Create accessible e-learning with Learning Pool

Learning Pool has made some significant enhancements to its e-learning Authoring Tool by giving authors the option to create accessible e-learning.  This post gives the background to what we’ve done and why.

There are two key accessibility challenges for Learning Pool:

• how users with disabilities access electronic information, and
• how Learning Pool can enable the AT & DLE to function with adaptive technology

In many cases, these challenges are relatively simple to overcome, but sometimes the solutions require some additional thought and effort.
 
Assistive technology
Users with disabilities frequently rely on hardware and software to access web content.  These tools are known as assistive or adaptive technologies and range from screen readers to touch screens and head pointers.

Visually impaired
Visually impaired users of the web frequently use software called a screen reader to read the contents of a web page out loud.  Common screen readers are JAWS, Supernova, Window-Eyes and Browsealoud which is used by 75% of UK councils.

Screen readers enable users to hear, rather than read, the contents of a web page; however, a screen reader can read only text, not images or animations.

It is desirable that images and animations be assigned text descriptions that screen readers can read. These text descriptions are called alternative text, or alt text.

To improve support for screen readers the new version of the Authoring Tool has a number of new features including:

1.  The ability to include audio alternatives for interactive content
2.  The ability to include text transcripts for interactive content such as flash or any page if required
3.  Alt text available on all images (these text descriptions can be read by a screen reader such as JAWS for users with visual impairment)
4.  Skip to content and Skip to navigation options available for screen readers or other assistive technologies used
5.  An Accessible Publishing checking tool to ‘audit’ course for accessibility where for example alt text for images are missing or text transcripts

Mobililty issues
Users with mobility issues may rely on the keyboard instead of the mouse to navigate web pages.  For individuals with nerve damage, arthritis, or repetitive motion injuries, use of the mouse may not be comfortable or possible.

Using only “Tab” and “Enter” on the keyboard, it is possible for these individuals to negotiate a page with ease.  Many users of the Internet have the capability to navigate without a mouse and are simply unaware of it.

In Microsoft Internet Explorer, pressing Tab moves the focus of the browser among all available links on a page. The dotted lines around links in Internet Explorer are an indicator of this capability.

Pressing Enter activates links, much like clicking a mouse.  The new version of the Authoring Tool attempts to address this by providing:

1.  Robust tabbing order which makes it possible to take an AT course without using the mouse
2.  Access key support to navigate and use the courses

Assistive Devices
In some cases, users may employ touch screens, head pointers, or other assistive devices.  A touch screen allows an individual to navigate the page using her or his hands without the fine-motor control required by the mouse.

A head pointer is simply a stick placed in a person’s mouth or mounted on a head strap that the person uses to interact with a keyboard or a touch screen.

In these cases, it is very important that essential components of the page work without a mouse.  Rollovers, pull-down lists, and interactive simulations are all examples of elements that typically depend on the mouse for user interaction.

The designer or developer of these elements must ensure that keyboard-defined events are included along with mouse-defined events.  A quick test using the keystrokes available in Internet Explorer can provide a valuable glimpse of the difficulties a web page may present for users with disabilities.

Additional features
Other features of the new version of the Authoring Tool are:

1.  Text resize support for content 
2.  High contrast colour change support for content

There are industry standards for web accessibility which Learning Pool does its best to comply with.  The key web standards are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

For more on our new Authoring Tool upgrade read our AT5.4 User Notes. 

Not yet a Learning Pool member with access to the authoring tool?  Call 0207 101 9383 or email hello@learningpool.com for an online demo.