When preparing materials for your classes, remember to create them in such a way that they are accessible to all students. Below please find basic information on preparing accessible materials for students with sight disabilities.

Tips for academic teachers on adapting teaching materials for classes attended by students with sight disabilities

1. PDF files where text cannot be highlighted (e.g. scans, photos) will be inaccessible to persons using audio-visual software (blind, certain partially sighted and dyslexic persons). Where possible, try to make materials available in .docx, .pptx, .odt or PDF formats where text can be highlighted.
2. Unless described, graphics will be inaccessible to a blind person. Try to describe the most important things in the context of the content or task that the graphic accompanies. If you do not want the description of the image to be visible to every user, but only to those using sound software, make the description in the form of alternative text. In the Microsoft Word processor, you can do this by right-clicking on the inserted image and then selecting ‘Edit alternative text’. You will do this in the same way in Microsoft PowerPoint. For graphics hosted on the Moodle platform (e.g. Pegasus), you can add the alternative text in the image properties window. If the graphic is merely decorative, make sure it is marked as such.
3. Videos may be inaccessible to blind, Deaf and hard of hearing persons. Where possible, try to choose films that have subtitles (for those Deaf and hard of hearing) and/or audio description (for blind persons).
4. Moodle tasks using drag-and-drop method can be difficult for blind persons and those with upper limb mobility impairments. If the people for whom you are preparing tasks include such a person, try to choose other types of tasks.
5. Headings should not just be a visual highlight. Use them by applying heading styles (the ‘Styles’ gallery on the ‘Main Tools’ tab in Microsoft Word). This will not only make the headings stand out visually, but will also be ‘embedded’ in the document code, making it quicker and easier for blind persons to navigate the document. You can modify the appearance of headings, making sure to use colours that contrast well with the background.
6. If you highlight text through formatting (e.g. bold, underline, italics, colour) inform the reader at the beginning of the text. This will enable a blind person to configure their audio program to tell them of formatting changes.
7. Try not to use tables to visually lay out your content. If you present data in tabular form, label the heading row. This will make easier for blind persons to read the table.
8. Try not to use justification.
9. Use sans-serif fonts (e.g. Arial, Tahoma, Verdana). This will make reading easier for partially sighted persons.
10. Ensure that text is clearly visible against the background.
11. Save text in a single column if possible. This will make navigation easier for blind persons.
12. Mark up the language of the content. This will make the content easier to read for blind persons. To mark the language of the content in Microsoft Word, select the text and then click on the language marker in the status bar at the bottom left of the word processor window. 
13. In the case of dialogues, try to label each person’s statement with names or phrases such as ‘Person A.’, ‘Person B.’ etc. This will make it easier for blind persons to see who says what. 
14. In a text document, precede the task number with the abbreviation ‘ex." or the word ‘exercise’. This will make it easier for a blind person to find the task.