Creating and Repurposing More Accessible Content
Accessible IT Through Podcasts, Webinars and Online Courses
Everyone who completes the course will receive an EASI certificate of completion. This course will also count towards the EASI/USM Certificate In accessible Information Technology and those earning the Certificate in Accessible Technology will also receive 15 continuing education units (3 per course). To earn the course completion certificate, participants will have to do all lessons and submit the assignment at the bottom of each lesson. There are 2 provisions to help in this situation. First anyone can get a 2-week extension to finish the course. Second, if that is not enough, the person will be able to do a free registration as a repeat for the next offering but this option will only be offered one time.
Course registration is $350 with a $70 discount for students. Overseas participants and EASI Annual Webinar members qualify for the student discount.
Schedule: 2009 January 5, May 4, September 7
(the registration link is at the bottom of the page.)
Syllabus for Creating and Repurposing More Accessible Documents
Lesson 1: Creating Structured Documents with Word
- What do we mean by “repurpose”?
- Structure and meaning in a document
- Creating a style using Word
- Making images and tables accessible using Word
- General tips and hints
- Exporting documents from Word
Lesson 2: Creating Accessible Documents in PDF
- Different ways to Create PDF documents
- Scanning documents from hard copy
- Copyright issues
- Modifying Accessible PDF Documents With Adobe Acrobat Professional
- Issues faced by users with disabilities reading PDF
- Checking a PDF document for accessibility
- Using Word to create accessible documents to export to PDF
- Exporting from Web pages to accessible PDF
Lesson 3: Overview of repurposing several document types:
- Creating Web documents (HTML)
- Word to HTML
- WYSIWYG authoring tools
- Section 508 Web Accessibility Standards
- Creating synthetic audio from a text document
- Creating Braille from a text document
- Standard Braille translators
- Special problems of Braille math
- Special problems creating Tactile graphics
Lesson 4: DAISY: Digital Accessible Information System
- What is DAISY and what's the hype?
- What is the advantage of DAISY for students and researchers?
- Where can you obtain a DAISY player?
- Looking at the different DAISY format options
- Let’s peek under the hood
- Creating your own DAISY book using the free Office add-in
- Locating DAISY authoring applications and DAISY players
- Locating DAISY books online
Registration is $350 or $280 for people from overseas or for Annual Webinar Members.
Course Description
This course is designed to support alternative media specialists in creating new documents that are more accessible, and converting existing documents into alternate formats such as Word, PDF, DAISY and NIMAS. Documents need to be well constructed which in turn facilitates accessibility. Documents also need to be repurposed to other formats based on an organizational need. This course is designed to inspire as many questions as it might provide answers.
Topics include:
· A foundation for repurposing content [including a look at XML].
· Globally accessible content rather than customized accommodation for each student.
· Adaptive scanning technology.
· Scanning and OCR [Optical Character Recognition] software [ and the process of creating digital content from print.
· The importance of logical document structure or a logical reading order.
· The role formatting plays in the understanding of content.
· Braille
· DAISY [Digital ]Accessible Information System]. This includes a discussion of NIMAS.
· Accessible PDF.
· Accessible HTML.
The course is four weeks in length, and this is a self paced course with facilitation from the instructor. [Discussion board is checked twice a day during the week and responses provided.] Discussion
and collaboration is encouraged.
