Nichols Strategies’ Digital Accessibility Professional Learning Community (PLC) is a virtual learning community for school communications professionals looking to enhance the accessibility of their communications.
Hosted by Emily Popek, APR, the PLC meets virtually once a month during the school year to bring together diverse perspectives on digital accessibility, share resources, and model best practices for accessible communications. Meetings are held at 10 AM Pacific time on the third Wednesday of each month.
Membership in the PLC is free and open to all K12 school communications professionals. Each session includes a recorded presentation on a featured topic, as well as an open discussion forum. Participants receive recordings from each PLC, as well as discussion notes, links and resources related to the topic.
Learn more about our PLC sessions here:
Sept. 17: Accessibility basics
Want to get started with accessibility, but aren’t sure where to begin? This session covers:
- How accessibility impacts school communications;
- Key principles of digital accessibility; and
- Resources to learn more about digital accessibility
For PLC members: Log in to view notes and links from “Accessibility Basics”
Oct. 15: Death to the PDF
If you’re struggling under the weight of dozens (or even hundreds) of inaccessible flyers, handbooks, lunch menus and board minutes, this is the session for you. You’ll learn:
- PDF exceptions to the Final Rule;
- Alternative digital formats for high-demand content; and
- Decision-making strategies to triage your PDF backlog.
For PLC members: Log in to view notes and links from “Death to the PDF”
Nov. 19: Alt Text Made Easy, Kind Of
Register for ‘Alt Text Made Easy’
There’s no easy button for writing alternative text … or is there? In this session, we’ll explore:
- AI tools to speed up your alt-text writing process;
- Smart strategies for crafting alternative text with impact; and
- Resources to up your alt text game.
Dec. 16: Testing and Remediation Tools: An Unbiased Look
Register for ‘Testing and Remediation Tools’
From remediating documents to scanning web content, there are many tools on the market that support accessible communications. In this session, we’ll get into the nitty gritty about cost, features, and what’s worked for you.
Not ready to join the PLC?
No problem! Check out some of our other resources to support you on your accessibility journey:
- Accessible School Communications: Four Tips to Try Today (blog post)
- Four Key Principles for Accessible Content (free download)
- Contact us today to book a 1:1 session focused on your unique needs.