UHI Accessibility Standards

Introduction

On 23 September 2018 regulations on the accessibility of websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies​ came into force in the UK. 

There is a government compliance audit process to ensure that institutions are complying with the new accessibility legislation. The audits are carried out by the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO).

Accessibility legislation covers all web hosted digital materials, even if they are on the Intranet or in the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), Brightspace. 

UHI's accessibility minimum standards for digital learning and teaching content, were approved in 2011 as part of the Blended Learning Standards. The UHI accessibility minimum standards cover Animations, Audio, Colour and contrast, Images, PDF files, Pictograms, icons and symbols, PowerPoint files, Tables and figures, Table of contents (toc), Videos and Word. These standards have now been updated to include additional items such as captioning, transcripts and HTML (compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA) and have been incorporated into this learning artefact 'UHI Accessibility Standards in digital content'.

Accessibility statements

Do I have to write an accessibility statement?

Currently you do not have to write an accessibility statement for your content.

If any of your current learning materials are not accessible, you should alert students in your module introduction and/or handbook. If you are making substantial edits to these resources, you will need to ensure that the new version is accessible. 

All new core learning materials must be accessible.

If it is not possible for your core learning materials to be accessible, you must provide an accessible alternative. In Brightspace, Ally will help you do this.

Accessibility in digital content

In recent years the removal of barriers in online learning has become a key factor for anyone developing digital learning material.

Typical barriers include:

• Auditory – deafness, hearing impairments;
• Visual – blindness, partially sighted;
• Cognitive/intellectual/developmental - dyslexia, memory impairment;
• Physical – muscular dystrophy.

Government guidelines

When developing learning material in an online environment, the detailed Government Guidance: Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies on the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 is a core resource.

The following pages provide information on how you might make reasonable adjustments to your teaching resources.  Note: even if you only intend to distribute print copies of your resources, the original digital resource should be in an accessible format.

Colour and contrast

Users who have a colour deficit are unable to distinguish between specific colours. As we age, our eyes are also not so easily able to differentiate between colours and we need higher levels of visual contrast.

Colour

Contrast

Images

Images can be used to convey information that is difficult to convey by text alone. They can assist those with dyslexia and others who have problems processing written information. Images can also add interest to learning materials. For those who have difficulty reading images, however, you need to ensure the same, or similar, information is conveyed in, for example, a text file that is easily accessible to someone using a screen reader.

What constitutes an image?

Photographs, drawings, paintings, diagrams, equations, formulae, notations and symbols are all examples of images.

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word (text) documents are one of the most widely used formats for learning materials. To ensure that you are providing equity of experience for all your learners, you must follow the accessibility guidelines below.

Following the guidelines will also make it easier for you to create a table of contents and convert your document into an accessible PDF format.

PDFs

A PDF file is a type of file format that enables a document to be presented in the same format as the original. It can be read by anyone who has a PDF reader installed on their device. For example, Adobe Acrobat Reader is a popular free program.

It is possible to save a Word file as a PDF file. If you do this, make sure that your document is properly formatted in Word first. For more information and guidance, visit the UHI Accessibility basics: Microsoft Word guidance.

See the section on PDF creation for more information on how to create learning materials in PDF format.

Scanning

Scanning a document usually creates an image of a document. This means that people using screen readers cannot access the content unless you write a descriptive summary. This is time consuming, for example, reproducing a book chapter, but there are easy solutions which make many documents accessible.

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is one of the most popular means of creating a slide show as they can be easily structured and can also contain multimedia. They are not, however, as accessible for people using screen readers.

Tables and figures

You will need to ensure that they do not cause accessibility problems for screen readers, Braille printers and for those who have learning difficulties or who may find a tabular layout difficult to follow.

Audio

Audio files can:

• help personalise the learning environment;
• add interest and variety;
• be used to provide feedback;
• convey more than can be conveyed by text alone (intonation etc).

Information that is only provided in audio format is a barrier to learning for those who cannot hear the audio content. You must therefore ensure that you provide the audio information in an alternative format.

Audio feedback and feedforward

Teaching staff may wish to use audio feedback with their students. It is highly recommended that staff provide students with the option of a written alternative to the audio feedback.

You could hold a poll at the start of the unit/module to obtain student preferences.

Video

Rich information can be conveyed using video. It is also extremely useful for demonstrating dangerous activities, showing processes (especially close-ups etc) and adding interest to your courses.

Those with visual or hearing impairments will need a transcript of the video to ensure that they understand what is happening. This transcript must describe all of the action as well as report the speech.

Captions and transcripts

During the delivery of courses at UHI, staff record a large volume of taught sessions. This increased dramatically with the pandemic response and the continued shift to blended and online models of delivery. The current volume of video recordings would require more than 36,000 hours of proofreading and editing captions. It would thus be a disproportionate burden for staff to proofread and edit captions. In response to this, the University is adopting the following policy, which has been discussed and supported by UHI management. 

Policy

Studio or desktop taught sessions should be recorded in Webex. Webex generates a transcript for all videos. The quality of the transcript varies depending on microphone quality, ambient noise, and diction. 

Requirement for 100% accurate captions or transcript 

There are three occasions where you must provide 100% accurate captions or transcripts: 

• If your recorded session is the primary learning object, for example pre-recorded taught sessions, e.g., flipped classroom lectures. 

• If you refer students to third party recordings that are primary learning objects. 

• If a student’s PLSP specifies their videos must have accurate captions or a transcript. 

Note: if there is something happening in the video that is not accompanied by any sound, for example if you show a chart or give a demonstration, this information must be described in the transcript. 

View, search, and edit Webex recording transcripts. 

Supplemental learning objects 

If the video is a supplemental learning object, you do not need to ensure the transcript is 100% accurate provided you do the following: 

• Check the transcripts do not provide inaccurate and potentially dangerous information, e.g., if you say, “The dose is 4 to 5mls” and the captions/transcript says, “The dose is 45mls”, such errors must be corrected prior to release of the video. 

• You must inform all students that: 
   
  • the videos are supplemental learning material for revision or catch up. 
    
    
  • the captions are not 100% accurate. 
    
    
  • You must refer students to an accurate written source (e.g., taught session notes, textbook references) or a glossary. 

This policy applies to recording live sessions, pre-prepared recordings, and third-party recordings. 

HTML

Within Brightspace, web pages are created in HTML. The Accessibility and the Brightspace HTML editor resource lists the required accessibility standards. The UHI Forge development tool is also covered under this standard. 

Staff who create other web pages for teaching need to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA. Visit also Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies. 

Table of contents

A table of contents can be easily created in Word documents if you format your headings using the Word styles formatting options.

Including a correctly formatted table of contents will help all users navigate your document more easily. If created using Word heading styles, it will also help those with screen readers navigate your document more easily.

Pictograms

Animation

Animation can distract people with learning disabilities and may make it very difficult for them to concentrate on other parts of the screen.

Screen readers and Braille displays cannot read information that is animated.

Specialist software

Staff who use specialist software, e.g., Adobe, Matlab must direct students to the product’s accessibility statement. For example, Accessibility Standards | D2L.

This is particularly relevant to Academic Partner staff who are using specialist software purchased by their partner college rather than UHI.

If the software isn’t accessible, staff must ensure they are able to provide an alternative equivalent prior to using the software. Note: prior to the use of any new software that is not on the Core technologies list, staff must apply for approval of the new software by completing the UHI New Software for L&T and Administration form in the Desktop, Print and Storage section of the UniDesk Self Service Portal.

Accessibility statements for approved non-core technologies can be found on Mahara.

Groupwork

If (as part of group work, for example) students need to their share digital content, teaching staff must consider the requirements of any students with PLSPs to ensure no students are disadvantaged. 

If, for example, student videos are to be shared with the group, the accessibility requirements are 100% accurate captions. But this will increase the length of the assessment and could be considered a disproportionate burden.

Another example would be students giving PowerPoint presentations to the class. Teaching staff must ensure that the presentations are accessible to any student with a PLSP and it is the teaching staff's responsibility to make the items accessible, not the students. However, with careful thought and planning, the staff burden could be turned into a positive teaching moment by encouraging students to learn about accessibility as a key graduate/employment attribute. 

Staff must ensure that all students can participate in group work.