Making eLearning Accessible for Everyone

Will the be accessible to everyone? MOOC online space scenario mobile course eLearning

Source: 15% of Australians have a physical disability 1 in 6 are affected by hearing loss Over 700,000 have an intellectual impairment 10% of the population has dyslexia 300,000 people are blind or have low vision Almost 90% of disabilities aren’t visible

“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” Tim Berners-Lee

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

Without looking it up, do you know what WCAG is? Yes Heard of it, not sure what it is No

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines erceivable P perable nderstandable obust O U R

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines P O U R 1. Text alternatives for non-text content. 2. Provide captions. 3. Create content that can be presented in different ways including by assistive technologies, without losing meaning. 4. Make it easier for users to see and hear content. 5. Make all functionality available from a keyboard. 6. Give users enough time to read and use content. 7. Do not use content that causes seizures. 8. Help users navigate and find content. 9. Make text readable and understandable. 10. Make content appear and operate in predictable ways. 11. Help users avoid and correct mistakes. 12. Maximise compatibility with current and future user tools.

Do authoring tools alone ensure that all accessibility requirements are met?

Two Factors Capabilities of our authoring tool. The design decisions we make.

Do you intentionally factor in accessibility requirements as part of your eLearning design and development? Closed captions, alt tags on images, font sizes and colour combinations. Combo of audio and text. Ensure a script is available, no time restrictions on quizzes. Ensure that the infrastructure is in place and bandwidth can support the program. Ensure prior that all learners have access to a computer. Testing on multiple operating systems and mobile devices. Keeping the text in simple language is essential.

Do you intentionally factor in accessibility requirements as part of your eLearning design and development? General audience does not have specific accessibility requirements. I don’t know what I should do. I vaguely remember some guidelines from way back. I’ll ask the client but if it’s not a specific requirement, I won’t spend the additional time. It’s not an important consideration right now. Not a requirement of client to include in design. Not important for the majority of the audience. I should focus on it more but I don’t have the time and there is no pressure from management.

What can we do?

Custom Tab Order

Be accurate Alternative Text Be succinct No redundancy No ‘image of’ or ‘graphic of’

Contrast Level AA – 4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 for large text Level AAA – 7:1 normal text, 4.5:1 for large text

Contrast This level of contrast is 14.12:1 This level of contrast is 7.12:1 This level of contrast is 2.69:1 This level of contrast is 1.49:1 This level of contrast is 1.39:1 This level of contrast is 4.34:1 This level of contrast is 1.89:1 This level of contrast is 1.21:1 This level of contrast is 4.84:1 This level of contrast is 4.51:1 Level AA – 4.5:1 normal text, 3:1 for large text Level AAA – 7:1 normal text, 4.5:1 for large text

Contrast Some on screen text goes here

Contrast Some on screen text goes here

Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3 Answer 4 Using Colour Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3 Answer 4 Answer 1 Answer 2 Answer 3 Answer 4

Font/Typeface Sample text here

Captions

Any other comments about creating accessible eLearning? It’s not currently a high priority but we are taking it into account and recognise the need for accessible eLearning. People need to know the importance of WCAG and where to access material on this topic. We need to ensure there are no barriers for people to complete training, learning or different stages of education. It’s super important and more eLearning professionals need to do the small steps to make what they create useable for everyone. This will become even more critical as an integral part of the design and QA process.

“It’s not just about being compliant, it’s about doing the right thing”

Resources WebAIM colour contrast checker : WebAIM fonts : Articulate Storyline and WACG : Tom Kuhlmann blog : closed-captioning-text/ WebAIM alternative text : How to meet WACG (quick ref) : Jane Bozarth: not-just-about-compliance-accessibility-in-elearning Vision Australia : Vision Australia Colour Contrast Analyser : professionals/digital-accessibility-services/resources/tools-to-download/colour-contrast- analyser-2-2-for-web-pages