Another milestone in our accessibility journey

December 5, 2022

If you have followed our blog for a while, you will know we have been on a journey to improve the accessibility of the elearning we build. This started from a position of wanting to improve and create really inclusive elearning but is also a necessity under the 2018 accessibility regulations for public sector bodies to comply with the WCAG guidelines.

We developed our knowledge in this area through research and testing. Repeatedly trying to improve the users’ experience in all aspects of accessibility (see this post for more info). Along the way, we have had to learn and then relearn how to apply best practices in Articulate Storyline as Articulate rolled out changes, improvements and updates to the software.

We are really proud of the solutions we are now providing for our clients and how accessibility (and inclusion) is integral to every stage in our design and development process – not an afterthought.

 

Next Steps

The next step for us was always to find an expert who could confirm, challenge and help us build on our practice. This is where Susi Miller (accessibility guru) from the eLaHub came in. We have been using her excellent book, “Designing Accessible Learning Content” as a reference throughout 2022, so it was amazing to be able to engage with her directly through both her online webinars and face-to-face training and consultancy. This culminated in the successful completion of their Accredited Accessible Learning Practitioner’s programme for all four members of staff working on designing and developing elearning. This programme is split into two sessions.

Session 1 offers a great introduction into:

• Best practice accessibility for online delivery.
• Accommodating different types of disabilities and impairments.
• Assistive technology fundamentals.
• Accessibility statements.
• Storyline and Rise tool settings.
• Accessible structure and navigation.
• Colour contrast.
• Designing for assistive technology.
• Formatting fundamentals.
• Plain Language.

Session 2 offers advanced content on:

• Accessible audio and video content.
• Moving content.
• Images.
• Information and instructions.
• Assessments.
• Interactive items.
• Testing strategies.
• Strategies to deal with accessibility limitations.

 

Full details can be found at https://www.elahub.net/training/

 

Your own accessibility journey

We would highly recommend the programme to anyone wanting to build on their knowledge and/or wanting to advance to a more in-depth level. We’d recommend doing a little bit of research first to grasp some of the basic stuff (using our blogs as a starting point), so you are familiar with some of the concepts and terms.

We’d also recommend Susi’s book “Designing Accessible Learning Content” which can only be described as the holy grail of accessibility in elearning. Using the foundation of knowledge you then have, this book acts as a great reference to check how the standards should be applied as new situations arise.