Student Learning & Licensure (SLL) provides administrators, instructors, and students with built-in tools to create accessible content. By identifying and fixing accessibility barriers before publishing, you can ensure your portfolios and course materials are inclusive for all learners, including those using screen readers or with visual impairments.
This article details the key automated checks available in SLL for enforcing best practices:
1. Mandatory Alternative (Alt) Text for Images
Alternative text, or alt text, is critical for making visual content accessible. It describes the content of an image to users who are blind or have low vision and rely on screen readers.
- Mandatory Field: When uploading an image to a portfolio, course page, or activity, SLL requires a text description. The "Insert Multimedia" dialogue (Image 1) features a dedicated Text Description field marked with a red asterisk, indicating it is a required item.
- Guidance for Best Practices: The interface provides immediate guidance, explaining that alternative text enables screen reader users to understand the image and offering a best-practice guideline: "Please provide a concise text description of the image."
- System-Enforced Compliance: Without text in this field, users cannot proceed to finalise the upload. This ensures no "empty" images are published, which would be invisible or confusing to screen reader users.
2. Built-in Color Contrast Checker in Portfolios
For users with color vision deficiencies or low vision, adequate contrast between text and its background is essential for readability. SLL's Portfolio editor includes a built-in contrast checker that verifies color choices against current accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 AA).
- Real-Time Analysis: When editing portfolio design elements, users can activate a "Show Contrast Analysis" toggle.
- Detailed Feedback: The tool automatically evaluates the color pairs for different sections, including:
- Header: Header Background vs. Header Text
- Navigation: Navigation Background vs. Navigation Text
- Body: Page Background vs. Body Text
- Immediate 'Met'/'Not Met' Status: For each pair, the checker displays the calculated contrast ratio (e.g., 6.96:1, 7.22:1, 8.86:1, as seen in Image 2) and provides an immediate status of "Contrast: Met" with a green checkmark if the standard is satisfied. If a pair does not meet the standard, a "Not Met" status will alert the user to adjust the color choice.