Got a topic you'd like to discuss at this meeting? Let us know!

Or feel free to bring any web projects you’d like evaluated from an accessibility perspective or topics that are on your mind to the meeting! (Please send us URLs for web sites/applications in advance so we can be prepared to discuss any issues or questions.)

One topic has been submitted so far, but we'll still have time to discuss additional topics:

SkipTo.js updates

Jon Gunderson used the feedback at the last meeting to update some features, which he would like to demonstrate and get feedback on. He will also introduce the new extensions for SkipTo.js.

Beth Sheehan would like assistance in determining whether a spreadsheet designed by her department for student use can be modified to meet accessibility requirements. She has concerns about some elements of the spreadsheet, especially its merged cells. The document in question is a Google Sheet which students will be encouraged to download for themselves as an Excel file after filling it out. For a more complete description of the issue and to see the discussion so far, University of Illinois members can view Beth's post on Teams.

Here is the spreadsheet in question: Illinois Pre Health Planner.

Join us to contribute your knowledge and/or learn from others about spreadsheet accessibility!

Here is Beth's original post in Teams for those who cannot access University of Illinois' Teams tenant:

Expert in Excel accessibility (not a traditional graph or chart or database)?

Hi IT Accessibility Liaisons, someone in my department has created what amounts to a fillable form template that students can use to chart their academic progress and personal experiences as they prepare to apply to a health professions school. They used Excel. It has multiple tabs, including brainstorming and reflection question sections, a Science GPA calculator, a section for their four year course plan, a section to document their volunteer hours and experiences, Links to external resources, etc. It is very detailed and comprehensive. The main accessibility problem we are having now (after they made the whole thing and are asking for my help evaluating/remediating) is that they merged a LOT of cells. I am at a loss for how to help them recreate the same or similar layout in an accessible format without taking this whole thing out of Excel (and potentially losing some of the functionality). Part of it may just be that I am not super-Excel savvy. Is there anyone here (either in DRES or one of the liaisons) who would be willing to take a look and offer some ideas? They will really really REALLY not want to redo this whole thing so preference is to remediate the existing document if at all possible, and figure out how to get rid of the merged cell problem while preserving the intent and function of the document. I'd be happy to set up a meeting between the three of us (myself, the expert, and the creator of the document) if that would be helpful! Thanks in advance!

The Website Implementation Guidelines Group (WIGG) is working on web components for column and grid displays. As part of that work, they need to figure out the best way to represent groups of Card components. We discussed Cards several years ago: February 11, 2020: Building Best Practices for Cards. This is a good time to revisit that discussion and see where things stand today. To kick off the discussion, here are a couple example listings using card components:

• Program Explorer | ACES
• Program Finder | College of Education

Join us to share your card listings, contribute your thoughts, and see what others are doing with their cards!

For a breakdown of what Card components are and when to use them (or not use them!), see the Nielsen Norman Group's article: Cards: UI-Component Definition

Topic 1: New Illinois Web Theme footer

Michael McKelvey would like to discuss a couple accessibility/usability questions he has regarding the new Illinois theme footer. Join us to provide your input and perspective on these questions!

Topic 2: Accessible Print Materials Guidelines

Marisa Modugno would like to get feedback and recommendations for developing guidelines for the creation of accessible print materials. The Library is releasing an updated style guide shortly and they would like to include guidelines on creating accessible print materials/signage (things like color contrast, font choice/size, and spacing) as well as resources to link to for further guidance. She's wondering if anyone knows of any resources similar to the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative but with a focus on developing accessible print materials, or if any other departments on campus have developed similar guidelines that they would be willing to share.

Got a topic you'd like to discuss at this meeting? Let us know!

Or feel free to bring any web projects you’d like evaluated from an accessibility perspective or topics that are on your mind to the meeting! (Please send us URLs for web sites/applications in advance so we can be prepared to discuss any issues or questions.)

One topic has been submitted so far, but we'll still have time to discuss additional topics:

Repeated items in document header/footer

Amber Dunse would like to discuss how to handle repeated items in the header or footer of a document, for example a repeated Block I. After the first use, should it be marked as decorative on subsequent pages? Is there anything else to know about handling items in the header and footer of a document?