This accessibility guide is designed to help eLearning professionals stay up to date on the key aspects of accessibility that should be at the core of your training strategy. Throughout this guide, we’ve provided an overview of the essential guidelines, tools, and technologies to consider. We’ve consulted the expertise of our content team at Netex Learning to outline how we as an organisation approach accessibility when making updates to our LMS platform or creating content.

What is Accessibility in E-Learning?

Accessibility in e-learning refers to the design and creation of courses in a way that is made easy for everyone to use. One aspect of accessibility is maximising ease of use in small ways for typical users, while another is utilising technologies that make your content easy to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with, regardless of your users’ physical, cognitive, or technological abilities.

Importance of Accessibility in E-Learning

The fundamental principle behind accessibility within e-learning is that everyone, regardless of their abilities, should have equal access to learning opportunities.

All businesses should comply with accessibility laws and regulations to provide accessible software and services. Equally, training programmes should be designed with accessibility in mind to boost the reach of your training programmes and ensure that everyone in your organisation can benefit from and utilise the quality training resources you invest time and money into developing.

By championing accessibility, you send a message to prospective employees that you believe in equal access to training materials, and you empower your teams with tools to help them succeed. Accessible content enables all employees in reaching their learning goals, boosting personal confidence and enhancing productivity across your business.

Netex Learning’s approach to eLearning accessibility

At Netex Learning, we equip businesses around the world with an advanced digital learning platform that enables organisations to design, manage, and deliver e-learning courses at scale. Our platform blends innovative technology, such as AI features, with a strong focus on accessibility and UX. We enable businesses to deliver meaningful and measurable training programmes, and we also create bespoke training courses for our customers in line with industry best-practice.

The WCAG Directive (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

WCAG provide recommendations on how to improve the accessibility of web content. These guidelines are structured around four key principles:

• Perceptibility: Ensuring that information is accessible to the senses (sight, hearing) of all users.
  Example: Include descriptions of images, subtitles in videos.
• Operability: Ensuring that users can interact with content without limitations.
  Example: Make sure that the course can be fully navigated using only a keyboard.
• Understanding: Ensuring that all audiences can read and understand the content clearly without confusion.
  Example: Use of plain language and coherent content structures.
• Robustness: Ensuring that content works well with various assistive technologies and browsers.
  Example: Support for screen readers.

The Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0

Netex Learning’s content authoring tool adheres to the Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) 2.0, providing accessible content for all users. The key criteria outlined in the ATAG guidelines mirrors some of the WCAG guidelines, with emphasis on ensuring that all authoring tool functionalities can be accessed using only the keyboard and non-text features are equipped with accessible formats to aid those with visual impairments.

Other core focuses of the ATAG guidelines include:

• Testing tools: Trial any changes to ensure that new features work properly and troubleshoot to address any issues with accessibility.
• Clear user guidance: Providing users with accessible instructions, tutorials, manuals or any form of assistive materials to help support their learning whilst using the tool.
• Internal alignment and regular checks: Ensuring that everybody who works to develop and enhance the features of the authoring tool is aware of the guidelines is key to developing accessibility for all and to remain staying compliant.

NETEX LEARNING FEATURES FOR ACCESSIBILITY

WCAG Standards Support

Netex Learning products are designed to comply with WCAG 2.2 standards, which means that our tools and functionalities are aligned with international accessibility best practices. This includes the ability to create accessible courses from scratch, with support for vital features such as alt text, captions, and screen reader support.

Responsive Design Our Netex Cloud platform allows courses to be adapted to different screen sizes and devices, ensuring that users can access the content no matter if they are using a computer, tablet, or mobile phone.

Support for Accessible Multimedia

Netex Learning supports different multimedia formats, including videos, audio images, and documents. The platform makes it easy to add captions, transcripts, and image descriptions (alt text), improving accessibility for everyone and delivering an inclusive training experience.

TOOLS TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY

Accessible Design Templates

Netex Learning provides design templates already optimised for accessibility. These templates ensure content is well-organised and easy to navigate. They also enable you to develop courses without sacrificing accessibility, helping to create inclusive learning materials.

Inclusion of Subtitles and Transcripts

The platform supports adding subtitles and transcripts to videos, benefiting users with hearing impairments and enhancing accessibility for all. Customisable and synchronised subtitles provide a consistent experience, supporting users in noisy environments or those who prefer to read along with multimedia content.

Support for Assistive Technologies

Netex Learning is compatible with various assistive technologies, such as screen readers, alternative keyboards, and speech recognition software. This ensures all learners can engage with the courses efficiently and without barriers.

CREATING ACCESSIBLE CONTENT

Use Clear and Legible Text

To make content readable and accessible for all users, consider these best practices:

• Contrast: Use sufficient contrast between text and background to enhance readability.
• Font Selection: Choose clear, legible fonts (e.g., sans-serif).
• Font Size: Ensure the font size is at least 12px for better readability.
• Avoid Uppercase: Limit the use of uppercase text, as it can be harder to read.
• Image Descriptions: Provide alternative text (Alt tags) for all non-decorative images, graphics, and visual elements. These descriptions enable users with visual impairments to understand visual content.

Use Clear and Concise Language

Using simple, straightforward language improves understanding, especially for people with cognitive disabilities or non-native speakers.

Optimizing Course Navigation

Keyboard Navigation

Make sure all courses are fully navigable using just the keyboard. This is critical for people with motor disabilities who can’t use a mouse.

Using Tags and Headings

Organize content using clear, hierarchical headings (H1, H2, H3). This makes it easier to navigate and understand the content, especially for screen reader users. Make sure each section has a unique heading that describes the topic.

Accessibility Assessment Methods

Automatic Assessment Tools

There are online tools that allow you to evaluate the accessibility of your courses. Some of the best known are:

• WAVE: Visual analysis of the accessibility of web content.
• Axe: Tool that performs automatic accessibility audits.
• Lighthouse: Google tool that provides comprehensive accessibility reports.

Manual Testing

While automatic tools are useful, it’s also important to perform manual testing. This involves:

• Using screen readers (such as JAWS or NVDA).
• Navigating with the keyboard only.
• Acquiring feedback from users with varying accessibility requirements.

Receiving feedback from users with various disabilities is essential. You can test with people who have visual, hearing, or motor disabilities and adjust the content based on their feedback.

Best Practices in Implementation

Content Creator Training

It’s essential to train content creators on accessibility best practices.

Providing them with ongoing training on how to create inclusive and accessible content is critical to long-term success.

Ongoing Accessibility Maintenance

Accessibility is not a one-time thing. Regular audits and keeping content up to date are necessary to comply with standards.

Documentation & Support

Provide clear documentation on how to create accessible content. Make sure users have access to support if they encounter accessibility barriers.

Conclusions and Future of Accessibility in E-Learning

Benefits of Creating Accessible Courses

Creating accessible courses not only benefits people with disabilities but improves the experience for all users. In addition, it expands the reach of content, improves student retention and loyalty.

Future Trends

Accessibility will continue to evolve over time, especially with the advancement of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Netex Learning is committed to embracing accessibility for the long-term and will continue to improve its tools to ensure that all users have access to inclusive learning materials.

Lean on Expert Accessibility Support

Whether you’ve realised an urgent need to deploy accessible content, or you’re looking to future-proof your training strategy, Netex Learning is here to help. Get in touch with our friendly experts for an obligation-free chat about how our bespoke service could help you deliver an impactful training programme