Rebecca Peterson, M. Ed., Education Specialist, USBE

Accessible Media

Because Everyone Matters

Rebecca Peterson, M. Ed., Education Specialist, USBE

When we create media that is accessible we help to build a respectful, inclusive view of individuals as active participants of society, in regular social, work and home environments. We don’t always know who the end consumer of media that we create will be, and we don’t know whether or not the end consumer is a person who has a disability. There are several things to consider when making accessible media. Today we will talk about four important parts of accessible media: clear language, clear and simple writing,navigability, and people-first language.

Rule 1: Use people-first language

What is the difference between the terms “autistic child” and “child with autism,” or “she’s learning disabled” as compared to, “she has a learning disability”? The first of each example defines people through their disabilities or characteristics, where the second example reminds the reader that,

“People with disabilities are – first and foremost – people who have individual abilities, interests and needs. . ..Our words and the meanings we attach to them create attitudes, drive social policies and laws, influence our feelings and decisions, and affect people’s daily lives and more. How we use them makes a difference. People First Language puts the person before the disability, and describes what a person has, not who a person is. Using a diagnosis as a defining characteristic reflects prejudice, and also robs the person of the opportunity to define him/herself” (The Arc, 2016).

When you write, check your language use to make sure any descriptions used clearly separate the person’s identity from their disability.

Rule 2: Use clear language

Researcher Daniel Oppenheimer (2006) investigated the tendency for people to use complicated language unnecessarily and its effect on reader perception in his aptly named article, Consequences of Erudite Vernacular Utilized Irrespective of Necessity: Problems with Using Long Words Needlessly. Academic professionals seem to be particularly prone to using complex terminology and jargon that is not easily understood by the average reader. Oppenheimer’s study concludes that authors should avoid needless jargon and complexity. Writing that is less complex tends to be viewed more positively and could increase impressions of positive sociability and trustworthiness. Further, using clear language that is easy to understand promotes effective communication and promotes access for people who have cognitive or learning disabilities or those people whose first language differs from our own (W3C.org, 2016). Text should be written at a ninth grade level to accommodate differences in reading ability. For text that cannot be simplified to a ninth grade reading level, supplemental content or text is needed. You can refer to the W3C website for more detailed descriptions of language complexity requirements.

Rule 3: Write clearly and simply

Conveying information through written means or other media in a way that meets the language complexity (or simplicity) needs of most readers AND is organized in a way that is also clear and simple is a challenge for even the very best authors. However, there is good news – with practice we can get better at it. The following guidelines from WebAIM's techniques for writing can help you to organize your writing to meet the goals of clarity and simplicity:

Organize your ideas into a logical outline.

This may be the most important guideline of all. You have to think clearly about a topic in order to communicate it clearly. The organization process is ongoing, starting before any words are written and continuing throughout the entire process. There is nothing wrong with reorganizing a paper as you write it. When you think you're finished, take the opportunity to analyze it one more time to see if the organization still makes sense to you. If it does, great! If not, try again!

Tell the readers what you're going to tell them; tell them; then tell them what you told them

The formula to follow is to begin with an introduction, or overview of the paper's ideas, explain the ideas in the main body of the text, then summarize or review the ideas at the end.

Use active voice

Passive voice weakens the action of a sentence by distancing the action from the subjects performing the action. Active voice links the subjects directly with the action. For example, (passive voice) the food was eaten at the party by the guests vs. (active voice) the guests ate the food at the party.

Write short sentences

Readers tend to lose the main point of long, run-on sentences. Help readers stay focused by creating shorter sentences.

Supplement text with illustrations

This is particularly important for readers who have cognitive disabilities. Illustrations can act as alternatives or enhancements to the textual content.

(WebAIM.org, 2017)

Once you have simplified and clarified the language and the organization of your work, you can check the readability in programs such as Word by running a grammar and spelling check. At the end of the grammar and spelling check, a dialogue box will pop up showing the readability scores for the document (you may need to check to make sure that the readability statistics box is checked by going to file, options, and proofing). You can use this information to help evaluate whether your media is likely to meet the requirements of clarity and simplicity.

Rule 4: Make documents or media navigable

Some people only use a keyboard, and others only use a mouse. Navigable documents can be accessed regardless of input type.

To make documents navigable, use the built in tools in your productivity software. For example, in Word, create documents that are navigable by using “Styles.” To do this you might click on “Styles,” then select “Title” to designate the title of your document. Separate the main ideas of your document using short titles called headings. Think of headings as the main framework of an outline that creates a navigational map for the document. We will explore this in more depth next time.

Creating accessible media involves many principles of good writing. The items we discussed today included using clear language, clear and simple writing, good organization for navigability, and people-first language. Planning our writing and content to include the ideas discussed above may seem like it will take a little more work, but the end product will be much better due to the consideration and the results. After all, this is about all of us. We are all better collectively when we raise each other up. Check next month’s SpedOMeter for information on the use of color and appropriate fonts for accessible media.

References

The ARC. (2016). The Arc | People First Language. Retrieved from

Oppenheimer,D.M. (2006). Consequences of erudite vernacular utilized irrespective of necessity: problems with using long words needlessly.Applied Cognitive Psychology,20(2), 139-156. doi:10.1002/acp.1178

Utah State University. (2017). WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind. Retrieved from