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Tools and Resources

Tip Sheets and Posterettes

Tip Sheets & Posterettes icon

Developed by the ACCESS-ed team, these documents provide short practical hand-outs on specific universal design topics.

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Accessible Documents Using Styles

This PDF contains a quick and easy overview on how the "styles" feature enables the design of accessible documents, as well as organized and structured documents.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Accessible Documents Using Styles  (PDF File)

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Bulletin Board, Blackboard, and Dry-Erase/White Board Purchase, and Installation Guidelines

This protocol addresses the needs of all users to access standard bulletin boards, blackboards, and white/dry-erase boards. Currently, ADA has guidelines for signage, but does not include bulletin board, blackboard, or white board guidelines. ADA requires that signs be hung at 60” to the mid-height of the sign (ADA, 2002). Although this is useful for signs, 60” places small boards too high for the reach of many users.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Accessible Bulletin Boards  (PDF File) (ACCESS-ed)

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Construction Contract Tips

This PDF provides construction tips to insure accessibility. This document also includes an example of model contract language.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Construction Contract Tips  (PDF File)

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Creating an Accessible Logo

This posterette provides guidelines to make universally designed logos.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Creating an Accessible Logo Posterette  (PDF File)

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DARC Positon Description

Departmental Accessibility Resource Coordinator (DARC) are "appointed liaisons to bring universal design in education (UDE) ideas and resources to their respective departments or units." Prepared in posterette format for handy distribution.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

DARC Position Description Posterette  (Word Document)

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Remodeling Posterette

Before engaging in a remodeling project, here are some tips for accessibility. Specific examples included in this posterette are floor materials, types of windows, and thermostat height.

Anson & Smith, Rehabilitation Research Design and Disability (R2D2) Center

Remodeling Posterette  (PDF File)

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Service Contract Tips

This document contains tips for "contracting for services that work for everyone including people with disabilities". Check these tips to insure accessibility before contracting for services.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Service Contract Tips  (Word Document)

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Tips for Installing Wall Mounted Controls

This posterette highlights the problems with ADA requirements and wall mounted controls and offers solutions (ADA standard vs.preferred standard). There are many wall mounted controls whose heights should be taken into consideration including light switches, thermostat controls, elevator controls, doorbells, automatic door openers, etc. ADA requirements are the minimum legal obligations that all builders must abide.

ACCESS-ed Project

Tips for installing Wall Mounted Controls  (PDF File)

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Top 10 Tips for Accessible Slide Presentations

This posterette is a guide for making slide and PowerPoint Presentations with universal design for accessibility.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Top 10 Tips for Accessible Slide Presentations  (PDF File)

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Writing Equivalent Text Descriptions (EqTDs) Posterette

This short 2-page document provides the essential "bare-bones" of what needs to be included in an equivalent text description (EqTD) and where the EqTD should be placed in a document. Whenever you create a document, whether it is electronic or paper, any non-text based element (e.g., picture, graph, "eye-candy") is not accessible to many individuals, so EqTDs should be provided.

R2D2 Center at UW-Milwaukee

Writing EqTD's Posterette  (PDF File)

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Accessible Print Materials

This printable PDF document provides formatting guidelines to accomodate every audience.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health Office on Health and Disability

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Description Key for Educational Media

Description is the verbal depiction of key visual elements in media and live productions. Also known as “audio description” or “video description,” the description of media involves the interspersion of these depictions with the program’s original audio. "Description is the key to opening a world of information for persons with a vision loss, literacy needs, or loss of cognitive abilities. While description was developed for people who are blind or visually impaired, millions of others may also benefit from description’s concise, objective translation of media’s key visual components.

These guidelines are a key for vendors and cover a range of topics from preparing to describe to determining both what information needs to be described and how to describe it. The information is also applicable to vendors and other businesses [PDF] that provide description for broadcast television and other media. Some background information and rationale are included for the novice, as well as an evolving list of description resources to help improve the quality and efficiency of one’s description."

This web page includes a more detailed definition, philosophy and more.

Described and Captioned Media Program, in conjunction with The National Association for the Deaf and the American asociation for the Blind

Captioning Key for Educational Media: Guidelines and Preferred T  (PDF File)

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Disability Etiquette and Common Courtesies - How Much Do You Know?

Easter Seals Disability Services provides disability etiquette. This website contains tips for etiquette during conversations and common courtesies.

Easter Seals

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Glossary of Disability-Related Terms

More than just "disability" terminology, this glossary includes definitions of terms related to universal design, accessibility, web use, legal definitions, and many assistive technologies that people with disabilities depend upon for learning and more.

DO-IT, University of Washington

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National Service Animal Resource Center

This website contains basic information and resources on service animals including: questions about access and legal rights, how to get a service animal, housing and traveling with your service animal, trainers and products, and articles about service animals.

Pet Partners

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Spinal Cord Resource Center

This website is a great resource for individuals with spinal cord injuries.

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Teaching All Students, Reaching All Learners: A Tip Sheet for Selecting Type for Print and Web Publishing

This Word document provides Print and Web Accessibility tips for making accessible print and Web documents. This Tip Sheet is intended as a brief guide to accessible print and Web publishing. It begins with a glossary of terms because this language may not be well known to everyone working with these media.

Center on Disability Studies (CDS) Media Center, University of Hawaii, Honolulu

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Tips About Teaching, Technology and Productivity - Accessibility in a Digital Age 1.4 (ProfHacker)

“Accessibility in a Digital Age” is a series published in the Chronicle of Higher Education and articles include a roundup of links to information about making digital resources accessible to all people. This article include links to several excellent resources.

The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Tips for Teaching Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

This handbook serves as a handy reference tool for faculty and staff at the postsecondary level who are teaching students who are deaf or hard of hearing. It accompanies a CD that can be used in faculty development activities to enhance their understanding of the educational needs and services of students who are deaf or hard of hearing. (2000)

PEPNet 2

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Tips to Understand Deaf Culture

This tip sheet from PEPNet provides a description of Deaf culture and suggestions for effective communication. Tips include the importance of American Sign Language, terms used in the Deaf community, and guidelines for communication.

PEPNet 2

The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.

Tim Berners-Lee
W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web