This was my presentation from the LearnX conference in 2015 where I spoke about accessibility and some of the things eLearning designers can do to make their modules more accessible.

1. Making eLearning Accessible
for Everyone

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

3. Source: http://www.and.org.au/pages/disability-statistics.html
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

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

5. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines

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

8. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
erceivableP
perable
nderstandable
obust
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9. 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.

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

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

12. Do you intentionally factor in accessibility
requirements as part of your eLearning design
and development? Yes
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.

13. Do you intentionally factor in accessibility
requirements as part of your eLearning design
and development? No
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.

14. What can we do?

15. Custom Tab Order

16. Custom Tab Order

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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Contrast
Some on screen text goes here

21. Contrast
Some on screen text goes here

22. 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
Not using colour alone to convey information.
Not this: Not this: This:

23. Font/Typeface
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here
Sample text here

24. Captions

25. 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.

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

27. Resources
WebAIM colour contrast checker: http://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/
WebAIM fonts: http://webaim.org/techniques/fonts/
Articulate Storyline and WACG: https://en-au.articulate.com/products/storyline-wcag.php
Tom Kuhlmann blog: http://blogs.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/how-to-create-free-closed-
captioning-text/
WebAIM alternative text: http://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/
How to meet WACG (quick ref): http://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG20/quickref/
Jane Bozarth: http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/1737/nuts-and-bolts-its-not-just-
about-compliance-accessibility-in-elearning
Vision Australia: http://www.visionaustralia.org/
Vision Australia Colour Contrast Analyser: https://www.visionaustralia.org/business-and-
professionals/digital-accessibility-services/resources/tools-to-download/colour-contrast-
analyser-2-2-for-web-pages