Teaching resources

• Use Styles to create headings and subheadings.
• For long documents, use Styles to create a Table of Contents.
• Do not use colour alone to signify meaning (e.g. 'all the important points are in red').
• Use a plain font (not cursive or script) such as Arial or Helvetica.
• Have a high contrast between the colour of the text and the colour of the background; WebAim Contrast Checker, see below, can help you.
• Use left justification for the main text, rather than full justification.
• Do not put blocks of text all in capitals or all in italics.
• Give all tables headings.
• Give all images, tables, graphs etc. alt-text to describe their meaning.
• Add a tagline to the document telling students how they can request an alternative format.
• (PPT) Leave sufficient blank space at the foot of the slides for subtitles (so that they do not obscure what is on the slide).

• To produce an accessible PDF, make it from a document that is itself already accessible (follow advice above).
• To make a PDF from an accessible Word document, use MS Office or Adobe Acrobat.
• Add a tagline to the document telling students how they can request an alternative format.

General

• Keep videos short (less than 15 minutes), or edit them into shorter pieces/insert breaks.
• Indicate any change of topic clearly.

Being heard

• Rather than rely on the integral computer microphone, use a headset to pick up your voice rather than background sounds.
• Ask everyone who is not speaking at any time to mute their microphone.
• Position the microphone below your mouth so that it does not pick up the sound of your breathing, and does not obscure your mouth (for anyone lip reading).

Being seen

• Have a plain background behind your head; avoid sitting in front of a window as it casts your face into shadow and your expression and mouth cannot be seen (by anyone lip reading).
• Face the camera and do not move your hands in front of your mouth.

Sharing

• Upload to Media Hopper Create and request subtitles; edit them if necessary (video guide below).
• If you do not add subtitles, ensure they are accessible in another way, for instance by adding a transcript (with timestamps, unless the video is very short); transcripts can be attached the video in Media Hopper.
• If the video has no audio of any kind, make this clear.
• Make the length of the recording clear, where it is shared.

Recording

• Rather than rely on the integral computer microphone, use a headset to pick up your voice rather than background sounds.
• Position the microphone below you mouth so that it does not pick up the sound of your breathing.

Sharing

• Provide a transcript, with timestamps unless it is very short, to accompany your recording.
• Make the length of the recording clear, where it is shared.