Seach Load2Learn Pages:
Unit 1: Module 3
Modifying Word documents
Answers to exercises (no cheating!)
About this course
This self-study course has been developed by Load2Learn, a service providing accessible curriculum textbooks and images to support dyslexic, partially sighted or blind learners who have difficulty reading standard print.
It is part of the “Creating and using accessible curriculum resources self-study course” available on Load2Learn. Licenced under Creative Commons.
What is text modification?
Text modification is the process of changing how text is presented within the Word document, so that it is easier for someone with a print disability to access.
In a structured Word document you can modify font colour, font type, font size, background colour, line spacing and Paragraph modification.
A matter of seconds
The structured Word files on Load2Learn act as base files, which can be quickly and easily modified to learners individual requirements – so don’t be put off that the main body text size is 14 point.
It can take as little as 90 seconds to download a structured Word textbook file from Load2Learn and change it to the required font size (30 seconds for short reading scheme books).
Exercise 1
Which of these formatting techniques are helpful to Blind, partially sighted and dyslexic learners and which are not helpful to them?
|
Format technique |
Blind |
Partially sighted |
Dyslexic |
|
Underline text
|
|
|
|
|
Apply heading styles
|
|
|
|
|
Use italics
|
|
|
|
|
Use a Sans Serif Font
|
|
|
|
|
Use CAPITAL LETTERS
|
|
|
|
|
Use list styles for bulleted lists |
|
|
|
|
Use bulleted lists
|
|
|
|
|
Use text smaller than 12 pts
|
|
|
|
|
Spell out abbreviations
|
|
|
|
|
Justify text
|
|
|
|
How do I modify text?
Modifying text can be extremely quick and easy on a structured Word document. Take a look at Load2Learn’s “Quick guide to modifying structured Word documents”.
Further information can be found on the JISC TechDis website as part of their “The Accessibility Essentials Series”.
Activity 1
Watch the “” video on YouTube.
Activity 2
Download a structured Word document from Load2Learn and have a go at modifying it.
Remember, to meet Copyright legislation requirments you must own a print copy of the book you are downloading – the ISBNs of the print book and accessible edition must match.
Have a go at changing the:
- Colour of the text
- Colour of the background
- The font size
- Line spacing
- Font style
Summary
- Always apply Heading styles for titles of sections and sub-sections to made modification and navigation easy.
- Use a Sans Serif font like Arial (like this document) or Tahoma (like this) and not Serif like Times New Roman (like this).
- Spell out contractions (you’re), acronyms (UK) and abbreviations (abbr.) when practicable and always when first used.
- Use list styles for bulleted and numbered lists to make conversion into PDF accessible.
Answers to exercises
Exercise 1
|
Format technique |
Blind |
Partially sighted |
Dyslexic |
|
Underline text
|
No |
No |
No |
|
Apply heading styles
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Use italics
|
No |
No |
No |
|
Use a Sans Serif Font
|
No |
Yes |
No |
|
Use CAPITAL LETTERS
|
No |
No |
No |
|
Use list styles for bulleted lists |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Use bulleted lists
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Use text smaller than 12 pts
|
No |
No |
No |
|
Spell out abbreviations
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Justify text
|
No |
No |
No |
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