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In planning for meeting
for a person with vision loss,
we should consider several things.
So first how will the person get to the building,
is the location of the building close to public transportation,
you'd always want to work with the person to offer alternatives.
Second,
once the person gets to the location,
would there be a staff available to offer assistance
including sighted guide,
has the staff been trained on providing directions for example,
saying go over there is not very helpful.
Use specific directions such as straight ahead
or forward or left or right.
Are there appropriate large print Braille signage
or cues available at critical decision points
such as at the lobby,
in the elevator,
where the elevator buttons are,
and at turns to get to the meeting rooms.
Did you provide a description of how to get to the meeting rooms ahead of time.
The other thing to consider once
you're in the meeting room
is ensure that the person is aware of the room orientation
the layout of the room including objects
such as chairs, tables and refreshments,
the room and how they're arranged.
For example,
you might say,
there's a table in the middle of the room about six feet
in front of you
or there's a coffee table on the left side of the room
as you come in through the door.
So when thinking about the services
to provide to accommodate persons with vision loss,
it really comes down to good
preparation and understanding the audience.
So use questionnaires when organizing
the event to enquire about the format preferences for the event materials.
Choices may include things like large print,
Braille or electronic text.
Provide event materials in a preferred format to the participant
in advance so that she or he may be able to review it before the event.
Advance materials can include information
to be shown on overheads,
background information,
handouts,
maps of the building indicating the location of the meeting rooms,
washrooms,
and exits.
It's important to ensure that website information
about the conference is accessible and usable.
And so by accessible,
I'm referring to the fact that websites
should strive to be in compliance with
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act guidelines
so that persons with vision loss who use assistive technology
such as screen readers are able to access the information.
And by usable,
what I mean is that the website should offer pertinent information
about the event.
Such that you know it,
it offers information about how to get to the location things like,
things like you know you need to be,
you need to have things that are very easy to find.
So the best way to ensure that your website is accessible
is through user testing with persons with vision loss.
So Powerpoint presentations in particular
can be a challenge for participants with vision loss
so one question that I always ask myself
when preparing for a presentation is,
if there's some sort of a technical difficulty
and I cant use my Powerpoint for some reason,
or I can't use any handouts,
how will I verbalize what I want to get across to my audience.
Describing the slide is the slides
is essential especially if you're using figures,
charts and images.
Think about what you're trying to convey
with these visual aids.
Ensure that there's good contrast between the text
and the background.
My preferred font to use is Arial or Verdana
and for further guidelines you may
be able to get them off the CNIB website.
If you're using a video,
is their descriptive video,
is there clear captioning?
those are key questions to ask.
Finally,
remember to offer alternative formats
of your presentation ahead of time
so that the individuals
can follow along you know
or bring their technology if they need to,
to be able to use the information that you provide.