Accessibility of External Resources

Quality Matters 

• 8.3 The course provides accessible text and images in files, documents, LMS pages, and web pages to meet the needs of diverse learners. 
• 8.4 The course provides alternative means of access to multimedia content in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners.

National Standards for Quality 

• E3 The online course provides accessible course materials and activities to meet the needs of diverse learners.

While designing the course, as external resources are identified, the project team should test those resources for accessibility. If the resources are not fully accessible to learners, they cannot be required for the learner to use. Please consider the following workarounds: 

1. Consider whether the external content can be adapted directly into the course to ensure accessibility.
   1. If we need to seek permission for use, please speak with your project manager. 
2. If the resource requires permission or updates for accessibility, consult with your project manager to navigate these processes.
3. Explore alternative resources that meet accessibility standards if the original resource is not accessible.
4. If no accessible alternatives are available, consider making the resource optional rather than mandatory for learners.

*Note: Please refer to the Copyright standard to ensure that resources can be used in the capacity you’d like to use them in. 

• WebAim’s Wave Plug-in for website accessibility 
• Axe Developer Tool Plug-in 
• BrowserStack (CDAs, Rob, & Amy have licenses) 
• PDF Accessibility Checker (CDAs have licenses) 
• Style Guide: Copyright
• Style Guide: Hyperlinks
• Style Guide: Closed Captions
• Style Guide: File Accessibility