Accessibility of from Off Campus Outlook Web App 2013

Transcription

1 Accessibility of from Off Campus Outlook Web App 2013 Some people have asked if they can create accessible s in their Outlook accounts while away from their workstations. The answer is yes, in most standard internet browsers, but not all. Included below are a series of steps for accessing the Outlook Web App while determining whether the HTML option is available, and how to create accessibility formats in the if HTML is available. Access Outlook from MHCC Intranet Using your Login Uncheck the Use Light Version and proceed to log-in to your account. Please Note: Safari and some other browsers will not open Outlook s HTML options and will only allow the user to send s in plain-text. If your Outlook account is set in lowvision mode OR if your browser does not have the ability to allow HTML/WYSIWYG mode, the account will look something like this image included below.

2 If you encounter the plain-text only version of the Outlook Web App, you can check to see if the Low-Vision mode is turned on. Click on Options (top right in window) then click on Accessibility (halfway down in left hand column). To switch back to an HTML version of Outlook, UnCheck Use the blind and low vision experience option and click Save. Then click Sign Out of the and navigate back to the Log-In page. Once you log back in with the Accessibility unchecked you should be able to tell if your browser allows HTML or remains in the plain-text mode. The HTML version of Outlook Web App should look something like the image on the right. Note that the layout will have frames and more options. (The confidential info was crossed out). If your internet browser accepts the HTML format, the steps to access the Accessibility option is different. Click on the following links: Options > Settings > General, then scroll down to Accessibility to verify that the low-vision and screen reader version is UnChecked. Remember, the low-vision version will default the into plain-text mode after you sign out.

3 If your browser allows for HTML, you can create accessible s from off campus. Internet Explorer 9+, Google Chrome and Firefox browsers were tested and these three were able to access the HTML option. Select New message option to open up the window with HTML features. In the HTML version s New Message window you will note HTML near the top toolbar of the window. The New Message window will also include a secondary formatting toolbar directly under the Subject line. In that second toolbar, track down the little Down Arrow button (the Customize button). [The Down Arrow button Font Color icon, an A underlined with the color red.] Click on the Arrow button to get the dropdown options for other formatting features. You may want to turn on the hyperlink option by clicking in the checkbox next to the little globe (third from the bottom in the dropdown list). is located near the middle of the window to the right of the If that option is turned on, the hyperlink function will show up in the toolbar as noted in the next image shown below.

4 You can highlight the text that you want to change into a hyperlink (shown in previous image). Click on the globe s Hyperlink button to open a little window and then include the address/url that you want for the link. Click OK button. The text will turn into a link. To verify that link, move your mouse/cursor over the link without clicking on the link and you can see a little text-bubble displaying where the link will be going. You may notice that other styling options such as headings or lists for accessibility purposes are missing from this version of Outlook. You can solve this by using Word to create the you want to send, then copy/paste that content into the new message window. The formatting will remain the same. The only thing that might not paste correctly is an image. You would need to use the Insert image tool near the top of the new message window to the left of the paper clip [Attachment] icon. Unfortunately, the alt-text cannot be added to any images added in this way. The only formatting function is a resizing option on images, at this point in time.

5 When you do copy/paste from Word, you may receive a notice/option window to Allow access and finalize the pasting of the text. The default is usually Don t allow. The Allow access button must be clicked in these situations. Then the formatted text from Word should show up in the that can be sent on to the intended recipient. There you have it. For the most part, you have created an accessible from home or off campus in the Outlook 2013 Web App wherever the HTML option is available.