Documents & Links Best Practices to

Increase Website Accessibility

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DigIn Learning Calendars:

• http://digin.nyc/learningcal
• https://digin.nyc/ondemand

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Host: Laura Ogando

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Day/Time:

Wednesday, November 10 at 12:00pm

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Presentation:

• digin.nyc/bestpracticepres
• https://digin.nyc/InclusionTeam
• https://digin.nyc/workbook
• https://digin.nyc/bitclass

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

• Mute your mic
• If you have a question, feedback, or comment, place it in the chat
• At the end of the session, if you’d like to speak, raise your hand; a facilitator will call on you to share
• Use emojis & GIFs in the chat to respond to what you are seeing
• Note that this session is being recorded

Housekeeping

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Expectations for Class

• Please be present
• Avoid multitasking during our session
• Participate
• Say hello
• Respond to our quick check-ins throughout the session
• Give us feedback at the end; say goodbye
• Ask questions
• If you have questions, please ask in the chat

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We know you want to learn this content & you may want CTLE. To do that, it’s best if you participate.

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Welcome: Office of Digital Literacy & Inclusion

Lisa Nielsen

Senior Director

Digital Literacy + Inclusion

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Laura Ogando

Program Manager�Digital Literacy + Inclusion

Latiqua Spivey

Assistant�Digital Literacy + Inclusion

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Say Hello - Share in Chat

• Tell us who you are and where you’re coming from (school, central, other grade/subject, etc)
• What brings you here today:
• Other digital accessibility courses you’ve taken
• What excites (or scares) you about creating accessible content
• Favorite tool or platform to include all learners
• Burning questions

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Goals of Today’s Session

• Remember the basics of digital accessibility
• Access additional training resources
• Publish webpages, don't post documents
• Link to originals; don't download and upload yourself

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Remember the Basics

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Ensure everything is accessible

ALL your work should be

• Properly formatted
• Written in plain language
• Providing alt text for ALL images and tables
• At least a 4.5:1 color contrast between the text and the background

Don’t know how to do these things? 

• Take FREE on-demand classes: https://digin.nyc/ondemand

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Link Correctly

1. All hyperlinks should be meaningful!
2. Links to pages within your site open in the same window
3. Links to pages not on your site open in a new window
4. Links that open in a new window need to be marked as such

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Hands On #1

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Which of the links from �https://schools.nyc.gov �ARE on that website?

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How do you know?

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Which of these links from https://schools.nyc.gov are NOT on that website?��How do you know?

• Building Accessibility.
• Accessibility Statement
• Digital Accessibility (Open external link)
• Enrollment for Students with Accessibility Needs

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#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Publish Webpages�

Don’t Post Documents!

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Publish Webpages, NOT documents

When possible, put content on the page, not in a document. Content on the page is best because:

• It can be found
• Both by search engines and by your site's search tool
• It can be read
• On a phone, on a tablet, by a screen reader, with translation tools, by the human eye,

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Remember

Webpages are ALWAYS more accessible than paper, as long as you remember the basics:

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1. Format for accessibility
2. Make meaningful hyperlinks
3. Write in plain language
4. Don’t use tables for formatting/layout
5. Add alt text to all images/data sets/charts

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#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Example from NYC DOE Website

NYC Schools’ Chancellor sent a letter to families about the importance of taking part in the US Census.

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The NYC DOE website put the letter’s content on the page. That way everyone who needed access to a digital version could have it.

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Hands On #2

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

What content should be posted directly �on a webpage?

1. Letter from the principal welcoming  students back to school
2. Supply lists for first day of school
3. Alert that the school building is closed due to COVID Outbreak
4. All of the above
5. None of the above

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

What content should be posted as words on a webpage?

1. A school’s COVID-19 calendar showing which group of students show up at school on what days
2. Flier for the school’s upcoming PTA elections
3. Science fair requirements and checklists
4. All of the above
5. None of the above

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

What content should NOT be posted as words on a webpage?

1. Forms that need to  be signed
2. In-language translations
3. Anything with Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
4. All of the above
5. None of the above

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Link to Originals

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Don't download/upload

Don’t duplicate content from elsewhere. That means don’t download someone else’s files and then re-upload them to your website. 

If you do, you: 

• Cannot ensure their accessibility 
• Are claiming responsibility for their content
• Are most likely promoting a single language—usually English—as opposed to translated versions
• If edits are made, your document becomes out-of-date

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Instead

• Link to the WEBPAGE where the documents are located
• If you cannot find the webpage:
• Link to where the documents using the URL from their organization’s site, making sure that it opens in a new window
• Do not post them 

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Example from NYC DOE

Your principal has told you to post the latest letter from the chancellor on your school’s website. What should you do?

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1. Post the English-only PDF
2. Post all 10 translations in PDF format
3. Put the content on a webpage—in English—and hope the on-site page translation tool works well
4. Any of the above
5. None of the above

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#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

INSTEAD:

The Chancellor’s messages for families are online at: https://digin.nyc/messages  

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1. Write a date/topic-specific call-to-action.
2. Embed within it the link to the Messages for Families page
3. Make sure that the link opens in a new window
4. Tell your principal the letters are available from your school’s website

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#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Hands On #3

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

What do you do?�

The Counseling Dept gives you rent- forgiveness/free meals posters from the Borough President’s Office to put on the school’s website

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

What should you do?

The Special Education staff gives you NY State forms to post on your school’s website

#NYCSchoolsDigIn

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Resources

All the tools mentioned in the training, �all in one place

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

NYC DOE Resources

InfoHub

• Digital Accessibility
• Making Accessible Content
• Making Print Documents Accessible
• Accessible PDFs and Fillable Forms
• Plain Language

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NYC DOE Training Info

• Person-lead remote learning
• Register for FREE on-demand sessions through OTIS.Teq

https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres

Wrap Up

Questions | Share | Reflect

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https://digin.nyc/bestpracticepres