Overview

In this section, you will learn about visual accessibility and visual processing issues. This section helps us understand why it is important for us to create accessible electronic documents, regardless of whether the document is intended for internal or external use. We should expect that there will be some people reading our electronic communications who need assistive technology.

After completing this section, you will be able to:

• Explain to others/self the challenges text and still image present to individuals with visual processing issues.

Section Tasks:

• Read about visual processing issues.
• Watch the video describing how a real document created accessibility issues.
• Share what you have learned with a colleague and reflect upon your understanding.

Visual Accessibility

If you’ve been around for a few years and tried to look at a Staff Development Day agenda on your iPhone or iPad, the image above may look familiar. The difficulties you have making sense of this document are identical to what a person with visual processing issues faces when trying to use a screen reader to “view” an inaccessible document.

Visual Processing Issues

There are two key things to keep in mind about visual processing issues. First, they can exhibit in many different ways. Blindness is perhaps the one that comes to mind most readily, but visual processing issues include things like dyslexia, color blindness, macular degeneration, and many others.

The second thing to keep in mind is that visual processing issues can be situational (for example, a mother trying to “read” her school assignments while preparing dinner), temporary (for example, having your eyes dilated), or permanent.

At one time or another, we will all find it difficult to read text on a page and find it more convenient to access the information in a different way (like using the built-in screen reader in D2L to listen to assigned readings while preparing dinner or driving).

Visual Processing Issues and Electronic Documents

In the video below, I walk through the challenges our Staff Development Day Agenda presents to people with visual processing issues. Feel free to open the original word document to follow along.

Put It Into Practice

Explain to your neighbor (or reflect individually) the challenges electronic documents pose for those with visual processing issues. Which challenges surprised you? Which challenges made sense? Which did you already know?

Test Yourself

Were you able to list at least three challenges electronic documents pose for people with visual processing issues? Were you able to list all five challenges?