A person can be legally blind or totally blind.  Legally blind refers to people with less than 20/200 vision in the eye with the best vision or a limited field of vision that is 20 degrees or less at its widest point.   Totally blind individuals rely on non-visual modes of communication such as Braille, audio recordings, or raised-line drawings in order to access visually presented information.

 

Captions, Transcripts, and Audio Descriptions

Body
This article identifies the differences between captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions. In addition, there are resources embedded in this article to guide faculty, staff and students on how they can implement captions, transcripts or audio descriptions into their media using an array of applications that are available to Oliners. Note that some resources will link to external articles or to other articles available through the Olin Accessibility Hub.

Creating Document and Screen Reader Compatible PDFs

Body
One thing that seems to help with screen fatigue, as well as just being a good thing to do anyway for accessibility purposes, is to make sure that your PDF readings are document reader compatible.  A document reader takes text from an electronic document, website, etc. and reads it verbally.  This is great for blind people as well as people with low vision, and dyslexia. This can also work for people who process spoken information better than written information.  As we all suffer from different levels of screen fatigue, this is also becoming an increasingly utilized assistive technology. 

Color Accessibility

Body
Colors can be a useful tool to convey complexity and differentiate content. In many cases, color can enhance the readability and organization of data. Learn about the use of color, contrast, and additional signifiers to make your materials more accessible. You can also view a checklist for best practices at the bottom of the article.