Accessibility Training Opportunities

• Dates Offered: April 22, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Ann Fredricksen and Bob Dignan
• Contact: Ann Fredricksen (ajfredr1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the April 22 Workshop, Integrating Audio Description into Presentations and Videos

Workshop Description:

This hands-on workshop will help you integrate Audio Description (AD) into your workflow, making visual content accessible from the start rather than as a post-production fix. You'll learn to replace vague cues like “As you can see here” with rich, meaningful descriptions that enhance accessibility and reduce technical hurdles.

By the end of this workshop, attendees will be able to:

• Identify the fundamentals of audio description practice
• Write and voice visual aid descriptions in your discipline
• Optimize presentation preparation and workflows to reduce and eliminate audio description

IMPORTANT:

• If you present visuals during teaching/presenting (most often a PowerPoint with images), please bring a sample presentation. We’ll leverage small groups to apply concepts and offer feedback.
• If your context is more video/media production, bring a representative sample of that work.
• If you do not have a sample presentation, we’ll guide you in our workshop on alternatives to facilitate your participation.

Full Workshop Description

Audio Description (AD) is a practice of using words that are succinct, vivid, and imaginative to convey visuals; benefitting people who are blind or have low vision. The visual is made verbal. Producing descriptions after presentations are recorded, or after videos are finalized, incurs many technical hurdles and educational limitations. Conversely, if material is presented with AD included (a variation known as “integrated description”), several post-production and video dissemination steps are assuaged alongside additional benefits! In this workshop, we’ll build skills in writing and integrating description into your existing workflows; turning your inadvertently inaccessible “As you can see here,” into a description rich with context and significance.

• Dates Offered: April 24, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speaker: Lori Lane
• Contact: Lori Lane (lorilane@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the April 24 Workshop, Make Your Excel Spreadsheets Accessible, Part 2

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets accessible for everyone! In this hands-on workshop, we’ll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in Excel and then jump right into practice. You’ll learn how to: 

• Name a Table
• Label the empty header cell
• Increase the column width and row height
• Label the workbook title and sheet names
• Create space between tables
• Create accessible links
• Work with colors and color testing tools

By the end of this workshop, you’ll be well on your way to creating inclusive spreadsheets that meet State and Federal accessibility standards.  

• Date Offered: April 29, 10:00 - 11:00 AM
• Speakers: Lindsey Sharp, Nancy Hightower, Sydney Flowers, and Priya Pradeep
• Contact: Lindsey Sharp (lmsharp@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the April 29 Workshop, Checking Documents for Accessibility

Workshop Description:

Documents must be proactively accessible for all students. This hands-on workshop will cover what to look for and several tools to help you find and fix issues. You'll learn how to scan multiple document types for accessibility issues and remediate them.

• Date Offered: May 6, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson and Nancy Hightower
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the May 6 Workshop, Make Your MS Word Documents Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Word documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in Word and then jump right into practice.

You'll learn how to:

• Use the Styles tool to create a clean, navigable document structure
• Write effective alt text for images and charts, ensure readable color contrast and design accessible tables and links
• Use the MS Word Accessibility Checker to find and fix common issues

By the end of this session, you'll be ready to create inclusive documents for all.

• Dates Offered: May 13, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson and Lori Lane
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the May 13 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 1

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on the basics of making your PDF documents accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PDF and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

• Create a PDF from an accessible Word document
• Use Acrobat Pro to identify the basic architecture of that PDF, such as adjusting the reading order and tab order, using the table editor and adding alternative text description to images

By the end of this workshop, you'll be on your way to creating PDF documents that are more inclusive.

Important: To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). U of I, UIS, and UIC faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U of I Webstore.

• Dates Offered: May 20, 2:00 - 3:30 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson
• Registration: Registration is required.
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)

Register for the May 20 Workshop, Make Your PDF Documents Accessible, Part 2

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your PDF documents accessible for everyone on campus. We'll cover common accessibility challenges in PDF and use practical solutions. You'll learn how to:

• Use Acrobat Accessibility Checker to identify issues
• Repair the PDF and make it accessible
• Determine when to send complex PDFs to a remediation specialist

You'll be on your way to creating inclusive and accessible PDF documents and meeting State and Federal accessibility standards.

Important: To participate actively in this workshop, you will need to have Adobe Acrobat Pro installed (not Acrobat Reader). U of I, UIS, and UIC faculty and staff can obtain Acrobat Pro free from the U of I Webstore.

• Dates Offered: May 27, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speakers: Marc Thompson, Rayna Bell, and Nancy Hightower
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the May 27 Workshop, Make Your MS PowerPoint Documents Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your PowerPoint presentations accessible for everyone while meeting state and federal accessibility standards. In this hands-on workshop, we'll begin with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges in PowerPoint and then dive straight into practical solutions.

You'll learn how to:

• Create clear, accessible slide content
• Utilize accessible visuals
• Structure slides for logical navigation, making sure your multimedia content is inclusive
• Use PowerPoint's built-in Accessibility Assistant to find and fix common issues

By the end of this workshop, you'll be crafting inclusive presentations that captivate your audience.

• Dates Offered: June 3, 2:00 - 3:00 PM
• Speaker: Lori Lane and Marc Thompson
• Contact: Marc Thompson (thompso1@illinois.edu)
• Registration: Registration is required.

Register for the June 3 Workshop, Make Your Excel Spreadsheets Accessible

Workshop Description:

Get up to speed quickly on making your Microsoft Excel spreadsheets accessible for everyone! In this hands-on workshop, we'll start with a brief overview of common accessibility challenges and solutions in Excel.

You'll learn how to:

• Create consistent heading levels for sighted users
• Create tables with column or row headers and avoid other pitfalls
• Work with colors and color testing tools
• Implement images in an accessible way for screen reader users
• Use the Excel Accessibility Assistant to find and fix common issues

By the end of this workshop, you'll be well on your way to creating inclusive spreadsheets that meet State and Federal accessibility standards.