Accessibility Statement
The University of Windsor is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and applying the relevant accessibility standards.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) define requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. It defines three levels of conformance: Level A, Level AA, and Level AAA. This module is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA, which means that some parts of the content do not fully conform to the accessibility standard (outlined below).
The primary technologies used to create this course are Pressbooks and Brightspace by Desire2Learn, with the additional use of H5P, WordPress, and Microsoft Teams (to facilitate live classes). Access to their accessibility information is contained in the links below:
- Pressbooks
- Brightspace by Desire2Learn
- Microsoft Teams by Office 365
- H5P
- WordPress (.org, English, Canada)
We recognize that those adopting or adapting this course for their own practice may use different digital tools, depending on what is supported at their institution.
Tips for using this Course Learning Guide
- All content can be navigated using a keyboard
- Links, headings, and tables are formatted to work with screen readers
- Use your screen reader’s list headings feature to navigate through the headings within the content of a page
- Use the Previous and Next links found at the bottom of each page to navigate through the sequence of pages in the site. To access these links most easily, use your screen reader’s landmarks list to navigate to the content info region, then press Shift+Tab to go back up to the Next links
- Links to other pages of this Pressbook will always open in the current window
- Links to external sites will always open in a new window
- Depending on the operating system and browser being used, font size can be adjusted by pressing a key combination including the plus (+) and minus (-) keys. On Windows systems, the key combination is typically “Ctrl+” and on Mac it is “Command+”
- Alternative text has been provided for images that convey information
- Colour is not used to convey information unless an alternative means to do so has also been provided
- H5P activities were built using accessible formats
Other file formats available
In addition to the web version, this module is available in a number of file formats including PDF, ePUB (for Readers), and various editable files from the homepage; look for the “Download this Book” drop-down menu to select the file type you want.
This module also contains links to a number of external websites. For those using a print copy of this resource, the link text is underlined, and you can find the web addresses for all links in the back matter of the book.
Known Accessibility Issues
While we have attempted to make all elements of this resource conform with international accessibility guidelines, we must acknowledge a few accessibility issues. This table will be updated as new issues arise or are identified.
Location of issue | Need for improvement | Timeline | Workaround |
---|---|---|---|
Various pages | The heading order for some headings do not conform to logical heading order (e.g., H1, H2, H4). | N/A | Lower-order headings are still always placed after higher-order headings, even if levels are skipped for various reasons. |
Various pages | hyphenation in line-breaks | January 31, 2023 | the content is still readable, but may pose some problems for people using zoomed-in versions of the website |
Various pages | External YouTube videos, by other content creators, may not be fully accessible, and may not have described video or accurate captions and transcripts | N/A | Most YouTube videos are extra or optional resources, and are not required for your participation in this course. |
Various pages | The link text [link] is often used at the end of references to provide a direct link to the article or resource. We learned that this is not the appropriate way to include links, and are working to update all direct links to have more specific text that helps identify what the link is. | January 31, 2023 |
Providing Feedback on the Accessibility of this Course
We welcome your feedback on the accessibility of this course. Please let us know if you encounter accessibility barriers or identify ways in which the accessibility may be improved.
You can provide feedback by contacting us:
- Email: openlearning@uwindsor.ca
- Postal Address: Office of Open Learning, University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4
In your communication, please include the following information:
- The location of the problem or target area (e.g., web address or page description)
- A description of the problem or suggestion for improvement
- The type of device, software, browser, and any assistive technology you are using to help us diagnose and solve the issue
- e.g., PC laptop, Windows 10, Google Chrome (Version 65.0.3325.181), NVDA screen reader
This accessibility statement has been adapted from the following resources:
- BCcampus Open Education Accessibility Toolkit — 2nd Edition
- Understanding Document Accessibility: A Reference for Creating Accessible Office Documents
This statement was last updated on December 4, 2023.