Blogpost #2: Making Online Learning Accessible: A Hands-On Example





In today’s digital world, creating accessible online educational materials is not optional—it's essential. Accessibility ensures that all learners, regardless of ability, can engage with and benefit from educational resources. In this post, I’ll share how I evaluated and improved a simulated learning object, describe the accessibility issues I found, outline the changes I made, and recommend tools to support accessible design.




Why Accessibility Matters

Accessible education materials are crucial because they remove barriers for learners with disabilities and improve the user experience for everyone. According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), accessibility means that "people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web" (W3C, 2018). Inaccessible content excludes users, while accessible content empowers them.

Evaluation of the Learning Object

The learning object titled Orchards and Vineyards initially included strong organization and relatively simple language. However, several key elements did not meet accessibility standards:

  • Images lacked alt text: Screen reader users could not perceive the images.

  • Captions were vague: Captions simply labeled images ("Orchard" and "Grapes") without meaningful context.

  • Hyperlink was inaccessible: A raw URL was used instead of a descriptive link.

  • Contrast concerns: The text may not have had sufficient contrast against the background for users with low vision.

  • Lack of semantic structure: The document did not properly use headings and figure elements.

Changes Made

To address these issues, I made the following improvements:

  • Added descriptive alt text for each image to explain their content meaningfully.

  • Enhanced image captions to provide informative descriptions rather than simple labels.

  • Converted the URL into a descriptive link (e.g., "Guide to Grafting Techniques") to make it more screen reader-friendly.

  • Suggested darker text colors to improve contrast.

  • Improved logical structure by organizing content into clear headings and consistent sections.

Here’s a visual comparison of the learning object:

Before Improvements






After Improvements



These changes help ensure that users who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, or visual enhancements can engage with the content more effectively.

Recommended Tools for Accessibility

To assist with creating accessible educational content, I recommend these valuable resources:

  1. WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool – An easy-to-use tool that identifies accessibility errors and warnings (WebAIM, 2023).

  2. Color Contrast Analyzer – Helps ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors for readability.

  3. Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) Guidelines – Provides techniques for making dynamic content more accessible (W3C, 2018).

Final Thoughts

Reviewing and refining accessibility is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix. By using best practices—like providing alt text, writing clear links, ensuring contrast, and structuring content logically—we can create online educational materials that are inclusive and effective for everyone. Accessible design is not just about compliance; it is about caring for and empowering all learners.

References

Landsman, J. (2019, October 2). Grafting a scion to a rootstock. The Spruce. https://www.thespruce.com/grafting-glossary-scion-and-rootstock-3269516

WebAIM. (2023). WAVE web accessibility evaluation tool. https://wave.webaim.org/

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). (2018). Accessible rich internet applications (WAI-ARIA) 1.1. https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria-1.1/

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