Posts tagged with Digital Accessibility

In 2024, updates to the Plain Language Medical Dictionary (PLMD) included big improvements for accessibility and user experience, plus adding support for images. We fixed contrast issues, unclear icons, and missing labels to meet WCAG 2.1. Search also got smoother, and instructions are now clearer. In addition, we added image support with JSON updates for URLs and alt text. With our legacy hosting environment shutting down, we moved the PLMD moved to GitHub Pages as part of the project. This provides better stability and automatic updates via GitHub Actions.

As part of a broader product accessibility initiative in Library Information Technology, the team behind the library’s website undertook a number of remediation efforts based on the findings of the site’s baseline accessibility evaluation. The work demonstrates how accessibility remediation can also be an opportunity for code clean-up, usability improvements, and refreshing design elements.

One of the main activities the Deep Blue Repository & Research Data Services team conducts is data curation(1)--that is, actions that provide meaningful and enduring access to data. The accessibility of research data has been an under-discussed phenomenon in the field of research data management, but we are excited to announce the release of a new resource intended to help curators as well as researchers approach the release of research data with the goal of maximizing accessibility--in particular for those with disabilities, neurodivergence, and/or who use assistive technologies.

The Accessibility Remediation Team was created to serve as a resource for students, faculty, and staff when they needed more accessible library content. Beginning in the Fall 2020 we identified tools and processes to use in remediating video, audio, and PDFs for accessibility. As part of our service, we focused on assessment, gathering feedback through ‘exit’ surveys of colleagues and patrons, and using project management tools to gauge the amount of time tasks take to complete.

When I applied to the Michigan Library Scholars program to work for the “A Survey of Global Open Access Policies” project, I took it as an opportunity to learn more about a particular side of publishing and law that I didn’t know much about. As someone who is double majoring in Political Science and Creative Writing & Literature, I have always been interested in how the law interacts with people’s creations — regardless of whether those creations are novels, pieces of artwork, or video games. For some reason, though, I’d never considered works of research under the same umbrella. Through this project, I’ve learned about the importance of open access policies and how they fuel innovation and generate new knowledge.

Web accessibility is a key ingredient to successful product development that can make or break many peoples’ experience. The U-M Library Digital Accessibility Team (DAT) helps library teams 'bake in' web accessibility from the beginning of their projects and helps coordinate accessibility work across the Library. Read about DAT's services and how collaboration with teams and staff across the library has led to improved products and services for our Library staff, faculty and students.