Help for Learning Designers using WCAG2
When it comes to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2, we know there can be complexities that might leave learning designers feeling daunted. But worry not, we're here to break it down for you.
The primary goal of WCAG 2 is to ensure that web content is perceivable, operable, and understandable for the widest possible range of users. We want to guarantee compatibility with various assistive technologies, both present and future. To achieve this, we follow these fundamental principles:
Perceivable Content: This principle revolves around making web content easily perceivable to all users. It includes providing text alternatives for non-text content like images, ensuring multimedia has captions or transcripts, and making sure content can be presented in different ways without losing its meaning.
Operable Interface: Users should be able to navigate and interact with web content without any barriers. This means making all functionality available through keyboard access, ensuring users have enough time to read and use content, avoiding content that flashes or moves excessively, and creating easily understandable navigation mechanisms.
Understandable Content and Controls: It's crucial to present information and operation of user interface components in a clear and straightforward manner. This involves using consistent and predictable navigation, providing input assistance to avoid and correct errors, and creating readable and understandable content.
Robust and Future-proof: Our web content needs to be robust enough to work well with current and future technologies. Following standard and updated HTML, CSS, and other web technologies is essential for ensuring longevity and adaptability.
Accessibility is not just for people with disabilities; it's for all of us! Just like ramps in the physical world benefit not only people in wheelchairs but also cyclists and parents with strollers, accessible web content helps everyone. Think about someone in a noisy place who can't hear well or someone driving and unable to focus on the screen – they'll thank us for making things accessible!
And when it comes to creating learning content, the best approach is to make accessibility a priority right from the beginning. WebAIM's handy checklist and contrast checker is an awesome place to start. It'll guide you through the process, making sure your content is inclusive and welcoming to everyone.