Accessibility

Providing learner accessibility and active participation

Complying with current legislation and recommendations
Section 508 | WCAG2.1 | EN 301 549 | Equality Act 2010

In the US Section 508 (United States Workforce Rehabilitation Act of 1973), is a federal law mandating that all electronic and information technology developed, procured, maintained, or used by the federal agencies be accessible to people with disabilities. It is mandatory if the organization receives federal funding or assistance.

In the UK The EQA (Equalities Act 2010) states that service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled persons, make reasonable adjustments requires service providers to take positive steps to ensure that disabled people can access services.

Functional Performance Criteria

Visual mode

Be usable with limited vision and without vision or colour perception

Limited vision: Some users will need features that enable them to make better use of their limited vision
Without vision: Some users need least one mode of operation that does not require vision

Audible mode

Be usable with limited hearing and without hearing

Some users need at least one mode of operation that does not require hearing

Manual mode

Be usable with limited reach and strength and without fine motor control or simultaneous manual operations

Some users will need features that enable them to make use of the ICT through alternative actions not requiring manipulation or hand strength

Cognitive mode

Have features making its use simpler and easier for people with limited cognitive, language, and learning abilities

Some users will need features that make it simpler and easier to use

“Plus-one” design thinking (Universal design for learning)

“Plus-one” design thinking means that, for every learning interaction an additional option is provided.

“Plus-one” design thinking is more than just providing access to learners who have disabilities. All learners are more engaged when they have choices and control over how, when, and where they learn.

Many people benefit from features like captions and content that is available on multiple devices, and in varied modalities, for convenience and personal preference.

Multimodal learning supports learners’ preferences and gives them flexibility. For example, a busy person who wants to watch a video on the train or after the kids are asleep can use captioning and keep the sound off.