Are We Writing Accessible Peer Reviewed Publications? Considerations for Public Health, Healthcare, and Public Safety Professionals

I am currently collaborating with a client on a pair of manuscripts to disseminate methods and findings from our consulting project. As I researched potential target journals for these papers, I was happy to see Frontiers guidelines for authors, as they specifically include accessibility guidance.

These guidelines stood out however, because I found them uncommon among the journals I was reviewing. So, that got me thinking:

What are some key considerations for accessible writing and publishing in our field?

EducationalLeah RomanNovember 11, 2025accessibility, Peer Review, Public healthComment

ADA Title II Compliance: Take a Team Approach in Public Health, Healthcare, and Public Safety

This is the third post in a blog series about the updated Title II Rule in the Americans with Disabilities (ADA).

In the first post, we talked about what the Title II Rule change is, why it is important to our field, and we highlighted important compliance dates.

In the second post, we discussed how to get started. Specifically, we highlighted how to fight overwhelm and start by taking small action steps.

Today, we are talking about why it is important to take a team approach to Title II compliance and digital accessibility.

EducationalLeah RomanOctober 22, 2025Public health, Health education, NHEW, accessibilityComment

ADA Title II Compliance: Where to Start in Public Health, Healthcare, and Public Safety?

This is the second post in a blog series about the updated Title II Rule in the Americans with Disabilities (ADA).

In the first series post, we talked about what the Title II Rule change is, why it is important to our field, and we highlighted important compliance dates.

Today, we are talking about how to get started! We discuss fighting overwhelm and highlight some specific action steps to “start small” in our Title II planning.

EducationalLeah RomanOctober 21, 2025accessibility, Public health, NHEWComment

Updated Title II Rule for the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Why It Matters for Public Health, Healthcare, and Public Safety Workforces

On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Title II of the ADA mandates that state and local governments ensure their services, programs, and activities are accessible to individuals with disabilities.

This change is highly relevant to the settings where public health, healthcare, and public safety professionals work and the services we provide. This post gives an overview of Title II, why it matters for our workforces, and highlights important compliance dates.

EducationalLeah RomanOctober 20, 2025Public health, Instructional Design, NHEW, accessibilityComment

Know Better, Do Better. How I Audit My Own E-learning Materials.

It can be overwhelming to go back and review your own webpages, online courses, toolkits, and handouts. The more we learn and get better, the more we realize our mistakes in previous learning products.

But it’s important to model, “Know Better, Do Better.”

I want that for myself and I want that for my clients. No judgement. Just improvement.

Today, I’m sharing the process I used to audit and improve a graphic on my website that compares the roles and responsibilities of e-learning instructional designers and developers.

Educational, RPH ServicesLeah RomanJune 10, 2025e-Learning, Instructional Design, AuditComment

Why I Removed GIFs From My E-Learning Instructional Design Portfolio

Earlier this year, I conducted an accessibility audit on my own instructional design portfolio. I initially created the online content a few years ago, and like many people, I thought the inclusion of Graphics Interchange Format (GIF)s would be fun and engaging for visitors.

However, when I revisited the portfolio with an accessibility lens, I had multiple concerns about the GIFs and removed them. Visit today’s post to learn why!

RPH Services, EducationalLeah RomanMay 13, 2025Public health, e-Learning, Instructional Design, Portfolio, accessibilityComment