Is your work digitally inclusive? Every one of us produces digital content in some form and now is the time to make sure it is accessible to everyone.
All our digital content should ‘perceivable, operable, understandable and robust’ in accordance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA accessibility standard.
Why is this important?
Not only is this a great way to make Kent a more accessible place to work and study, but there is a legal deadline too. The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (2018) requires the University to make sure digital content is accessible to everyone by September 2020. So now is the time to start taking action!
What we are doing already:
• Site Editor – the new web template, is designed to be highly accessible. Digital guidelines are being shared with schools and departments to help prepare content for these webpages.
• A plugin in Moodle called Blackboard Ally is used by the majority of academic schools and professional service departments to make content more accessible. If you would like access to, Blackboard please contact opera@kent.ac.uk.
• Accessibility statements for the kent.ac.uk domain as well as Moodle.
Ensuring that all our work compliments the Kent Inclusive Practices (KIPs) that the University has already endorsed.
What you can do:
• Keep your digital content simple and efficient
• Make sure text is accessible to other applications
• Structure text with style sheets/semantic tags
• Ensure text can be personalised and reflows when magnified
• Always add short image descriptions, or alt-tags
• Use descriptive words in links
Check your content with the inbuilt Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Office 365
Find out more…
For more information, see the University’s digital guidelines. You can also find out more about how the University is rolling out the regulations on the digital accessibility e-learning package in Moodle.
Make a date in your diary for Thursday 11 and Friday 12 June 2020 for the Kent Digital Conference on Canterbury campus. For more event details and to book your free place, visit the Eventbrite website.
We want to make sure everyone is ready by September 2020 so look out for further content over the next few months! Any questions, please contact opera@kent.ac.uk