Embracing accessible eLearning: a pathway to inclusivity

Introduction

Ensuring your learning content is accessible to all should be standard practice. Every learner should be able to excel and perform to their best abilities at work, free from any obstacles or limitations. Therefore, it is important to address the issue of accessibility to allow all learners, regardless of their abilities, to fully participate in and benefit from eLearning experiences.

In our latest article, we explore the importance of accessible learning – not just as a compliance issue, but also as an essential step towards creating truly engaging learning experiences. We also provide practical tips that you can apply to enhance the accessibility of your eLearning.

Understanding Accessible Learning

Accessible learning is about creating an environment where all individuals, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds or learning styles can participate fully. It goes beyond providing physical access to spaces and extends into digital content, learning materials and technology. Whether in a traditional classroom setting or an eLearning course, accessible learning ensures that all learners can independently access, engage with and benefit from learning resources without undue limitations and succeed in the learning process.

Why accessible learning matters

1) Inclusivity and equal opportunities:

One of the central principles of learning is to provide equal opportunities for all individuals to learn and grow. By ensuring accessibility in eLearning, we break down barriers that might otherwise prevent people with disabilities or diverse learning needs from fully participating in online courses. This inclusivity fosters a sense of belonging and empowers learners to reach their full potential, regardless of their abilities.

2) Reaching a diverse audience: 

The beauty of eLearning lies in its ability to reach learners from diverse backgrounds, cultures and locations. Making eLearning accessible ensures that this diverse audience can access and engage with the content seamlessly. Whether learners have visual impairments, hearing difficulties or other challenges such as language barriers, accessibility measures enable learners to benefit from the online learning experience. This is also helpful for people with cognitive impairments/difficulty/differences such as autism or dyslexia.

3) Compliance with legal and ethical standards:

Many countries have implemented accessibility laws and guidelines to promote equal access to learning for all individuals, including Level AA in the UK and Irish public sector and Section 508 in the USA. Whilst only some countries have imposed accessibility laws, the UN have legislation that supports equal opportunity for all, and that's world-covering.

4) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG):

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of guidelines and recommendations for designing and developing web content in a way that ensures it can be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust for all users. Embracing accessibility in eLearning ensures that educational institutions and content creators comply with these legal requirements, fostering a culture of inclusivity and ethical responsibility.

5) Enhancing learning outcomes:

When eLearning materials are designed with accessibility in mind, they often lead to more thoughtful and better-organised content. Clear and concise instructional materials benefit all learners, not just those with disabilities. By adhering to accessibility standards, you can create content that is more comprehensible and engaging for everyone.

6) Future-proofing learning:

As technology continues to evolve, so too does the eLearning landscape. By incorporating accessibility features into eLearning platforms and content, we future-proof education, ensuring that it remains accessible to learners as technology advances and new tools emerge.

7) Promoting innovation and creativity:

Storytelling is at the heart of good eLearning material. Embracing accessibility in eLearning challenges content creators and those responsible for delivering L&D initiatives to find innovative and creative solutions to make learning materials more accessible and inclusive. These efforts can lead to the development of new methods and technologies that benefit all learners.

8) Building empathy and understanding:

When eLearning platforms and content are designed with accessibility in mind, it fosters empathy and understanding among learners. By experiencing accessible learning environments, learners can better appreciate the diversity of their colleagues and peers and the challenges they might face. Empathy and understanding are important because everybody will experience a situational or temporary impairment at some point, so it’s not limited to people with 'permanent’ difference.

Creating accessible learning experiences

To create learning experiences that meet accessibility requirements, including WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, it is important to consider the following aspects:

Alternative text for images:

Whilst you don’t need to provide descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all images used in learning content, you do need to consider your use of images - they should generally be decorative (all decorative images don't need alt text). Images should not be relied on to convey information. If people are using graphs or infographics, then they need to consider providing some sort of lengthy alt text or transcript. This allows screen readers to convey visual information to learners with visual impairments.

Captions and transcripts:

Include captions for videos and audio content to assist individuals with hearing impairments. Additionally, provide transcripts for audio-based content to make it accessible for those who may have difficulty with audio-only formats.

Clear and consistent navigation:

Ensure that the learning platform and course materials are organised clearly and consistently. Use heading structures and lists to enhance screen reader navigation – ‘chunking’ content is particularly helpful for clear navigation. A learner needs to have different ways to navigate, so not just through the module but also by way of menu or breadcrumbing.

Audio description:

Audio descriptive videos include extra narration to describe visual elements in the frame for learners with visual impairments. Use clear, concise and fully formed sentences to add descriptions of who is speaking, the location and the context of the scene. Remember to also describe all text that appears on screen.

Clear writing:

Complex vocabulary, convoluted sentence structures, and excessive jargon can create barriers for learners trying to engage with learning content. Writing in plain English, in a way that is easy to understand removes unnecessary obstacles and allows everyone to access and engage with content without frustration or confusion. Don't use twenty words if ten will do.

Readable and adaptable text:

Use readable fonts, appropriate font sizes and sufficient colour contrast to aid learners with visual impairments or reading difficulties. Avoid using images of text, as screen readers cannot interpret them.

Keyboard accessibility:

Design the learning platform and interactive elements to be fully navigable using a keyboard alone. This helps individuals who cannot use a mouse or other pointing devices.

Video and audio controls:

Provide controls for learners to pause, play and adjust the volume of multimedia content. This enables individuals with different learning preferences and abilities to engage with the material effectively.

Accessible learning in practice

At Aurion Learning, we apply the practices outlined above in the eLearning programmes we develop. This was evident in our recent collaboration with the National Disability Authority (NDA).

The National Disability Authority had a requirement to support and encourage architectural professionals in Ireland to integrate Universal Design into their architectural practice. Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size or disability.

The NDA wanted to demonstrate the benefits of embedding Universal Design throughout the design process, using a case study approach. They also wanted to support architectural professionals to develop their knowledge and awareness of diverse user needs and how they relate to Universal Design guidance.

NDA needed to find a way of meeting these requirements through digital learning. Previous research had identified that digital learning would allow them to deliver learning at scale, making it easily accessible to a wider audience. It would also allow them to showcase what good Universal Design in practice looked like.

Next Steps

At Aurion Learning, we aim to create digital learning solutions that are accessible for all. We seek to remove any barriers to learning and design learning that works for the needs of each and every learner.

We believe that accessible learning is more than just a compliance exercise or a legal requirement; it is a moral imperative. By embracing inclusive practices and adhering to accessibility standards like WCAG 2.1 Level AA, we can create an environment where all learners can thrive.

Stay tuned for more valuable insights and practical tips on our website. In our next article, ‘4 Myths About Accessible Learning,’ we debunk common misconceptions surrounding accessible education, exploring how embracing accessibility can transform the eLearning landscape, fostering engaging learning experiences for all.

Aurion High5

It is important to ensure that all learners, regardless of their abilities, can fully participate in and benefit from eLearning experiences. That is why we have created ‘Aurion High5’, a design framework that delivers the highest levels of accessibility, mobile compatibility and flexibility for your eLearning experience.