To Use or Not to Use Word

For long Word documents, I never use the main/sub document feature. It's unreliable. Instead I link the graphics without saving in the document. When the document is completed I change it to relative path (using a Find & Replace procedure) for reliable file transfer.

Ring, Peter. TC-FORUM (1997). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word

Tools of the Technical Writing Trade

In technical writing, the most important tool of the trade is of course your brain. Next come your communication skills and those are followed by language skills. Finally, you will use these tools to create and shape your writing. A word processor is the most important tool of them all.

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Word Processing

Towards Accessible Virtual Learning Environments

With the increasing use of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in further and higher education, the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001 (part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995) which comes into force in September 2002 has particular relevance to developers and providers of VLEs. Developers and vendors can also help to ensure that VLEs are inclusive learning media by understanding the barriers that individuals face (whether or not they use assistive technology) and creating hardware and software designed to be accessible to all users. They should also understand the importance of designing accessible VLE content in order to provide guidance for users.

Cann, Chris. TechDis (2003). Academic>Accessibility>Technology>United Kingdom

Translating Business Cards: Time and Money Saving Tips

If it is your first time dealing with typesetting foreign language business cards, you may start out thinking it is a simple task. So did we. Later we learned that without proper preparation and accessible information, it can turn out to be a very time consuming job with changes and changes following initial layout and translation. After many trials and errors, we have summarized the lessons we learned here for you.

WTB Language Group (2005). Articles>Business Communication>Professionalism>Localization

Translation Problems in Modern Russian Society

The development of trade and industry has always given rise to changes in the evolution of communities, bringing about new social forms and stratification of society. This in its turn accelerated the appearance of businesses and factories, arrival of new professions, and urbanization. Since the times of Perestroika (which was started in 1989 by Mikhail Gorbatchev) Russian society has been experiencing dramatic changes that affected the country's politics, economy and social life. In the past 15 years people's attitudes to certain things have changed gradually but profoundly. We have gotten so used to these new attitudes that it's hard to believe it hasn't always been like this.

Khutyz, Irina. Translation Journal (2005). Articles>Language>Translation>Russia

Traveling Route 508: A One-Way Street to Universal Accessibility  

'Accessible' is a higher standard than 'Section 508-compliant.' Identifying the design principles for accessible web page design, and which of those principles are required under Section 508, is a useful approach to the issue for any organization that must comply with the Section 508 standards. The legislation has no standards for determining whether your web site complies with Section 508. Possible processes include: evaluating the site using a text-to-speech application; evaluating the site using validation software; and usability testing.

Bine, Katharyn and Gloria A. Reece. STC Proceedings (2003). Design>Web Design>Accessibility>Section 508

Troubleshooting Word 2004 for Macintosh

If you have no clue what is causing your problem with Word, work through The Basics and all the General Troubleshooting topics. Beyond the basics, probably 70% of the problems in Word are caused by a corrupt Normal template or corrupt Preferences.

Word MVP Site, The (2004). Articles>Word Processing>Software>Microsoft Word

Turning Word into a Pseudo-Database by Using Mail Merge Query Options

Purists might argue that the power it gives ordinary users isn't necessary because they should use Access queries for this sort of thing and link the merge to the query. But in my experience, many people who are very comfortable working with Word and Excel find Access (or any full-fledged database application) very difficult to work with, and can get the job done far more quickly and easily using a combination of Word and Excel. At the end of the day, getting the job done is what matters. The vast majority of the world's databases (in terms of number of databases, rather than in terms of amount of data) are stored in Excel spreadsheets.

Rado, Dave. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Databases>Microsoft Word

Types of Cognitive Disabilities

There are things that designers can do to increase the accessibility of Web content to people with less severe cognitive disabilities.

WebAIM (2001). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Typographical Tips from Microsoft Publisher

In one form or another, Word is ubiquitous. If you buy a new computer, chances are good that it will come with some version of Office or Works Suite (which includes Word) installed. Word is a powerful word processing program that incorporates many of the features of a page layout application, but there are times when a page layout or desktop publishing application is what is needed. If you are using the Small Business Edition of Office 97 or Office 2000 SBE, Professional, or Premium, you have such a program: Microsoft Publisher.

Barnhill, Suzanne and Dave Rado. Word MVP Site, The (2005). Articles>Word Processing>Typography>Microsoft Publisher

Typography and the Aging Eye: Typeface Legibility for Older Viewers with Vision Problems

The population is rapidly aging and becoming a larger share of the marketplace. The demands of the aging eye require typefaces that function well under low-vision conditions. Can signage display useful information that is accessible to all ages?

Nini, Paul. AIGA (2006). Design>Typography>Accessibility>Elderly

Über wob11.de

Mit diesen Seiten möchten wir Sie über das Thema 'barrierefreie Informationstechnik' mit Schwerpunkt barrierefreies Internet informieren und erste Hilfestellungen anbieten.

FTB. (German) Design>Web Design>Accessibility

UK Accessibility Investigation of 1,000 Web Sites - Results Released

An investigation of 1000 UK Web sites carried out on behalf of the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) reveals unacceptably poor (in fact woeful) accessibility. At least 81% of sites failed to meet the minimum accessibility standard, and this figure is likely to be much higher.

Dodd, Jon. Usability Professionals Association (2004). Articles>Web Design>Accessibility>Usability

Understanding Disability Issues When Designing Web Sites

When you design or modify Web sites to allow access to people with disabilities, you make the Web accessible. New Web sites and applications, however, are introducing new problems and barriers. There are complex graphics and multimedia applications that assistive technology simply has not solved. One solution to these new problems is to put accessibility in the hands of the Web developer and content author. Creating a Web site that is accessible by people with disabilities is relatively easy as long as the Web developer and author follow some basic guidelines.

IBM (2007). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Understanding SAMI 1.0

This article describes how the new Microsoft Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange (SAMI) technology expands the ability to provide closed captioning to a wide range of multimedia products.

Microsoft (2003). Articles>Accessibility>Software>Microsoft Windows

Universal Design – The Time is Now

The time for universal design is now because, as the Designing for the 21st Century III Conference website states “This is an extraordinary moment. We are more diverse now in ability and age than ever before. It is time for design to catch up. There is an urgent need to exchange ideas about the design of places, things, information, policies and programs that demonstrate the power of design to shape a 21st century world that works for all of us.”

Tauke, Beth. uiGarden (2008). Articles>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Universal Design and Disability Access to the Web

As the importance of the Internet increases, so does the need to make its content available to larger, more diverse audiences. These audiences use a variety of technologies to access the Web, ranging from traditional browsers on desktop computers to portable, hand-held devices, cell phones and hands-free devices. The need to accommodate these technologies through more universal Web design strategies grows with every new technology which is introduced. Web developers who ignore the emerging trend toward multiple-environment Internet access will be left to lament their inability to reach important segments of the population.

Bohman, Paul. WebAIM (2000). Design>Web Design>Accessibility

Universal Design Custom Bibliography Tool

A bibliography of writings about universal design.

University of Wisconsin. Resources>Bibliographies>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Guidelines

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is an approach that addresses and redresses the primary barrier to making expert learners of all students: inflexible, one-size-fits-all curricula that raise unintentional barriers to learning. Learners with disabilities are most vulnerable to such barriers, but many students without disabilities also find that curricula are poorly designed to meet their learning needs.

CAST (2008). Books>Education>Accessibility

Universal Design Information Resources

The following are lists of Web sites that Trace Center staff have found particularly useful. The resources listed in turn contain links to many other excellent sites.

University of Wisconsin. Resources>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Universal Design Interface Standards

Essential to the ability of people to come up to universally designed products and know how to operate them is the existence of interface standards. Work is currently under way in a number of areas to ensure that people: 1. Know what to do to operate products they encounter; 2. Are able to connect any assistive technologies they may have with them to the products they encounter.

University of Wisconsin. Design>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Universal Design Research Project

The Universal Design Research Project is a three year study funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. This project was designed to gain an understanding of why and how companies adopt universal design, and what factors are the most important in making this decision. In addition, factors which discourage or impede the adoption and successful practice of universal design are also being identified. A second objective is to determine what those outside of companies can do to support universal design within the companies.

University of Wisconsin. Organizations>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability

Universal Usability    

An early definition of universal usability.

Schneiderman, Ben. Communications of the ACM (2000). Articles>Usability>Accessibility>Universal Usability