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27% of Canadians have a disability[1] and many more disabilities are undiagnosed, misdiagnosed, or untreated. Whether you are aware or not, someone with a disability engages with your content. Accessible digital content enhances inclusion, ensures democratic access to information, and improves student satisfaction. In addition, providing accessible education is part of the Accessible British Columbia Act.
When creating content, consider your familiarity with the software you are using. Have you received formal training, or are you relying on old habits? While the latter is often well-intentioned—relying on the assumption that if something isn’t broke, don’t fix it—inaccessible content is broken. If people can’t access and engage with material, they are excluded.
To improve accessibility, be open to unlearning patterns and (re)learning tools.
The hardest part of learning something new is not embracing new ideas, but letting go of old ones.
– Todd Rose, The End of Average
Fortunately, many platforms and software prioritize accessibility without workarounds, “hacks,” or extra steps.
To get started, select your path below.
I want to…
Make my existing PowerPoints accessible.
Learn to create accessible PowerPoints.
Make my existing Word documents accessible.
Learn to create accessible Word documents.
Make my existing Brightspace pages accessible
More Information
Review the Accessibility Statement by selecting the Next: Accessibility Statement link in the bottom right of the window. Continue to move through page by page for more information on using Pressbooks. You can always return to this page to skip to the information you need immediately.
