The Brightspace HTML Editor has a built in Accessibility Checker designed to help you improve the accessibility of your content pages. In addition to using Ally and the Microsoft Accessibility Checker, the Brightspace Accessibility Checker is another tool in your toolbox to help you enhance the accessibility of your content.
In this article:
Here are seven simple tips to build more accessible content with the help of the Brightspace Accessibility Checker.
Run the Brightspace Accessibility Checker
The Brightspace Accessibility Checker is available within the Brightspace Editor when you create or edit HTML content pages. You can select Check Accessibility anytime while editing your content. The Accessibility Checker catches common accessibility issues on HTML content (web pages) and offers suggestions to help you fix the issues on the spot.
Note: the Accessibility Checker does not replace real-user testing especially when you have interactive activities that are imported into the course. Real-user testing is still needed for scenarios such as keyboard-only navigation and screen reader testing.
Adding Proper Image Alternative Text
While inserting an image within the Brightspace Editor, you are prompted to enter the alternative text, or "alt text", which will be automatically embedded into the HTML code.
If the alt text is missing, the Accessibility Checker will display an "Images must have alternative text" error message. It will then provide you the opportunity to repair the issue by adding alt text inside the report panel.
Color Contrast Checker
Low color contrast is another common accessibility issue. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA requires a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
There is a built-in color checker within the Brightspace HTML Editor. As you select a font color for your text, the color Contrast Ratio is calculated and indicates whether it conforms to WCAG 2.1 benchmarks. Based on the same principle, the Accessibility Checker can catch the following issues:
- Large text must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
- Visual presentation must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
Tip: To adjust the color contrast, you can use the WebAIM: Color Contrast Checker to lighten or darken options to modify the colors slightly.
Use Headings Correctly
Headings allow learners with visual impairment to understand the logical structure of the page and navigate to or skip over sections. If the page headings are only made of bold text or large font size, the screen reader cannot make sense of the hierarchy or help the users quickly go to the section they wanted.
Every page should have an H1 heading (usually the page title), then H2 Heading as the major section headings, down to H3, H4, and so on. The headings also need to be used in the correct order.
To use headings correctly, select the text then set it to the proper heading use the Format dropdown menu. Do Not skip a level. If the heading levels are not in order, the Accessibility Checker will report Heading order must be sequential.
Use Lists Appropriately
Lists convey a hierarchical content structure to screen reader users. Unordered list should be used when list items can be arranged randomly (order of items in the list doesn't matter), while ordered list should be used when a sequential order is important.
To use lists, select the items, then choose the Unordered List icon if the order doesn’t matter or select Ordered List from the dropdown menu if it is sequential.
The Accessibility Checker will suggest to Use list markup for lists if the lists were not true list.
Create Descriptive Hyperlink Text
Making hyperlinks accessible is one of the most important aspects of web accessibility. To use hyperlinks, select Insert Quicklink icon, then select URL in the popup window, enter the URL and the Title that describes the link’s destination.
Best practices:
- Create unique and descriptive hyperlink text
- Do not use the URL as hyperlink text
- Do not use phrases such as “click here,” “more,” or “click for details”
- Avoid providing two links right next to each other that point to the same location (it can be confusing for screen reader users). Try combining the links when possible.
Create Accessible Tables
A table contains columns or rows that show the meaning of the data in the grid. Sighted user can quickly make visual association between the data and the row/column headers, however the users who cannot see the table cannot make the visual associations, they rely on the screen reader to navigate through the cells one at a time, and hear the column/row headers if the table is marked up properly. For detailed explanation, refer to the article WebAIM – Creating Accessible Tables.
To create accessible tables, select the cells to be marked as a table header, select Table Cell Properties then chose Cell Type as Column Header or Row Header.
Here are some common errors can be caught by the Accessibility checker:
- Tables must have captions.
- How to fix: set a brief descriptive text to indicate the content of the table.
- Tables must have at least one header.
- How to fix: Set table header to “Header Row” or “Header Column”.
- Table headers must be associated with cells.
- How to fix: Set header scope to “Row” or “Column” for simple table header.
Additionally, you can use accessible HTML templates to create new pages to achieve a consistent look and feel while maintaining the accessibility. At D2L, we recognize the needs for non-developer friendly templates.