Customized Accessible Design Training

Interested in learning about one or more of the accessibility techniques featured in our workshops, but couldn't make it to our scheduled events? Beginning Spring quarter 2005, we are piloting a new service -- customized accessible design training. These sessions are based on past workshops and include handouts and materials from those workshops only offered on your schedule and customized to meet your needs. OSU faculty, staff, and graduate students with appointments may request a customized, small group training session (minimum 3 participants). And you can choose the location: either come to the WAC and use our preloaded computers and laptops or we'll come to your office and train you on your own machine.

Training Session Topics

Below is a list of available pre-packaged training sessions. Please allow us at least two weeks advanced notice to prepare your training session. Sessions are offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Accessible Web Design: Introduction.
Suggested time: 30 minutes - 1 hour.
For those just beginning in web design who have not heard about or practiced accessible design techniques. An introduction to some of the most common accessibility issues related to basic web page design. Learn about using ALT tags, skip navigation links, accessible navigation, headers and paragraph mark-up, table row and column headers, and accessible formatting techniques.

Assistive Technology Demonstration.
Suggested time: 30minutes - 1 hour.
Curious to know what your site sounds like when navigated using a Screen Reader? Wonder what difference accessible mark-up makes to users of assistive technology? In this session, we'll use JAWS, Zoom Text, and an accessible browser to examine various design strategies. Use your own site as an example or we'll bring plenty of other urls to review.

Cascading Style Sheets (CSS): Introduction.
Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes - 2hours 30 minutes.
Find out how to eliminate deprecated and inaccessible design and formatting elements from your pages using style sheets. Designers who haven't used a style sheet in the past will get a quick introduction to redefining HTML elements, using relative sizing, and creating on-the-fly styles for all your formatting needs. Participants will leave with a basic style sheet which they can further customize and apply to their own site.

Dreamweaver MX 2004: Introduction to Accessible Design.
Suggested time: 1hour-2 hours.
For those just getting started using Dreamweaver, get an introduction to setting up the software for accessible design and inserting basic elements (headers and paragraphs, images, tables, and navigation bars) using accessible techniques. Learn to use built-in tools to validate your pages for accessibility. Also includes a brief introduction to using style sheets in Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver MX 2004: Advanced Accessible Design.
Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours 30 minutes.
Focus on using templates and style sheets for consistency of design across your site. Learn how to create and apply a template. Link an external style sheet to all your site files and learn to create and manage your styles within Dreamweaver.

Dreamweaver MX 2004: Accessible HTML Forms.
Suggested time: 1 hour 30 minutes - 2 hours 30 minutes.
In this session, create a simple form with all the different types of form elements (textboxes, textareas, drop-down menus, lists, checkboxes, radio buttons) with the correct accessible markup. Also, review the potential form problem areas with suggested work arounds. Submit your form using either simple CGI, ColdFusion, or PHP scripts (provided).

Microsoft Office: Converting PowerPoint to the Web.
Suggested time: 1hour - 2 hours.
PowerPoint presentations can be difficult to convert to an accessible web version. In this session, review some options using MS Office internal converter and then get practice using iCita's Accessible Web Publishing Wizard to create multiple accessible versions on-the-fly. Suggested fee: each workshop participant may receive a full-licensed version of the wizard for $27.50/per license.

Microsoft Office: Converting Word to the Web.
Suggested time: 1hour-2hours.
Want to publish your Word documents to the web, but concerned about accessibility? Don't like how Microsoft Office converts your files? In this workshop, you'll review the various methods for conversion; get tips for how to format your documents for the best conversion and find out simple save techniques that strip out those overabundant Office formatting tags. And use the latest conversion tool: iCITA's Accessible Web Publishing Wizard to create fully accessible versions of your documents in minutes. Suggested fee: each workshop participant may receive a full-licensed version of the wizard for $27.50/per license.

Microsoft Office: Using Styles for Formatting.
Suggested time: 30minutes - 1 hour.
Using styles in Microsoft Office products can both help you create a consistent and professional look to your documents, as well as add accessibility features both in Office and when documents are converted to HTML. In this session, you'll learn how to create, modify, apply, and manage styles in MS Office.

OSU Minimum Web Accessibility Standards: Policy Review.
Suggested time: 30minutes-1hour.
The OSU Web Accessibility Policy went into effect June 30, 2004. Do you know what the policy entails -- who is covered, what is covered, how enforcement is monitored? Are you aware of the new reporting requirements? Get answers to these questions in this policy review designed for administrators and managers not directly responsible for designing web pages.

OSU Minimum Web Accessibility Standards: Standards Review.
Suggested time: 1hour-1hour 30 minutes.
The OSU Minimum Web Accessibility Standards include 19 specific technical guidelines for developing and distributing web content. In this session, get an overview of each standard including typical applications and potential problem areas. Designed for web developers of all levels.

PDF: Introduction to Accessibility Issues.
Suggested time 1hour-1hour 30minutes.
What is an accessible PDF? What are the aspects of a PDF document that affect accessibility? This session overviews the main issues related to PDF accessibility, including the three-levels of PDF accessibility (untagged, structured, and tagged), benefits of tagged PDF, and checking for accessibility. Addresses issues of reflow, read-order, alternative text, table mark-up, and security settings.

PDF: Creating Accessible PDF from MS Word.
Suggested time 1hour-1hour 30minutes.
Focuses on preparing Word documents for accessible conversion to PDF, testing for accessibility, and repairing conversion errors. Learn to use Microsoft Word 2003 and Acrobat Professional to convert simple documents such as syllabi and handouts. Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to PDF Accessibility Issues.

PDF: Creating Accessible PDF from scanning.
Suggested time: 1hour 30 minutes - 2 hours 30minutes.
Focuses on modifying documents scanned as image files or printed via the "Print to PDF" technique to edit content, add tags, and test for accessibility. Convert simple documents scanned or quickly printed to a non-tagged PDF. May include an introduction to scanning (allow additional time).

PDF: Creating Accessible PDF from Web pages.
Suggested time 1hour-1hour 30minutes.
Focuses on preparing HTML documents for accessible conversion to PDF, testing for accessibility, and repairing conversion errors. Convert resources browsed on the Web to PDF usable in your classroom. Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to PDF Accessibility Issues.

PDF: Creating Accessible PDF forms.
Suggested time: 1hour 30minutes - 2hours.
Use the advanced features in Adobe Acrobat Professional to create forms that can be filled-out electronically and saved or printed by your users. Learn to create a simple contact form using an existing form document by adding fields, adding tags, and editing the tags palette for addiitonal accessibility markup. Recommended prerequisite: Introduction to PDF Accessibility Issues and familiarity with PDF creation and editing.

Custom Topics

The WAC is also happy to develop a custom workshop on an aspect of accessible design and content not listed above. When you request your custom training session, please specify your custom topic, along with the goals you have for participants (e.g. create an accessible Flash movie or caption a short video). We will make every effort to accommodate your request; however, we may require additional preparation time or we may refer your request to other campus training programs.

Request Your Customized Training Session

Gather your colleagues (remember, we require a minimum of 3 participants) and work out a desired date and time. Keep in mind, we require a minimum of two-weeks advanced notice and the earlier you make your request the better chance we will be available to help you.

If you are using your location, be sure both location and necessary technology is available. It is ok to share computers, if needed. We have two loanable laptops, a digital projector, and a scanner that can be brought to your session. The WAC can also provide temporary access to some required software (Dreamweaver, Adobe Acrobat, Web Publishing Wizard).

If you are using WAC facilities, depending on availability and requirements, our session may meet at the WAC office in Pomerene Hall, at the Digital Union in the Science & Engineering Library, or at an available Student Computer Center or computer-supported classroom on campus.

Use our online form to request your customized training session today.