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Accessibility Masterclasses!


Accessibility Masterclasses!

IABC Queensland is pleased to present the Social Media and Website Content, Word Documents and PowerPoint Accessibility Masterclasses, presented by Kelly Thibodeau from Squarely Accessible. Kelly facilitated the Social Media and Website Content course in March 2024, and it was such a hit, she’s back with more.

Kelly has generously offered a discount of CAD$50 off each course for IABC Members!

The Social Media and Website Content Accessibility Class

Accessible Word Documents Class

Accessible PowerPoints Class

One-in-six people worldwide live with a significant disability. Many more live with less-significant or temporary disabilities.

The class creates a safe space to try new things, room to practice and a supported experience as you build your knowledge, skills and confidence. It's designed to teach you how to create online content that reaches your whole audience -- and that includes people with disabilities.

About the courses

The Social Media and Website Content Accessibility Class
You’ll learn practical ways to create accessible social media and web content to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA) or higher over 2 half-day online sessions (5 hours total). 

What you’ll learn:

  • The principles of digital accessibility – what it is and what it means

  • What accessibility levels, standards and guidelines are and the requirements for meeting them

  • The accessibility features of web and social media platforms and how to use them

  • How to write accessible social media and website content, including implications for graphics and visuals

  • How to assess the accessibility of your current online content

  • The moral, legal and financial risks associated with creating inaccessible social media and website content 

Accessible Word Documents Class
You’ll learn practical ways to create accessible documents to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA) in this 3.5-hour class. 

What you’ll learn:

  • The principles of accessible documents – what they are and why they’re important

  • What accessibility levels, standards and guidelines are and the requirements for meeting them

  • How to improve the structure of a document by using styles to make it accessible including headings, lists and proper formatting

  • How to use accessibility features like alternative text for images, reading order, tables, spacing, the navigation pane and the accessibility checker so your documents are compatible with screen readers and voice recognition software

  • How to incorporate accessibility into your workflow with accessible brand templates you can use over and over again

  • The moral, legal and financial risks associated with creating inaccessible documents 

Accessible PowerPoints Class
You’ll learn practical ways to create, design and deliver accessible presentations to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA) in this 3.5-hour class. 

What you’ll learn:

  • The principles of accessible presentations – what they are and why they’re important

  • What accessibility levels, standards and guidelines are and the requirements for meeting them

  • How to write, format and share your presentation accessibly including slide content, diagrams, charts and tables

  • How to use accessibility features like alternative text, reading order, spacing, speaker notes and the accessibility checker so your presentations are compatible with screen readers and voice recognition software

  • How to incorporate accessibility into your workflow with accessible brand templates you can use over and over again

  • The moral, legal and financial risks associated with creating and delivering inaccessible presentations

Who the course is for

These courses are for anyone who uses Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint or creates social media and website content and would like to make their documents, presentations, websites and social media as accessible as possible so that no one is left out.

How the course is designed

Classes are on Zoom. Before each class, you’ll receive pre-reading, worksheets and checklists so you can sink into the content and gather the information you’ll need to get the most out of the class.

What participants have said

“Loved how included and valued I felt as a learner. Loved the interaction among all.”

“Thank you for sharing this information. It's one thing to understand our legal and moral obligations, it's another to have practical tools and a checklist to make sure content is actually accessible.”

“It was very informative and I felt like all the questions were being answered and the interactive components were excellent and helped with learning.”

“It was really nice to learn about so many things I had little to no awareness of. I now understand how important accessibility is on the web and in life. I realize how many things I took for granted in my ability to access and use the web. I am excited to go edit my website and social media!”

“This was really informative and helpful. Very practical, but also covered the "why" very well. I really learned a lot that I can apply right away. I liked having this in a live format.”

About your facilitator

Kelly is a consultant, trainer and speaker who’s been making online marketing make sense for organizations, nonprofits and industry groups for over 25 years. She’s the founder of Squarely Accessible.

Kelly believes that content can’t be conversational until it’s inclusive. As the daughter of a mom with physical and cognitive disabilities, she’s witnessed first hand the impact of an inaccessible world and wants to affect change to build a more inclusive society. 

Squarely Accessible is a recipient of the 2022 and 2023 Manitoba Accessibility Fund Grant. Her experience in digital accessibility started in 2007 as a member of an internal Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) working group committee for a leading international financial services organization, and then as a key member of an Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) working group.

Kelly’s been on LinkedIn since 2006, and has had too many browser tabs open ever since.

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