These topics are the ones that get everybody's attention, because some methods for presenting information are widely used, but can potentially decrease access to students with disabilities.

PDF files - Portable Document Format

This format is incredibly useful for some situations, providing a method to post content on the web that will print exactly as the author intended it to. Creating PDF files is faster and easier than creating HTML files in many cases. This increases its allure for Web developers.

It is also used as a sort of "electronic photocopy", as instructors seek to provide students with access to materials quickly. Unfortunately, this use creates inaccessible content. Screen readers � software used by people with visual impairments and learning disabilities to transform text into speech � cannot read this type of file because it isn't true text, rather it is a graphic of text.

This means that the text in the PDF must be real text. A practical solution for existing scanned PDF documents is to use an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) program to convert the image into real text. Adobe provides an OCR utility for Acrobat with the full version (not the free reader). For shorter documents, the material could be typed out. There's no getting around this rule. To make the document accessible to screen readers, you have to have real text.
(WebAIM)

The most reliable way to make a PDF file accessible is to convert it into accessible HTML. It is often also the easiest way. In fact, if possible, it may be more appropriate to eliminate the PDF files altogether and concentrate instead on making the content accessible in an HTML format. This isn't always an option, but it is worth considering in many cases.

If it is absolutely necessary to make an "electronic photocopy" instead of providing a fully accessible version in either HTML or PDF formats due to time or manpower constraints, students will need to access that information with OCR software. OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition, software that makes it possible for computers to recognize "pictures of text" like the aforementioned "electronic photocopy" as text. A student can download the PDF file, process it with an OCR program (thereby converting the PDF into real text), then read the resulting file now consisting of real text with a screen reader.

However, there are important guidelines to follow to make it possible for students to be able to do this with PDF files. Please use the following pointers when scanning materials to be made into PDF documents.

Tips for Scanning Documents for the Internet

From The Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison

• The most important rule to follow when scanning documents is to adjust your scanning settings for at least 300 DPI (dots per inch). Most resolution settings lower than this will degrade considerably the quality of an Optical Character Recognition (OCR) scan. In cases where the image contains a substantial amount of fine print, a resolution of 400 DPI may be necessary. If you have an OCR software package (Omni Pro, Text Bridge, and Adobe Capture are among the most popular programs currently on the market), you may wish to perform an OCR test scan of your own to verify the usability of your image.
• If you are scanning pages from a bound volume, try to minimize any shadowing near the spine by pressing the book flat against the scanner. In some cases, especially if the book is deteriorated in any way, it may be necessary to make a photocopy of the material first or scan one page at a time in order to preserve the hardcopy.
• If the original document is of a poor quality (e.g. deteriorated pages or blurred text) try photocopying the pages to be scanned in order to clean them up and brighten the image.

• If you are scanning thin pages or pages of a poor quality, sometimes the clarity of the scan will be negatively affected. Try placing a heavy sheet of white paper behind the sheet you are scanning. Again, sometimes making an enlarged photocopy of the original document also assists in enhancing the quality of the original document.
• Give students an option of viewing your image file in different formats. Since it is generally quite a simple task to save image files in different formats, save your document in both PDF and TIF formats. Unlike PDF image-only files, TIF documents can be readily scanned for text with most OCR software packages, without having the most recent software and plug-ins.
• Never scan two pages at a time; scan each page separately. In other words, keep the layout as simple as possible.
• Make sure page numbers are clearly visible in the scan and are not cut off or shadowed at the edge of the page.
• Be careful to get the page perfectly straight on the scanner; skewed pages will wreak havoc on the output of OCR technology. If you are using a digital camera to create your image files, you will need to be especially vigilant in focusing the image, even manually straightening the picture afterwards with a graphics editing program.

PowerPoint presentations

These are accessible only if the student has a full copy of PowerPoint, (which is also needed to be able to print presentations). The document can be transferred to the individual's computer, and then accessed with assistive technologies, such as a screen reader or screen magnification.

Important Note: The instructor MUST provide a copy of all PowerPoint presentations in Doc Sharing in eCollege. In WebCT, the student is presented with a choice of opening or saving the file. The file will open in the WebCT window, so inform students that if they use assistive technology, they must download the file.

When a slide contains an image, graphic, logo or flow chart, those images are inaccessible for people using assistive technology, such as screen readers. All these non-text images will not be seen (i.e. not read aloud) since the graphical information is a "blank space" for the screen reader. To prevent screen readers from skipping information conveyed by images or graphics, you need to describe the image or graphic in the Notes Pane.

From the "Normal" view -- with three pane areas showing:

• Outline Pane: the frame on the far left
  This pane shows your presentation text without any graphics.
• Slide Pane: the frame on the upper right
  This pane shows what each individual slide of your presentation looks like.
• Notes Pane: the frame on the lower right
  This pane shows the author's notes.

How to write notes in the Notes Pane:

1. Point your mouse to the bottom right part of your PowerPoint slide where it says: "Click to add notes."
2. Click with the mouse in that section and start typing. What you type will depend on the purpose of the graphic that you are adding. The notes should clearly convey what you want the user to get out of the image. If the graphical information on the slide is purely decorative, you do not necessarily have to mention it. If there is a logo, you must let the user know the logo is there and what the logo is.

Example of a PowerPoint that includes some graphical information

An accessible slide that contains an image and some text seen in a Normal View will:

• show all the information on the slide,
• Show an outline with only the text information of your slide.
• Show written notes in the notes pane describing the image contained on the slide.

Practical Questions about Using Slideshows

From eCollege

What do learners think of slideshows?

Learners will be viewing your online slideshow conceivably anytime and anyplace�when they wake in the morning, at a lunch break, after working a long day, after putting the kids down for bed, or in the middle of the night. Create engaging content that is concise and focused. More is not always better! Keep your slideshow short and sweet. If you choose to enhance your slideshow by utilizing audio or video, be sure to create presentations no longer than 10 minutes to keep learners focused.

What specific issues should I be aware of when designing my slides?

Consider the color scheme that you will use. Will the colors you choose show up well online? Will the text be clear and readable? Consider using contrasting text and background colors. Solid colors will show up best. Choose a background or background color and use that scheme throughout that unit's slides. Radically changing schemes within a slide show may draw attention to the design of the slide rather than the content. Create visually appealing slides, but be aware the more colors and images you use on a slide, the longer it will take your learners to download.

What about font size and amount of text on a slide?

What size font should I use?
Consider what reducing a slide by � to � would do to your font legibility. Use a large legible font. Try to use fonts NO SMALLER than 32 point. Maintain legibility for all slides.

How much text should I have on one slide?
Have a maximum of 3-4 lines of body text to produce a slide that is readable and not cluttered.

What about graphics?

Images, pictures, institutional logos, clip art, etc. are generally a good way to add visual excitement to your presentation. But, keep in mind that when you add images to a slide, the size of the slide will increase, thus adding to download time. This is not stated to discourage graphic usage; it is stated to raise awareness about how the size of the graphics will increase the size of your file.

Without getting into a lengthy discourse about file sizes, please realize that image sizes can be very large and may need to be reduced prior to importing them to your slide. Generally keeping your images down to 30 kb or less will ensure that a 56K modem user will see your slide in 8 seconds or less, a generally acceptable download time. (eCollege)

Microsoft Word documents

Word documents are best when provided as downloadable files, as they can easily be read by screen readers. Without utilizing the display tips outlined in the section called "Tips to Provide Students", when these documents are converted to HTML (the language that web pages are written in), especially with the latest versions of Word, the resulting page cannot be modified by a student's browser (text size, background and foreground colors, etc.). When writing Word documents to be used as course content pages, follow the guidelines given in the Techniques section of this guide.