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Thread: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines

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Number of posts in this thread: 7 (In chronological order)

From: Laurie Kamrowski
Date: Wed, Sep 18 2019 2:52PM
Subject: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
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Hi! I am wondering when APA style requirements clash with WCAG 2.0
standards and practices, which should take precedence? I know that the WCAG
2.0. The two circumstances in particular are with Italics (not prohibited
by the WCAG guidelines but is known to trigger dyslexic episodes) and with
underlined text (the WCAG recommends against the usage of underline in
electronic formats unless it is identifying a hyperlink).

Laurie Kamrowski

She/Her/Hers
Accessibility Specialist
Mid Michigan College

From: L Snider
Date: Wed, Sep 18 2019 3:24PM
Subject: Re: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
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Hi Laurie,

Interesting timing, since I am writing a journal article on this topic!

In my view, APA (I work with that one the most) is inaccessible for many
reasons, but it is required in most academic contexts that I know of, so in
my experience it wins out over accessibility, whether it fits with WCAG or
not.

I would be curious to know how your situation works out, and if others have
been able to override it, or change it.

Cheers

Lisa

On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 5:52 PM Laurie Kamrowski < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> Hi! I am wondering when APA style requirements clash with WCAG 2.0
> standards and practices, which should take precedence? I know that the WCAG
> 2.0. The two circumstances in particular are with Italics (not prohibited
> by the WCAG guidelines but is known to trigger dyslexic episodes) and with
> underlined text (the WCAG recommends against the usage of underline in
> electronic formats unless it is identifying a hyperlink).
>
> Laurie Kamrowski
>
> She/Her/Hers
> Accessibility Specialist
> Mid Michigan College
> > > > >

From: Kevin Prince
Date: Wed, Sep 18 2019 4:11PM
Subject: Re: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
← Previous message | Next message →

APA is a work of the devil designed purely to make referencing much more complex than it need be but if you want your work to pass the APA zealots then it probably wins in a practical sense. I've not noticed academia particularly open to change in such matters sadly and, as a sighted person, found it hard to use let alone via screenreader or magnification.

I would expect any institution that actually followed its own inclusive statements to demand change but I won't hold my breath.

I wonder whether a print style sheet that reproduces APA yet allows for the electronic version to follow WCAG would be possible. If you insist on APA print the doc or set your preferences to reproduce it electronically: if it gets in the way of comprehension then override

K
Access1in5
0212220638
Independent Accessibility and IT Consultancy.




> On 19/09/2019, at 09:24, L Snider < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
> Hi Laurie,
>
> Interesting timing, since I am writing a journal article on this topic!
>
> In my view, APA (I work with that one the most) is inaccessible for many
> reasons, but it is required in most academic contexts that I know of, so in
> my experience it wins out over accessibility, whether it fits with WCAG or
> not.
>
> I would be curious to know how your situation works out, and if others have
> been able to override it, or change it.
>
> Cheers
>
> Lisa
>
> On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 5:52 PM Laurie Kamrowski < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
>
>> Hi! I am wondering when APA style requirements clash with WCAG 2.0
>> standards and practices, which should take precedence? I know that the WCAG
>> 2.0. The two circumstances in particular are with Italics (not prohibited
>> by the WCAG guidelines but is known to trigger dyslexic episodes) and with
>> underlined text (the WCAG recommends against the usage of underline in
>> electronic formats unless it is identifying a hyperlink).
>>
>> Laurie Kamrowski
>>
>> She/Her/Hers
>> Accessibility Specialist
>> Mid Michigan College
>> >> >> >> >>
> > > >

From: L Snider
Date: Thu, Sep 19 2019 6:06PM
Subject: Re: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi Kevin,

Just had to say, I love your phrasing, thank you!

Cheers

Lisa


On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 7:11 PM Kevin Prince < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> APA is a work of the devil designed purely to make referencing much more
> complex than it need be but if you want your work to pass the APA zealots
> then it probably wins in a practical sense. I've not noticed academia
> particularly open to change in such matters sadly and, as a sighted person,
> found it hard to use let alone via screenreader or magnification.
>
> I would expect any institution that actually followed its own inclusive
> statements to demand change but I won't hold my breath.
>
> I wonder whether a print style sheet that reproduces APA yet allows for
> the electronic version to follow WCAG would be possible. If you insist on
> APA print the doc or set your preferences to reproduce it electronically:
> if it gets in the way of comprehension then override
>
> K
> Access1in5
> 0212220638
> Independent Accessibility and IT Consultancy.
>
>
>
>
> > On 19/09/2019, at 09:24, L Snider < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> >
> > Hi Laurie,
> >
> > Interesting timing, since I am writing a journal article on this topic!
> >
> > In my view, APA (I work with that one the most) is inaccessible for many
> > reasons, but it is required in most academic contexts that I know of, so
> in
> > my experience it wins out over accessibility, whether it fits with WCAG
> or
> > not.
> >
> > I would be curious to know how your situation works out, and if others
> have
> > been able to override it, or change it.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Lisa
> >
> > On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 5:52 PM Laurie Kamrowski < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi! I am wondering when APA style requirements clash with WCAG 2.0
> >> standards and practices, which should take precedence? I know that the
> WCAG
> >> 2.0. The two circumstances in particular are with Italics (not
> prohibited
> >> by the WCAG guidelines but is known to trigger dyslexic episodes) and
> with
> >> underlined text (the WCAG recommends against the usage of underline in
> >> electronic formats unless it is identifying a hyperlink).
> >>
> >> Laurie Kamrowski
> >>
> >> She/Her/Hers
> >> Accessibility Specialist
> >> Mid Michigan College
> >> > >> > >> > >> > >>
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >

From: Praunicorn
Date: Thu, Sep 19 2019 10:53PM
Subject: Re: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi Every one,

Sorry for this inconvenience , I am posting my Queries to get help from this great forum but I am not sure why I am not getting any response. I am using following id = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = to post my Questions. Can you please kindly help me out this.

Regards,
Unicorn.

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: L Snider
Sent: Friday, September 20, 2019 5:34 AM
To: WebAIM Discussion List
Subject: Re: [WebAIM] APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines

Hi Kevin,

Just had to say, I love your phrasing, thank you!

Cheers

Lisa


On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 7:11 PM Kevin Prince < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:

> APA is a work of the devil designed purely to make referencing much more
> complex than it need be but if you want your work to pass the APA zealots
> then it probably wins in a practical sense. I've not noticed academia
> particularly open to change in such matters sadly and, as a sighted person,
> found it hard to use let alone via screenreader or magnification.
>
> I would expect any institution that actually followed its own inclusive
> statements to demand change but I won't hold my breath.
>
> I wonder whether a print style sheet that reproduces APA yet allows for
> the electronic version to follow WCAG would be possible. If you insist on
> APA print the doc or set your preferences to reproduce it electronically:
> if it gets in the way of comprehension then override
>
> K
> Access1in5
> 0212220638
> Independent Accessibility and IT Consultancy.
>
>
>
>
> > On 19/09/2019, at 09:24, L Snider < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = > wrote:
> >
> > Hi Laurie,
> >
> > Interesting timing, since I am writing a journal article on this topic!
> >
> > In my view, APA (I work with that one the most) is inaccessible for many
> > reasons, but it is required in most academic contexts that I know of, so
> in
> > my experience it wins out over accessibility, whether it fits with WCAG
> or
> > not.
> >
> > I would be curious to know how your situation works out, and if others
> have
> > been able to override it, or change it.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > Lisa
> >
> > On Wed, Sep 18, 2019 at 5:52 PM Laurie Kamrowski < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
> wrote:
> >
> >> Hi! I am wondering when APA style requirements clash with WCAG 2.0
> >> standards and practices, which should take precedence? I know that the
> WCAG
> >> 2.0. The two circumstances in particular are with Italics (not
> prohibited
> >> by the WCAG guidelines but is known to trigger dyslexic episodes) and
> with
> >> underlined text (the WCAG recommends against the usage of underline in
> >> electronic formats unless it is identifying a hyperlink).
> >>
> >> Laurie Kamrowski
> >>
> >> She/Her/Hers
> >> Accessibility Specialist
> >> Mid Michigan College
> >> > >> > >> > >> > >>
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > >

From: Laurie Kamrowski
Date: Fri, Sep 20 2019 7:10AM
Subject: Re: Update: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
← Previous message | Next message →

Hi all!

This is really awesome and helpful - Stephanie Lazer from the APA actually
responded to me as well, and it appears that at least the APA is addressing
the accessibility issue! This is what she sent me:

*****

Thank you for your question! When you are using sixth edition APA Style,
WCAG standards can take precedence (but note that APA Style does not use
underlining except for allowing it to remain in hyperlinks, so underlining
should not be too significant a problem). I also consulted with our
resident expert on accessibility for an update on seventh edition APA Style
in relation to WCAG standards, and this is what she said:



The style team has consulted with accessibility experts to ensure that APA
Style is compliant with WCAG 2.0 standards. It should not clash at all.



Seventh edition style limits the use of italics in the text more than was
the case in sixth edition style. In the text italics are used very
sparingly, and linguistic examples now are to be set in quotation marks,
not italics. In the reference list, italics are still used for titles of
works, which is a long-standing industry practice that did not raise
concerns with our experts.



Additionally, APA Style does not use underlining except for in hyperlinks,
which is consistent with the recommendations of WCAG 2.0.



In the beginning of October we will be debuting our new APA Style website
that will have information about accessibility as well, so stay tuned!



I hope this helps!



Best,



Stefanie



*Stefanie Lazer *

APA Style Expert

American Psychological Association

= EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =

*****

I am so excited that they are addressing this!

Laurie

From: L Snider
Date: Fri, Sep 20 2019 7:30AM
Subject: Re: Update: APA/MLA style formatting versus WCAG guidelines
← Previous message | No next message

Hi Laurie,

I am excited as well, a long time coming! Thanks so much for sharing that!

Cheers

Lisa

On Fri, Sep 20, 2019 at 10:11 AM Laurie Kamrowski < = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = >
wrote:

> Hi all!
>
> This is really awesome and helpful - Stephanie Lazer from the APA actually
> responded to me as well, and it appears that at least the APA is addressing
> the accessibility issue! This is what she sent me:
>
> *****
>
> Thank you for your question! When you are using sixth edition APA Style,
> WCAG standards can take precedence (but note that APA Style does not use
> underlining except for allowing it to remain in hyperlinks, so underlining
> should not be too significant a problem). I also consulted with our
> resident expert on accessibility for an update on seventh edition APA Style
> in relation to WCAG standards, and this is what she said:
>
>
>
> The style team has consulted with accessibility experts to ensure that APA
> Style is compliant with WCAG 2.0 standards. It should not clash at all.
>
>
>
> Seventh edition style limits the use of italics in the text more than was
> the case in sixth edition style. In the text italics are used very
> sparingly, and linguistic examples now are to be set in quotation marks,
> not italics. In the reference list, italics are still used for titles of
> works, which is a long-standing industry practice that did not raise
> concerns with our experts.
>
>
>
> Additionally, APA Style does not use underlining except for in hyperlinks,
> which is consistent with the recommendations of WCAG 2.0.
>
>
>
> In the beginning of October we will be debuting our new APA Style website
> that will have information about accessibility as well, so stay tuned!
>
>
>
> I hope this helps!
>
>
>
> Best,
>
>
>
> Stefanie
>
>
>
> *Stefanie Lazer *
>
> APA Style Expert
>
> American Psychological Association
>
> = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
>
> *****
>
> I am so excited that they are addressing this!
>
> Laurie
> > > > >