Accesibility

In our work as Educational Assistants, we not only have the commitment to create a more accessible and functional environment for our students, but also for all the people around us, "A large population of students need assistance, but because they don’t easily fit into a diagnostic profile, they do not receive assistance; if AT is available to everyone, everyone can benefit" (Tate, 2020). Having that in consideration, these are some of the accesible features available on my E-Portfolio:

• Verdana font, 16 point has been used in a uniform and consistent manner throughout my E-Portfolio, making it easier for viewers to read. This allows viewers to navigate calmly avoiding overstimulation or confusion which is quite important when creating visual accommodations.

• I made sure to use headings and subheadings in the apropriate font to keep my E-Portfolio organized, making it easier for viewers to navigate through it, "Organizing your content allows people who use screen readers to find and access information quickly and efficiently" (Tate, 2020). In the same way, it helps each of the sections to be organized, flow in a clear way and, more importantly, the accessibility functions are distinguished.

• ALT text has been added to all the pictures along my E-Portfolio allowing people with limited visibility to understand and at the same time receive information about the images and icons, "Adding Alt Text allows visually impaired users to get information about a picture" (Tate, 2020). Additionally, it would be easier for visually impaired viewers to access my social platforms as the icons have ALT text as well.

• Since the purpose of this E-Portfolio is viewers know about me and my journey, I added hyperlinks in external sources such as Sheridan College, Minecraft and Quizlet so they have the opportunity to know and learn about it. By adding Accesible Hyperlinks, "people using screen readers can pull up a list of links in a page and have them read out loud" (Tate, 2020).

• Despite using vivid colors in the background of the headings of each section, I made sure to maintain the contrast between the text and the background of my E-Portfolio to avoid saturation, overstimulation and overwhelming in viewers, allowing them a better reading of the content. The range of colors is basic throughout each section and the information is simple and organized; in addition to this, it should be noted that Bold feature was not used.

• The videos incorporated, uploaded from my YouTube channel, are accompanied by Closed Caption and transcript, available when clicking on the direct link option and going to the website of the video platform and on the specific section of my E-Portfolio as well. The uploaded videos referring to my Marketplace, about Minecraft and Quizlet, also have a direct link to a document in Google Docs with the transcript. Notably, "YouTube has an automatic closed captioning option, however it is not 100% accurate" (Tate, 2020), so I made sure the subtitles were accurate entering them manually to avoid discrepancies that can cause confusion in viewers.

• I made available to viewers different ways to access the Pinterest pins that I created to show the tools I learned in the Technology in Education and Assistive Technology classes, such as by clicking on the image of the social platform, clicking on the hyperlink included in the text (My AT Exhibit and My EdTech Toolbox) or by clicking on the button that has the same name as the hyperlinks. This in order to give viewers different options to see the content I created on the boards; in addition, I separated the folders on my AT Exhibit based on the different functions in which AT can be focused on, such as AT for Reading, AT for Writting, AT for Time Management and so on, this thinking that viewers can comfortably navigate and explore each of these tools at their own pace, avoiding overwhelming for excessive information.

• Organization by a bullet list is available in the AT Exhibit, EdTech Tollbox and Accessibility sections of my E-Portfolio, this in order to keep the information organized in a way that does not visually saturate the viewers.

References

Tate, J. (2020). Assistive Technology, Module 1, Why Assistive Technology?, [Powerpoint slide 7]. Retrieved from: https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/739799/viewContent/9668622/View

Tate, J. (2020). Assistive Technology, Module 7, Accesible Hyperlinks, [Powerpoint slide 10]. Retrieved from: https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/739799/viewContent/9668608/View

Tate, J. (2020). Assistive Technology, Module 7, Adding Alternative text, [Powerpoint slide 4]. Retrieved from: https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/739799/viewContent/9668608/View

Tate, J. (2020). Assistive Technology, Module 7, Adding Closed Captioning, [Powerpoint slide 12]. Retrieved from: https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/739799/viewContent/9668608/View

Tate, J. (2020). Assistive Technology, Module 7, Using headings, [Powerpoint slide 8]. Retrieved from: https://slate.sheridancollege.ca/d2l/le/content/739799/viewContent/9668608/View