The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video describes how to appropriately format table content to ensure everyone can access the data.
Author Archives: chris.bugaj
Syllable Support in Practice Words of Reading Coach in Immersive Reader
Reading Coach is a feature of Immersive Reader by Microsoft. Reading Coach analyzes the audio of a learner reading a passage aloud and provides specific, personalized feedback to the individual including five target words to practice. The learner is then presented with words in isolation and invited to practice reading each word aloud. To help the individual learn how to decode the word, the learner has the option turn on syllable support which places bullets between the syllables. This can help the learner how to break a word into component parts.
Example of Syllable Support
This video provides a quick demonstration of Reading Coach:
The Importance of Color Contrast Video
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video describe the significance of using contrasting colors when conveying information and how to check for adequate contrast.
Practice Words Feature of Reading Coach in Immersive Reader
Reading Coach is a feature of Immersive Reader by Microsoft. Reading Coach analyzes the audio of a learner reading a passage aloud and provides specific, personalized feedback to the individual including five target words to practice. Each word is then presented in isolation.
Practice Words in Reading Coach
When a user selects a word, it is presented in isolation on the screen. The user can then practice reading the word aloud.
Example of Practice Word
This video provides a quick demonstration of Reading Coach:
Recommended Practices and Tips for Digital Accessibility Video
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video shares some helpful strategies when considering how to provide quality online experiences for everyone. Strategies discussed include but are not limited to developing a plan, learning from people with disabilities about what works for them, and evaluating materials manually and using an accessibility checker to determine if alterations are necessary.
Predicting Words ln Line Using Read&Write for Google Chrome
The Word Prediction feature of the Google Chrome extension Read&Write for Google Chrome provides a list of potential words someone might use next in a sentence. By default, the feature is set to predict ahead where a list of words appear without the user needing to begin the next word. This feature can be deactivated in the Word Prediction settings. When deactivated, a user will only be provided with a list of words once they’ve started to type. With the Predict Ahead feature inactive, a user needs to generate their own words and choose a word from the options provided based on what they have started to type. Select the Read&Write for Google Chrome (purple puzzle piece) icon to open the toolbar. Select the crystal ball icon to activate word prediction. Use the three dots to the far right to access the settings, navigate to the Word Prediction settings, and deselect Predict Ahead. When the user begins to type, that user can select from the generated list of words. A user could also use the key command of CTRL + the corresponding numeral of the word in the list. The following video is a short demonstration of how to use the Word Prediction feature in Read&Write for Google Chrome. At the time of this blog post’s publication, Read&Write for Google Chrome is available to every learner in Loudoun County Public Schools.
Limitations of Using Color Alone To Convey Information Video
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video shares the limitations of using color alone to convey information and provides suggestions about how content can be created to provide multiple ways to share the same information.
The Importance of Alternative Text Video
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video shares why alternative text is important for those who cannot see photographs and graphic images.
Speech Recognition to Create Equations in EquatIO
The Speech Input feature of the Google Chrome extension EquatIO converts speech into equations and other mathematical and scientific symbols into digital and accessible characters. Select the EquatIO extension. When the toolbar opens at the bottom of the screen, select the Speech Input tool. Then, press the red circle button and speak the math equation or symbol. The digital character will be generated on the right in the Math area which can then be inserted into a file, like a Google Doc. The following video is a short demonstration of how to use the Speech Input function in EquatIO. At the time of this blog post’s publication, EquatIO is available to every learner in Loudoun County Public Schools.
Logical Reading Order Video
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights provides a video series on a variety of topics related to digital access in education, including how people with disabilities use technology along with identifying and remediating barriers to access. This short video shares what can go wrong when web pages don’t follow a logical reading order for people who rely on keyboard navigation and screen readers.