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May 2025Archived
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Culture & Sustainability

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Making accessibility stickTip 16 - Accessibility as a Shared ResponsibilityCore skill: Build accessibility into everyday workflows for accessibility.Why it matters Accessibility is not a one-time fix or a specialist task—it’s a shared professional responsibility.What to do (Reflection action)Identify…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Quality Control & File Management

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Preventing problems before publishingTip 14: File Naming & Document MetadataCore skill: Use clear file names and titles for accessibility.Why it matters Screen reader users often navigate files by title, not filename. Clear naming also improves search, version control, and usability for everyone…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Multimedia & Interaction

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Non-text content and navigationTip 12: Video & Audio AccessibilityCore skill: Provide captions and transcripts for accessibility.Why it matters Captions support Deaf and hard-of-hearing users, people in noisy environments, and anyone who prefers reading over listening.What to do (5-minute action…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

PDFs & Forms: High-Risk Content

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Documents users must interact withTip 10 - PDF Tags & Reading OrderCore skill: Ensure PDFs have tags and logical reading order for accessibility.Why it matters Screen readers rely on PDF tags to understand structure. Untagged PDFs may appear visually correct but are unreadable to assistive…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

PDFs: High-Risk Content

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Getting PDFs right from the startTip 9 - Accessible PDFs Start at the SourceCore skill: Create accessible source documents before exporting to PDF for accessibility.Why it matters PDF accessibility depends almost entirely on how the original Word, Google Doc, or PowerPoint file is structured. Fixing…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Data & Structure

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Structured contentTip 8 - TablesCore skill: Use tables for data—not layout for accessibility.Why it matters Screen readers rely on proper table structure to announce relationships between headers and data cells.What to do (2-minute action)Use tables only for dataIdentify header rows and columnsAvoid…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Visual & Content Elements

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Theme: Visual meaningTip 6 : Color & ContrastCore skill: Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning for accessibility.Why it matters Users with low vision or color-blindness may not perceive color differences. Low contrast text can also be unreadable for many users.What to do (2-minute action)Ensure…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Readability

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Tip 5: Plain Language & Readability Core skill: Write clearly and concisely for accessibility.Why it matters Accessible content benefits people with cognitive disabilities, screen reader users, non-native English speakers, and anyone skimming quickly.What to do (3-minute action)Use short sentences…
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Digital Accessibility: Article

Meaning & Flow

January 21, 2026
By Stephen Dampier
Tip 3: Write Meaningful LinksCore skill: Create clear, descriptive links that tell users exactly where the link will take them.Why this mattersMany people who use screen readers navigate websites by moving through links without reading the surrounding page content. If multiple links simply say “click here,” …
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ANR Contracts & Grants Updates: Article

USDA NIFA AFRI Education and Workforce Development

January 21, 2026
By Kendra T Rose
USDA NIFA has released the AFRI Education and Workforce Development funding opportunity aimed at addressing projected workforce shortages across the agricultural, food, forestry, rangeland, and energy resources sectors. This opportunity supports education and training initiatives designed to strengthen the…
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