Universal Design for Communications
Use this Checklist for Accessible Content:
- Font Choice - we should be posting exclusively in Sans-Serif fonts, for example Arial, Calibri, Helvetica and Roboto.
- Font Size - WCAG advises on contrast when talking about size as different screens mean different pixel densities, but, really: big, clear text in (opens in a new window)plain English. Minimum 24 size font for presentations/PowerPoint Slides and 12 size font for print/Word documents.
- Avoid underlining, italics and BLOCK CAPITALS.
- Colour Contrast - this is a big one. Poor colour contrast between text and the background design makes posts very hard to read - particularly in sunny weather! A good way to check your colour contrast is (opens in a new window)this tool from WebAim. The hex codes for Canva colours can be found by hovering over them. Ideally, we should be aiming for WCAG AAA compliance as this is the standard that factors in accessibility on mobile devices.
- Provide alternative text on images, tables and graphs.
- All video content should be captioned and automatically-generated captions should be checked and edited.
- Use Microsoft Accessibility checker under the Review tab.
- Any hashtags should be written with a capital letter at the start of each word ie #UniversityForAll not #universityforall - screenreaders and read aloud tools cannot differentiate between the different words.
- Provide (opens in a new window)meaningful URL links.
- Find out more tips from (opens in a new window)AHEAD.
(opens in a new window)Download the checklist
The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority have developed the (opens in a new window)Customer Communications Toolkit for the Public Service - A Universal Design Approach.
This very useful toolkit includes practical guidance on written, spoken & signed and digital communications. You'll find many examples, checklists and other resources within the toolkit. As part of the University for All initiative we can also offer practical training based on this toolkit to your team. If you're interested in this training please email (opens in a new window)universityforall@ucd.ie
Universal Design for Events
This checklist has been enhanced and developed to be used as an effective tool for planning events using Universal Design Principles. It also includes a sample equality and diversity statement as well as guidelines for presentations and posters. We would value any feedback you had on how it can be improved: universityforall@ucd.ie. It is a living document and may be subject to change.
(opens in a new window)Universal Design for Events Checklist