MHFA England brand book version 1.0
Accessibility We strive for inclusive design . This means we consider the user experience of people with diverse needs. Whatever we create, we plan how to make it usable by as many people as possible from the start. Checklist Use this checklist for everything you create. 1. Have you considered colour contrast ? – Use the WebAIM contrast checker – Use heavier fonts on colour backgrounds – Keep colour backgrounds with white font to a minimum – Where possible use a white background with dark font 2. Have you considered style and formatting ? – Use a minimum font size of 12pt – Minimise use of underline (use only for hyperlinks) – Minimise use of BLOCK CAPITALS – Use sentence case for headings, not Title Case – Left-align your text, do not justify or centre-align – Use an Oxford comma in a list of three or more items (e.g. “the Adult Two Day, One Day, and Half Day course options”)
3. Can your document be read by screen reader ? A screen reader is software used by people with visual impairments. A screen reader converts whatever is displayed on screen, by reading the text aloud or creating a braille display. For your document to make sense to screen readers, you need to: – Order your content in a linear path from start to finish – Add descriptions or alt text for any images and diagrams to describe what is shown – Tag all your content based on its structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, etc.): – In Microsoft Word, use the MHFA England Word template and apply the styles as you go – Go to ‘Home’ and then ‘Styles’. Highlight your text and click the appropriate style to apply it – If you are using Adobe suite, visit adobe.com for guidance 4. Have you considered readability ? – Swap jargon for plain, everyday language. Imagine you don’t work here, and don’t know anything about mental health or our products. Does your text still make sense?
– Check the readability of what you have written using a free tool such as Readable or Hemingway . Make sure your text doesn’t go over a reading age of 14-15 years/9th grade level – See our style and copy guidelines tone of voice and readability sections for more guidance and examples
Resources for inclusive design – Web accessibility fundamentals – w3.org , with specific guidance for content writers and designers – Inclusive design toolkit – University of Cambridge – Creating accessible PDFs – adobe.com – Accessible formats – gov.uk
4
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker