Accessible
Digital Design
Resources
Additional Learning
Alternative Text
Writing Alt Text opens in new window: Best practices from Perkins School for the Blind.
Writing Alt Text for Data Visualizations opens in new window: Tips for writing alt text for complex images, graphs and charts.
Screen Reader Experience opens in new window: Using a screen reader for one day from a sighted person’s perspective from Smashing Magazine.
Accessible Document and PDF Design
Clear Print Guidelines opens in new window from the CNIB (Canadian Institute for the Blind) outlines design choices that can support accessibility in your printed documents.
This Smashing Magazine article opens in new window explores the different lenses of accessibility in visual design.
How to Make Accessible PDFs opens in new window: A thorough PDF accessibility guide for designers by Kris Rivenburgh.
Making accessible data visualizations is both a skill and a craft. Chartability opens in new window provides accessibility guidelines and benchmarks to help those who make data visualizations.
Accessible Typography
Accessible Typography Basics opens in new window: An introduction to accessible typogra¬phy and fonts from WebAim.org.
Accessible Type Guidelines opens in new window: A List of accessible typography myths from Apastyle.org
Choosing accessible typefaces opens in new window: Tips on selecting accessible typefaces from the Readability Group.
The Readability Group opens in new window: A collection of articles focused on accessible typography.
Guidelines for Legibility opens in new window: A PDF of 10 tips for increased legibility for low vision users from Lighthouse International.
Understanding Colour Contrast
Effective Colour Contrast opens in new window: A PDF guide on designing for people with partial sight and colour deficiencies from Lighthouse Labs International.
Colour Contrast Ratio opens in new window: WebAim explains colour contrast ratio from the perspective of the WCAG and why compliance is essential.
Contrast Ratio for Data opens in new window: Article outlining colour best practices for data visualization by Zach Grosser.
Colour Accessibility Resources opens in new window: A collection of tools and resources to help designers make accessible colour choices from Stephanie Walter.
Color Blindness Basics opens in new window: Understand the experience of people with colour deficiencies. This resource also has a colour blindness simulator.
Experience Colour Blindness opens in new window: An advocacy group describing the experiences of people with colour deficiencies and their common barriers at colourblindawareness.org.
Wearecolorblind.com opens in new window: A site dedicated to making the world a better place for people who are colour blind.
Accessible Books
Accessible Books Consortium opens in new window published a guide to accessible publishing best practice guidelines downloadable in English, French, German, Hindi, Japanese, Italian, and Spanish.
Inclusive Publishing opens in new window is co-ordinated and managed by The DAISY Consortium opens in new window which contributes to mainstream standards, develops guidelines to promote best practices, raises awareness of accessible reading systems and supports open standards for inclusive publishing.
Accessibility Information Toolkit for Libraries opens in new window was produced by the University of Toronto in partnership with The Ontario Council of University Libraries and published in 2014.
What is an audio book and how do you make one? opens in new window - a step-by-step guide to help you convert your book into an audio book.
Braille Literacy Canada opens in new window provides a list of braille books, board games and information on the latest braille technology.
This article in The Guardian opens in new window, reflects on the experiences of audio book narrators.
An audio book example opens in new window: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a poetic and intimate memoir of Maya Angelou’s difficult childhood, during which she dealt with racism and violence. In this sample, Angelou narrates her own powerful story.
