Cuyamaca College Staff Development Workshop Fall 2009

 Use proper headings and styles provided in Ms Word

 Use provided heading, Do Not skip heading levels, Do Not jump from heading 1 to heading 4 because you do not like the style.  You can change the heading styles to fit your document

 Fonts should be at least 10 pts, nothing smaller  Use San Serif fonts  Arial  Verdana  Tahoma  Avoid decorative fonts: Example “ Brush script ”

 Provide Alt Tags for all images  Right click on image  Select “Size…”  Click on “Alt Text” tab  Insert description  Try not to clutter up a page with a lot of images  Do Not use WordArt or create graphics that contain text  Avoid using flashing or blinking elements  Provide caption under picture

 Avoid using text and background colors that do not provide sufficient contrast. Example: do not use white color text on a light blue background  Use high contrast. Example: Black text on white background  Do not convey information or directions with color only, Example: important information highlighted in red or follow the green path

 Make them descriptive, Do Not use:  “Click Here”  “More”  Etc…

 Use lots of white space, makes document easier to read  Use numbered or bulleted lists  File Formats .docx (Word 2007) .doc (Word ) .rtf  Other format

 Open Office

 It is best to use one of the predefined layouts so that content is accessible  Start with a blank presentation using the “Outline View” than add your predefined styles and/or design

 Avoid them at all costs  Difficult for assistive technology to read them  Text boxes become graphics when converting to PDF or HTML formats

 Provide Alt Tags for all images  Right click on image  Select “Size and Position”  Click on “Alt Text” tab  Insert description  Try not to clutter up a page with a lot of images  Do not use WordArt or create graphics that contain text  Avoid using flashing or blinking elements  Provide caption under picture

 Make them descriptive, Do Not use:  “Click Here”  “More”  Etc…

 If using audio in your presentation, you must provide an area at the bottom of each slide for text captions. Captions must be synchronized with the audio being used  If using a movie clip, the clip must be captioned

 Use lots of white space, makes document easier to read  Use numbered or bulleted lists  File Formats .pptx (PowerPoint presentation 2007) .ppt (PowerPoint presentation ) .ppsx (PowerPoint show 2007) .pps (PowerPoint show )  Other format

 Because it is the right thing to do  Able to reach more students  Able to cross platforms (PC vs. Mac) and versions (Office vs. Office 2007)  Able to create other formats more easily  PDF’s  HTML

 Best Practices for Creating Accessible MS Office Documents by Kathy Kimbal  Illinois Accessible Web Publishing Wizard for MS Office  Microsoft quick reference card for creating an accessible Office document  WebAim: Microsoft Word  WebAim: PowerPoint Accessibility

 Thank You for coming  Questions