Our approach
Accessibility is about good design, which works for everyone. We want to support course teams to ensure all students and staff are able to navigate digital learning spaces easily. This supports us to meet our legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010 to provide ‘anticipatory adjustments’ for everyone.
On this page we have gathered some simple and practical ideas for improving accessibility in our course materials, on Moodle and in educational videos. We have curated a space to bring together material from across UAL, as well as building up our own bank of information specifically related to digital learning.
Many of the materials and ideas here come from the UAL Digital accessibility team, Disability Services and UAL Teaching online. We would like to thank those teams and encourage you to look at their materials in more detail.
The Social Model of disability
UAL adopts the Social Model of disability, which says that disability is caused by obstacles in our world, rather than individual circumstances. It is therefore our responsibility to remove those obstacles. In this model the question is ‘What can we change?’
Good practice: Top tips
Top tips:
Here is a list of things to consider when you are creating a document. This list is not exhaustive but they are a good place to start:
- Give visual elements alternative text (Alt Text). This helps users that rely on screen readers to receive the same information as a sighted person.
- Mark images as decorative. If images carry no information other than to give the document a decorative element you should mark it as decorative with the alt-text tool. This way the screen reader will skip it.
- Align text to the left. Left-aligned text is more readable. Avoid using justified text or centred text.
- Use the paragraph spacing tool to adjust the space between paragraphs. Avoid pressing enter multiple times to create space between paragraphs as this makes it harder for screen readers to interpret the correct structure of the document.
- Make links accessible by giving the user proper context of where they will go and what they will find when clicking there. Avoid using phrases such as “click here”. Do not leave the text as a raw URL.
- Apply a heading structure to your document. Headings indicate the beginning of important sections within the content. This will help everyone navigate the document and those using screen readers to interpret the structure of the document correctly.
- Check the colour contrast. Ensure that there is enough contrast between the text colour and the background colour. You can download the Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) from self-service.
- You can use an accessibility checker. These are built-in to Microsoft software and are quick and easy to use. However, you should note that not all checkers adhere to WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
Writing alternative text
It is important to remember the context when writing alt-text or image descriptions. What do the readers need to know in this context?
Quick tips:
- Be concise. A short sentence will usually be enough.
- Aim for an equivalent experience – accurately present a description of the content and function of the image.
- Avoid repeating the same information as text which appears alongside the image.
- Avoid unnecessary phrases, for example “image of …” or “graphic of …”.
For a more detailed guide to writing useful image descriptions, have a look at the Poet Training Tool or the School for the Blind e-learning guidance.
Accessible documents
Creating accessible materials
We all have a shared responsibility for making sure our documents are as accessible as possible. There are some relatively simple habits we can adopt to make significant improvements and create an environment where all staff and students have equal access.
One of the key tips is to upload your course materials to Moodle in their original version e.g. MS Word or Powerpoint. This way, they are more malleable for students or staff to use with their own assistive software, or according to their own preferences. In addition, avoid scanned documents as these are impossible for a screen reader to read, are often poor quality and contain very little navigational information which would help us all.
UAL offers services to support staff and students in creating accessible materials:
SensusAccess is available to both staff and students to convert a wide variety of file types into a more accessible version.
The Scans for Teaching service supports staff to provide accessible reading lists to all students. Fill in the form and the UAL library will (wherever possible), source a link to your reading material which is both accessible and copyright compliant.
Use PDFs with care:
PDFs can create many accessibility issues and should be used with care. One of the major problems is that the text is not selectable or malleable, in which case a Word or Powerpoint file or HTML text will be more useful. Secondly, they are often not tagged, which means they don’t have the underlying structure which is necessary for a screen reader to read them.
If you really want to upload course materials to Moodle as a PDF, we recommend this workflow in order to produce a tagged PDF:
See the Adobe Acrobat Pro guides opposite for remediating existing PDFs.
Guides
In this section you will find short video tutorials and links to clear and simple resources which show you how to create more accessible documents. Please bear in mind that a Word or Powerpoint document in its original format will be more accessible than a PDF.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft PowerPoint
Adobe Acrobat Pro
As we know there are many PDFs in use across the university, please see the guides below for making them as accessible as possible, particularly if you don’t have the original file.
Please note: Acrobat Pro is the only version of Acrobat that can be used to view and edit the accessibility information of a PDF
InDesign
Looking for more information about your course documents? Use Ally
Ally is a built-in accessibility tool in Moodle which gives you an accessibility score for your uploaded material, an overall Course Report, as well as guidance on how, and why, to make changes to improve your documents. For more information visit our Ally page.
Live captions & transcripts
Recording teaching sessions
Recording teaching sessions is one of the major supports CSM can offer to students who, for a wide variety of reasons may not be able to attend the session. Reasons might include: medical appointments, illness, language support, caring responsibilities, etc.. For more information about recording live online sessions, see our Digital Tools guidance.
If you need support with recording live face-to-face sessions, please do get in touch at csmdigitallearning@arts.ac.uk.
What is the difference between live captions and transcripts?
There are numerous terms that refer to the automated AI process of translating speech into text. Live captions refers to the simultaneous translation of speech to text. Captions/transcripts on the other hand use similar technology but do this once recording has been processed. Below are some examples of both types of captioning. Please note only the ones referred to as ‘UAL platform’ are supported by IT Services and the various Digital Learning Teams.
Tools
Live captions: Microsoft Teams
Teams offers a very simple and powerful live captions solution. To enable this click on the three dots (…) in the menu and select Turn on live captions. Please note that if you choose to record the Teams session that this will then appear within the Teams chat (currently available for 2 week). Teams is a UAL supported platform.
Live captions: Google Chrome
This accessibility feature is part of the Chrome browser. Once enabled it will generate live captions for both pre-recorded and live video. This can be enabled via the Chrome preferences settings. Go to: Preferences/Advanced/Accessibility and enable Live captions. Please note that this currently only works for English.
Live Captions: Otter
Otter is a very simple to use live captioning and note taking solution. It captions the spoken word in the physical world (such as an interview or lecture) as well as digital content from your device (such as videos or podcasts). Unlike the other solutions it provides all the live transcript as a searchable text document. It currently provides an account giving you 600 minutes transcription per month for free. App also available for iPhone and iPad. Otter is not a UAL platform Otter website
Transcripts: Panopto
Panopto captioning can either be displayed in a separate side panel or within the video itself. Manual edits can be made to the automated captions and the captions are fully searchable. Note that a CC icon appears at the bottom of your video to indicate that captions have been enabled. Panopto is a UAL platform.
Transcripts: Microsoft Stream
MS Teams recordings are now by default hosted in MS Stream. All Steam recordings display a transcript of the audio. This transcript can be used as a navigational device enabling you to access the corresponding part in the recording. As with Panopto, the transcript is fully searchable and can be displayed within the video window. Stream is a UAL platform.
UAL Platforms
Choosing a platform for your course
Choosing a platform to use in teaching can be a tricky process. In terms of accessibility and inclusion, there are a wide range of considerations. Some platforms are ‘more accessible’ than others, but as everyone’s needs and preferences are different, it will also be a choice. Our aim is to make that choice more informed, so that students and staff can be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the different UAL platforms.
The UAL Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) is made of a variety of platforms which are meant to be as accessible as possible for all users regardless of ability, in accordance with the WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
We have produced a short summary of some of the key considerations for our main platforms, along with links to their Accessibility statements. If you would like to discuss this further, please do get in touch with the CSM Digital Learning team.
Other accessibility statements for the UAL website, My Timetable and more, can be found below:
Accessibility statements
Since everybody is different, it can be hard to gauge the best way to do things for an inclusive approach. We suggest getting into the habit of letting everyone know in advance which platforms you’ll be using. That way, students and staff can let you know if there is a problem and a solution can be found in advance.
Moodle is the most accessible platform of the UAL VLE. It has been designed with accessibility in mind. While some users may find Moodle restrictive and unappealing, its limitations allow for ease of use regardless of abilities. As with other platforms, accessibility will depend on the way content is presented and curated. Clear language, meaningful links, and use of navigation tools will improve the user experience. In addition, the accessibility tool allows users to change the appearance, and plugins like Ally provide a way to download content in a different format as well as guidance on how to improve the accessibility of uploaded material.
Collaborate Ultra is the synchronous platform of choice at UAL and most online teaching happens there. It is designed and developed in accordance to WCAG 2.1 AA, allowing access via screen readers and keyboard navigation. While not providing automatic captioning it has the option to designate a specific user as captioner.
Workflow uses Mahara.com, and Mahara’s goal is to be fully accessible and usable for all users. Mahara has a good level of accessibility when it comes to viewing and creating content, including keyboard accessible controls and text descriptions for screen readers. However, Workflow is not always ‘accessible’ as content is created and added by the user community and accessibility guidance (e.g. alt-text, headings structure, transcripts) are not always used.
Myblog is UAL’s WordPress solution to create websites and blogs. It is fully accessible and is developed in accordance with WCAG 2.1, providing ease of navigation by headings, links and keyboard. As with any platforms, it is essential to provide the correct content structure and include headings as well as captioning visual materials.
Miro can really support inclusive activities in that is it great for collaboration and has a wide range of templates, layout options and tools which can open the door for a variety of preferences from students and staff. As with all other platforms, a lot depends on the way content is added, boards are set up, and instructions are given. Some good tips are: make use of frames to structure board content, ensure the content is visible at 100 percent and consider turning off cursors at times, to reduce distractions.
Padlet is a great platform in terms of the ease of use and visually appealing layouts and for many users this will be fine. You can also support inclusivity by taking care with your backgrounds (avoid images which interfere with the outline of posts), and ensuring there is sufficient colour contrast. Padlet are currently working towards WCAG 2.1 AA, but are not yet there. Padlets are not navigable via the keyboard and not all features will be read by a screenreader. For more detailed information, see their accessibility statement.
Further support for inclusive teaching
Netiquette
When thinking about inclusive practice it is also important to think not just about what the platforms can do, but how we create learning spaces with them. Negotiating inclusive and enriching learning spaces with students is a vital stage whether you’re online or face to face.
To help with blended learning spaces, the CSM Learning and Teaching team have developed a Netiquette for staff and students. Visit our Netiquette page for more information.