on a document, presentation, or webpage, a screen reader may have trouble identifying the content.
    
2. What specifc instances in your day-to-day digital work might reveal opportunities to better use Accessibility practices regarding Links? 
   
   I use Microsoft Forms a lot for the documents in my department. If I have to share a link with someone I make sure to shorten the link for them. There are other tools you can use as well. You can create hyperlinks to pages or go to Tiny.url to create a shorter link if needed.
    
3. What ways might you message the importance of paying attention to Styles and Links to your colleagues? 
   
   Professional development for faculty and staff 
   Make sure there are resources (electronic and hard copy) available.
   Ensure accessibility information stays up to date on all syllabi