The Tools You’ll Find on My Desk for an Instructional Design Accessibility Audit
Leah sits at her desk holding four of her favorite reference sheets for accessibility audits.
I recently completed an instructional design accessibility audit for one of my clients. This type of audit assesses how well online educational resources line up with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2.
The WCAG guidelines make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities. Alignment with these standards also helps make content more accessible to more learners and users in general. Accessible design benefits everyone!
As I dove into the project, I laughed at the growing pile of reference tools and documents on my desk.
It’s really helpful to have everything laid out in front of me while I work on an accessibility audit. So, I thought it would be fun to share what’s on my desk!
1. WebAIM WCAG Checklist:
I like being able to quickly flip through this printed document manually. It’s a great reminder of the guideline hierarchy and its associated success criteria levels. For example:
Principle Level: Principle 1: Perceivable.
Guideline Level: Guideline 1.1 Text Alternatives
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Success Criteria Level A)
I also keep an electronic copy of the WCAG Quick Reference Guide open on my computer while I audit. I highly recommend clicking on the “Understanding” button for each sub-category; it has really helpful descriptions and examples for each.
2. Keyboard Testing Cheat Sheet:
These keyboard navigation instructions help me determine if an online learning resource is completely accessible and functional using only keyboard navigation. For example, I use the TAB key to move to the next interactive element on the page or resource.
3. Deque: Quick Reference Guide: NVDA for Windows Keyboard Commands:
Non-Visual Desktop Access (NVDA) allows blind and vision-impaired people to access and interact with the Windows operating system and many third-party applications. I use the NVDA screen reader during accessibility audits to get a more comprehensive user experience.
4. WebAIM Level of Severity Ratings:
This document helps me sort accessibility issues into one of four categories (Critical, Significant, Moderate, and Recommendations), depending on how it impacts users and learners. For example, Critical Issues cause web content or functionality to be completely inaccessible to some users.
These resources help me create an instructional design audit report for my clients.
Screenshot of sample RPH accessibility audit report. This section focuses on WCAG Priniciple #1- Perceivable. The educational resources do not currently support these standards.
Learn More About Instructional Design Audits:
If you or your organization would benefit from an instructional design accessibility audit, please complete our contact form. We’d love to hear more about your e-learning projects and how we can help support you in making them more accessible to more learners.
I’d love to hear from you!
What’s one professional reference or tool that YOU keep on your desk (or close by) for quick and easy reference for the work that you do?