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Archived news

How to create accessible documents (webinar) - 13 December 2023 12:30-1:20 PM

This session will demonstrate digital accessibility practices that we should follow to make documents accessible to everyone. The session will be useful to anyone creating digital documents and or digital content.

The accessibility principles introduced are not difficult to practice once you get used to them. In this session you will specifically learn about how to create accessible documents using:

  • Heading styles
  • Alternative text for mages
  • Descriptive Links
  • Accessible Tables
  • Document Properties
  • Accessibility checking

This session will be recorded.

Digital Accessibility Tools and Technologies (webinar) - 20 November 2023 12:30-1:20 PM 

This session will demonstrate commonly available digital tools that can improve accessibility and will be for anyone who uses computers.
Some of these tools introduced in the session could be viewed as assistive technologies though they are useful to everyone. We will demonstrate some useful features and help you explore other features available in Microsoft Windows.

  • Windows built in accessibility features
  • PowerPoint Live
  • Word dictate/transcribe
  • Pixie browser extension

You will also hear from users of these technologies how they have improved their digital experience. This session will be recorded.

Look Again: Digital accessibility campaign

A new campaign this month is asking colleagues to take another look at digital content they create to make sure it is accessible to all, regardless of ability. 

Get tips in interactive articles and webinars, grab a sticker to help remind you to use them, and read personal experiences of colleagues and students to help you look again at content from the perspective of users with accessibility needs. 

More on the Staff Portal (login required). 

Is your content accessible? get tips at rdg.ac/digi-access and rdg.ac/lookagain

Three Horizons of Accessibility - Resilient Digital Inclusion

Thursday 25 May 12:30-13:20

Hector Minto, Director of Accessibility, Lead Technology Evangelist at Microsoft, presents an online session titled Three Horizons of Accessibility - Resilient Digital Inclusion.

The talk is open to all staff and is on the importance of digital accessibility to organisations and individuals, including some advice on accessible practice.

This event is part of a programme of activity in the university's Look Again campaign, highlighting the importance of creating digital content that works for everyone, regardless of ability, and providing some useful tips on how to do it. It is focused around Global Accessibility Awareness Day on 18 May 2023.

In this talk, Hector will cover:

  • How to develop a long-term digital strategy of accessibility, covering all departments.
  • The importance of strong disability culture and representation.
  • Product development and innovation – the age of generative AI.

Digital Accessibility: Learn Tips and Ask Questions

Monday 22 May 2023, 12:30-13:20

This session is part of our Global Accessibility Awareness Day (18th May 2023) celebrations and open to all staff at University of Reading.  Join us to learn tips to make your content more accessible and ask questions from the panel members. The panel consists of colleagues from across the University who have been active in the digital accessibility work. 
  • Dr. Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, Digital Accessibility Officer
  • Jem McKenzie, RUSU, Inclusion & Communities Officer
  • Prof. Richard Mitchell, Department of Computer Science and an accessibility champion
  • Prof. Yota Dimitriadi, Chair of the Staff Disability Network
  • Maria-Christiana Papaefthimiou, CQSD TEL

Accessibility Beyond Borders: Global roundtable discussing the challenges and opportunities of digital accessibility in HE

Thursday 27 April 2023, 15:00-16:00

Join our Digital Accessibility Officer, Dr Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, and other members of the panel: Sharon Austin,University of Tampa, USA; Terry Greene, Trent University, Canada; James Northridge, University College Cork (UCC), Ireland; Esin Caglayan, Izmir University of Economics, Turkey; and Sarah Whittaker, Senior Manager Teaching with Technology, working in United Arab Emirates to learn from the experiences of digital accessibility practices from around the world with International Ally Group panel discussion.

A new accessibility strategy for the GOV.UK Design System

David Cox - Senior Accessibility Specialist and Claire Ashworth - Technical Writer at the Government Digital Services explains in thier blog the GOV.UK design team's digital accessibility strategy.

Attitudes to digital accessibility report 2022

The survey, conducted by AbilityNet in collaboration with Open Inclusion, was open for responses from 20 September to 3 October 2022 attracting 447 responses.

The report was launched at AbilityNet's annual conference TechShare Pro on 17 November 2022. You can access the report from AbilityNet website.

How can we make the learning experience more open, inclusive and equitable?

Join our Digital Accessibility Officer, Dr Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, and the members of the Association for Learning Technology to discover effective strategies to promote a more open, inclusive and equitable learning environment with students as co-creators at THE Digital Universities UK event 17-20 April 2023 in Leeds. 

Co-creation and engagement: How can we make the learning experience more open, inclusive and equitable? other panelists are: Scott Farrow (Head of digital learning at Edge Hill University), Margeret Korosec (Dean for online and digital education at University of Leeds) and Helen O'Sullivan (Provost and deputy vice-chancellor at University of Chester).

Inspiring innovations: from research to practice - 15 March 2023, 10:00-16:00

Hosted by: Assistive Technology Network

Sector: higher education, further education and research

This event is free to attend and open to all working in further and higher education. Discover a range of innovative approaches to advancing assistive technology and accessibility. You will hear from researchers, practitioners and product developers about how they are applying evidence-based practice in ways that will have a direct impact on assistive technology users and the people who support them.
Register for the inspiring innovations meetup.

Microsoft Ability Summit - 8 March 2023

Ability Summit is a free digital event on March 8, 2023. Discover new accessible technology, learn from leaders with disabilities, and explore how accessibility empowers everyone within an organization, your community, and so much more. Ability Summit registration

Introduction to Digital Accessibility - 19 January 2023 13:00

The next free webinar by AbilityNet, Introduction to Digital Accessibility, is scheduled for Thursday 19 January 2023 at 1pm.

At the end of this webinar you will be able to:

  • recognise the advantages of embedding digital accessibility within products and services;
  • define the POUR principles of digital accessibility;
  • explain why the social model of disability fits with UK and European accessibility and equality legislation and how this underpins the principles of digital accessibility

Accessibility Insights free webinar - 13 December 2022 13:00

AbilityNet has organised a Free Webinar "Accessibility Insights with David Padmore and Matt Simpson of ITV" on 13th December 13:00.

This will be the fourth episode of the Accessibility Insights web broadcast series and will feature 

  • David Padmore, Director of Accessibility for ITV and

  • Matt Simpson, Head of Technology within the Accessibility Services team for ITV.

Robin Christopherson MBE, Head of Digital Inclusion at AbilityNet will join them to discuss accessibility at the public broadcast television network and on its soon-to-be-launched streaming platform, ITVX.

In the Accessibility Insights series so far AbilityNet has been joined by Microsoft, Netflix, and Spotify.