Accessibility in Your OER
OERFSJ Accessibility Workshop
Theresa Huff
This hour-long workshop offered teams guidance on 8 areas of accessibility for their Pressbook OER. For each of the 8 areas, the workshop included:
- Whose learning was supported by making each area accessible
- Step-by-step guidance for ensuring each area was met in their Pressbook OER
- Hands on practice at making their Pressbook accessible
- Participant questions
OERFSJ Accessibility Recording
View the recorded OERFSJ Accessibility Workshop. Links referred to in the recording can be found below.
OERFSJ Accessibility Workshop Links
OERFSJ Pressbooks Sandbox — Pressbooks
Open Voices, Just Choices Accessibility Chapter
Image Accessibility Creator · Streamlit
Contact – Open Voices, Just Choices: OER for Social Justice Faculty Handbook (pressbooks.pub)
Questions Answered From the OERFSJ Accessibility Workshop
Q. What makes the Jacobs or Malala themes the most accessible?
A. The font used in both are easily readable for most people, but especially for those with dyslexia.
Q. Does changing the theme apply to the whole book?
A. Yes.
Q. Is that a best practice – that “alt text” should be 10 words or less?
A. Yes, any functional image (not decorative) used in Pressbooks should include alt text, which is usually 10 words or less.
Q. Do we have to cite the AI used to generate image alt text and descriptions?
A. We recommend that you do. Place it in your Accessibility Statement and note how you used it to generate your image captions or alt text.
Q. Do you have an example of a decorative image?
A. A decorative image used in a textbook might include things like arrows or a light bulb to designate a specific area of the page. Particularly in K-12 curricula, there may be colorful designs on the page, which are decorative. A screen reader will only read alt text, so decorative images should not include alt text, as they are not necessary or helpful for learners who are blind/low-vision.
Help with Accessibility
For help with accessibility of your OER, use the link below to schedule a one-on-one meeting with Karna and Theresa for any support you need as you develop your OER in Pressbooks.
