Moodle Accessibility

As a Learning Management System (LMS), Open LMS is in many ways already accessible.  However, when we as users start adding our own content to courses there are still items we need to consider.  Please consult the items below when creating material in Open LMS

Text

  • Font type size and color are accessible, readable and consistent throughout the course, including those in uploaded resources and external documents.
    • This is best done by using Open LMS’s built in text editor (Atto) that defaults to acceptable fonts and formatting rather than importing text with less accessible formatting.
    • If you must use a non-default font, use a sans-serif font (such as Arial, Calibri or Tahoma) of at least 12 pt.
    • Limit fonts to no more than 2 per page.
  • For screen reader accessibility and listener understanding of the page structure, content should be structured using headings and lists to organize your content.
    • Do not use font size or bold to create your headings as these are not “read” by screen readers.  Instead, highlight the text for the heading and choose the heading level from the text editor menu in Open LMS.
    • Page titles are generally Heading (large) and the major sections are Heading (medium) to Heading (small).  Do not skip sizes and each page should only have one Heading (large).
  • Do not underline text as it appears to be a broken link online.
  • Use bold or italics to emphasize certain words or phrases sparingly.
  • No flashing or blinking text as this can distract or disturb some users.
  • If you are including numbered or bulleted lists, use the button in the ATTO editor so assistive devices will understand how to present the material.
  • Do not use color as the only visual means of conveying information.  For colorblind students, you should also bold or italicize any colored text so they can see the emphasis.

Tables

  • If you include tables in your pages, follow the directions provided in ATTO so screen readers understand how to read the table (across or up and down).
    • Caption – what the table is about
    • Headers – define how the table is readmg down the columns, across the rows or both

Links

  • Links should be descriptive and makes sense when read out of context such as a user using an assistive device would hear them (avoid using “click here”).
    • Do not write “To access the MySCC page, click here.”
    • Instead the hyperlink should be assigned directly to the word “MySCC”

Images, Charts or Diagrams

  • Text equivalents should be provided for all non-text content.
    • Provide a description of all images in the Description area of the ATTO Image properties dialog box.
      • Think about how you would describe the image over the phone when writing your description.
      • If the image is purely decorative, you may use the Description not required check box (but then, why are you even including it on the page?).
    • If the image is a graph or chart you will need more information:
      • Add a text caption that explains what the graph or chart is showing.
      • If the graphic is complex you may want to also include a longer text description as part of the page.
      • Make sure any graphs or charts do not rely on only color to separate columns or lines.  Include dotted or broken colored lines for colorblind users.

Multimedia

  • Audio files should have transcripts included for deaf users who need to read the material.
  • Video files should have captions and perhaps transcripts for users that need them or would use them as extra learning tools.

 

While this list is Open LMS specific, all these points still apply if you are creating other documents to link to from your Open LMS course.  Please see the additional sections of the area for specific techniques for Word, PDF, etc.

 

Revised: June 2019