Accessibility Overview
We have legal(Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)) and ethical obligations to ensure our resources are accessible to all learners. Resources that are genuinely accessible can improve the learning experience for all students.
WCAG 2.0 and 2.1
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, provide an international standard that defines the accessibility of web-based resources. The principles of WCAG 2.0 apply to other digital assets, including software, video, and digital documents.
Currently, two versions of WCAG are considered stable specifications.
- Initially released in 2008, WCAG 2.0 is the basis for many international accessibility rules and regulations, and it remains a stable W3C Recommendation. However, since it was developed when the first smartphones were only emerging, there is little in the specification to address accessibility through mobile devices. Also, there was little in WCAG 2.0 to address accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities.
- On June 5, 2018, WCAG 2.1 was released as a W3C Recommendation. It is intended to extend WCAG 2.0, adding 17 new success criteria and one additional guideline that addresses mobile accessibility, as well as aspects of accessibility for people with cognitive disabilities, among other additions.
- A goal in creating WCAG 2.1 has been to ensure that sites that comply with it also continue to comply with WCAG 2.0. This ensures that any obligations to conform with WCAG 2.0 are compatible with WCAG 2.1 conformance, if it is used as the basis for creating accessible web content. Organizations and websites should be aiming to conform with WCAG 2.1 into the future but can continue to conform with WCAG 2.0. (The Chang School, 2019).
Suggested Reading: Comparison of WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1
There are three levels of conformance:
- A (lowest),
- AA (mid-range), and
- AAA (highest).
Conformance at higher levels indicates conformance at lower levels.
Level A
Level A guidelines address barriers that will prevent some groups from accessing web content. They MUST be addressed or the content will not be accessible to some people.
An example of a Level A barrier is an image that is not described in the text. There is little a person who is blind can do, without the help of another person, to determine what is being presented in an image when it is not described.
Level AA
Level AA guidelines address barriers that may make it difficult to access web content, but it may still be possible through workarounds or added effort. They SHOULD be addressed, or the content will be more effortful to access than it needs to be.
An example of a Level AA barrier is keyboard focus that is not visible. For someone with low vision who navigates web content with a keyboard, the inability to see when a link has focus, for instance, makes it difficult to know when to press Enter to activate the link. They may still be able to find their way to the link through trial and error, but a lot of unnecessary effort would be needed. Read more about keyboard focus.
Level AAA
Level AAA guidelines address usability, more so than barriers. These items COULD be addressed to improve usability for everyone.
An example of a Level AAA usability issue is the lower-level high school reading–level requirement. For instance, if someone reads in a second language, the use of simpler language, whenever possible, makes reading easier. The use of simpler language also improves accuracy when using automated translation tools. Even for typical readers reading in their first language, using simpler language is generally appreciated and easier to comprehend. For someone with a cognitive disability, simpler language will be easier to understand. In each case, however, the reading level does not prevent a person from accessing the content, but that content would be more usable if it were addressed.
Which Level Should Be the Goal?
Level AA is the generally accepted level of accessibility websites should aim to meet, which is what we aim for in the OER Design Studio.
If it is impossible to meet this level’s requirements, then Level A should be a temporary goal while working toward Level AA over time. Very few websites will meet Level AAA requirements, and, in some cases, it may be counterproductive or undesirable to meet these guidelines. Take, for example, an online medical sciences book. If the Level AAA reading level guideline were followed, it would probably make the content unusable by the intended audience (medical students), if jargon and technical language is replaced with low level paraphrasing to meet this requirement. That said, most public websites that cater to a general audience should probably meet the lower-level high school reading–level requirement.
In addition to meeting Level AA requirements, websites can address some of the Level AAA guidelines, but meeting Level AAA should generally not be the goal. (The Chang School, 2019).
Accessibility and Digital Media Overview
Video: “Simply Said: Understanding Accessibility in Digital Learning Materials” [06:42] by National Center on Accessible Educational Materials is licensed under the Standard YouTube License.
“Accessibility Resources” by ASCCC OERI is licensed CC BY 4.0.
“WCAG Accessibility Levels” in Introduction to Web Accessibility Copyright © 2019 by The Chang School, Toronto Metropolitan University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
“WCAG 2.0 vs. WCAG 2.1” in Introduction to Web Accessibility Copyright © 2019 by The Chang School, Toronto Metropolitan University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
