Accessibility Awareness Week spotlight: Check contrast and April 4-5 events

From: Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies, Division of IT

Check contrast

As part of the Choose Accessible Learning Materials (CALM) campaign, Hokies are encouraged to check the colors used in their digital resources to ensure they provide enough contrast for people to read comfortably. Make the move to clearer and more effective communications by checking whether your digital resources meet contrast requirements.

Learn how to:

• Choose accessible color combinations from the university's brand palette
• Check any color combinations for contrast level
• Check contrast of colors used in Canvas
• Check contrast of colors used in Word
• Check contrast of colors used in PowerPoint

April 4 Accessibility Awareness Week events

Disability Alliance and Caucus Virtual Open House

Noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom (Email ashb16@vt.edu to request the meeting URL)

Have you heard of the Disability Alliance and Caucus? Come meet us and learn more about our organization! We are a Registered Student Organization that works alongside a Faculty/Staff Disability Caucus. We come together as disabled Virginia Tech community members and their allies to engage in community building, mutual support, and disability activism.

Screening of "Normal Isn’t Real"

With the post-screening conversation facilitated by Ash Burns and Jaz Jurkiewicz.

1 to 3 p.m. within the Community Space of the CID Building.

Everyone has a different normal. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Krys Kornmeier has captured the unique challenges and strategies that four adults with learning disabilities and/or ADHD have developed to create their “normal” path to success. The 72-minute documentary "Normal Isn't Real: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities & ADHD" does not prescribe a one-size-fits-all approach; rather, it showcases the talents, insights, and tools four individuals from diverse backgrounds utilize to successfully navigate both their personal and professional lives. An engaging post-viewing discussion will be facilitated by Ash Burns (Inclusive Media and UDL Specialist, TLOS) and Jazmin Jurkiewicz (Assistant Director, Inclusive Well-being).

Robotic and Automation Technologies in Construction

3 p.m. in the ARCADE Lab located on the second floor of Bishop-Favrao Hall

Visit the ARCADE Lab to learn more about robotic and automation technologies in construction with Keresh Afsari. The event will include a showcase and opportunities for hands-on activities.

April 5 Accessibility Awareness Week event

Open the Gates Gaming Playtest

1 to 5 p.m. in Newman Library 207A  (Registration Required) 

Open the Gates Gaming invites you to playtest our Cognitive Access Tools for Dungeons & Dragons! Participants can request a seat at bit.ly/OtGPlaytest and select April 5. We will email you confirmation of your spot, then you can complete a pre-game questionnaire to tell us about yourself and help us make the game enjoyable for you! Once you arrive, we’ll introduce you to Dungeons & Dragons and our team, then separate into groups of about 5 players to play through an adventure with the help of our Cognitive Access Tools. We’ll have snacks and breaks throughout. Afterward, you’ll complete a post-game questionnaire to let us know what you think about our tools and if you have any suggestions for improvement. We will give you your own set of polyhedral dice with our logo and a custom Open the Gates Gaming Trailblazer box to thank you for helping us with our mission of empowering everyone to tell their own stories!

Please note: The Virginia Tech Human Research Protections Program has determined that this project (IRB # 24-1001) does not meet the federal definition of human subjects research. We want participants to be fully included in this event!

Let us know if you have any access needs or accommodation requests by emailing us at OpenTheGatesGaming@gmail.com or emclain@vt.edu. Please do not hesitate to ask us any questions about the event! Our goal is for you to be comfortable and fully included.