‘Look again’ to make digital content accessible to all

Taking another look to ensure digital content is accessible to all users, regardless of ability, has the power to transform the experience of our colleagues and students and make Reading a truly inclusive University.

That is the message of a new campaign aimed at helping colleagues to better understand digital accessibility and encouraging all colleagues to add accessible features to documents, websites and social media posts so they do not exclude users who need to access them in different ways.

Focused around Global Accessibility Awareness Day on 18 May 2023, a series of activities is planned over the coming weeks in the Look Again campaign.

These include interactive articles putting colleagues in the shoes of someone with accessibility needs, first-hand accounts from colleagues and students of the difficulties caused by content not designed for all users, and a guest presentation on digital inclusion.

Why is this important?

Many students, colleagues and visitors who access University digital content online or on campus have visual or hearing impairments, colour blindness or other accessibility needs. These can also be temporary issues, such as a broken arm preventing use of a computer mouse.

Reading has an institutional commitment to inclusivity, as laid out in our Disability and Neurodiversity Review 2022. As a University, we also are required to ensure that all our web and mobile app content is accessible to all users in order to meet public sector regulations, which are monitored by the UK Government.

Despite this, the 2022 annual survey by our Digital Technology Services (DTS) team showed that 25% of colleagues at Reading were not familiar with the concept of digital accessibility and 44% were not aware of digital accessibility legislation.

What can I do?

The vast majority of colleagues at the University create some kind of digital content, whether it is to teach students, present in meetings, send emails or update websites..

Colleagues can support this campaign by:

• Using tips and guidance published in interactive articles on the Staff Portal this month, plus resources and support via the Digital Accessibility webpages and TEL Blog, to help you start making positive changes immediately.
• Put these tips into action. Small changes such as using heading styles for text and adding image descriptions makes content far more usable for people using screen readers or other assistive technology.
• Attend a webinar or our special guest speaker session offering support and guidance on creating accessible content.
• Read personal accounts from colleagues and students on the Diverse Reading blog on the huge difference accessible content makes to their lives.
• Print out our accessibility tips poster and display in your office kitchen or communal areas.
• Grab a sticker and place it on your monitor screens, clothing or wherever else works as a visual reminder to follow these tips.

Dr Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, the University’s Digital Accessibility Officer in DTS, said: “As a University committed to inclusivity, we cannot be satisfied with some users being effectively locked out of our teaching materials or websites.

“Some digital accessibility techniques only take a few seconds and yet completely transform how some colleagues or students experience that content.

“These techniques might feel unfamiliar to many colleagues, but there is a wealth of guidance available to help you make them second nature. We ask that colleagues look again when designing content to make it work for everyone.”

Campaign activities