The Section 508 Accessibility Gap: Why Your Elearning Content Might be Locking Out Millions

Do you think your elearning material is accessible? If not, let’s take a quick test! Close your eyes, put the mouse aside, and try going through the course using only a keyboard. Tab. Enter. Arrow keys. If you can’t log in, switch to modules, or submit an assignment without visual help, imagine how it feels for learners who go through this every day.

Take another case, where an audio message is shared with a person with hearing impairment. This creates digital barriers for an estimated 1.3 billion people, which is almost 16% of the global population, who experience some form of disability currently. That’s where the Section 508 compliance in elearning enters the frame, ensuring that the gap is bridged.

Digging deeper into the scenarios, they also reveal how easy it is to overlook barriers, such as missing focus indicators, poor heading structure, or vague link text, making the content impossible to use. These are the exact issues that Section 508 aims to eliminate. Fret not, as this guide will help you address all such accessibility issues with practical, tested strategies.

Elearning is the most widely used way to deliver education and training. It is a cost-friendly and flexible alternative to classroom-based learning which ensures that learners living in different parts of the world can access education.

Nevertheless, if you are creating elearning content for companies, educational institutions, or government agencies that receive federal funding, you need to ensure that the content complies with Section 508 guidelines. But first, let’s clear the basics by understanding Section 508 compliance in accessibility.

What Is Section 508 Accessibility Compliance?

Section 508 requires federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. Simply put, it ensures that people with or without disabilities can equally utilize electronic and information technology.

That said, the aim of this law is to empower people with disabilities through digital technology. It includes a variety of online content, such as websites, elearning courses, multimedia, and software applications. The inability to comply with these regulations can lead to serious financial and legal penalties for organizations.

“Part of the problem is that we tend to think that equality is about treating everyone the same, when it’s not. It’s about fairness. It’s about equity of access.”
– Judith Heumann, Disability Rights Advocate

Now, imagine you’re designing a compliance checklist. If you work with a U.S. federal agency, Section 508 sets your baseline. But if your course is used globally, WCAG may be the broader standard you follow. Here’s a comparison between the two to help you better understand the difference.

It is important to note that accessibility is about fairness and opportunity. Besides, accessible design benefits everyone. For instance, captions help non-native speakers, keyboard navigation supports people with temporary injuries, and a clear content structure aids faster comprehension for all learners.

Thus, by making your elearning content accessible, you ensure that no one is left behind. However, creating accessible elearning content is easier said than done, as there are many roadblocks in the process. Let’s explore these barriers in the next section.

What Are the Consequences of Non-Compliance to Section 508 in Elearning?

If your elearning material isn’t compliant with Section 508, you’re missing out on a lot of business opportunities. That’s because almost 1 billion of the world’s population has some or the other form of disability. Moreover, the repercussions of non-adherence to this law are far worse. Take a look below:

• Legal and Financial Impact

  Failing to abide by the Section 508 accessibility law leads to lawsuits and penalties. You not only have to pay the fine but also remediate your elearning material to avoid any such consequences in the future.

  Not to forget, remediation costs can run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. Many organizations have been required to rebuild entire platforms, often under court supervision.

• Operational and Reputational Risks

  Inaccessible courses lower engagement and completion rates. They may force you to create alternative formats, doubling work. And if you’re a federal contractor, non-compliance can cost you contract opportunities. We’re sure you won’t be willing to lose everything intentionally!

  That’s why it is best to either opt for 508 compliance services or do it yourself. In the first case, experienced professionals take care of the entire process and help you curate accessible elearning material. They also stay updated with the latest trends, amendments, and Section 508 requirements and implement the same while working on your project. Thus, you can get quality outcomes within the stipulated time and budget.

  But if you insist on taking the DIY approach and want to make your elearning content 508 compliant, you need to take care of a few things. These are discussed in the next section.

How Can You Make Elearning Content 508 Compliant?

Making your elearning content accessible to everyone, irrespective of their abilities, is not rocket science. Here are some important factors you need to consider while creating your elearning content that is Section 508 compliant:

1. Ensure Compatibility with Assistive Technology

It is vital that EIT is equally accessible to people with and without disabilities. For instance, people with visual or hearing impairments might need assistive technology such as hearing aids, speech recognition software, or screen readers to access elearning materials. Therefore, elearning courses should be designed with a focus on the needs of such individuals.

2. Provide Text Equivalents and Alternatives to Visuals

When text equivalents are created within the content on an elearning platform, users with visual impairments can access the same content as those with no visual disability. This includes creating transcripts for video and audio content on an elearning platform, as well as adding alternative text for images and other multimedia elements like tables, graphs, charts, etc.

For graphic and image-based content in your course, provide detailed narrations for all the images displayed. For example, a visually impaired learner might not be able to follow instructions like “…as shown in Figure A”. To meet the Section 508 requirements, whatever is depicted in Figure A should be described below the image in detail.

What’s more is that when an image cannot be loaded, a brief description of the image is displayed as the alt text. In addition to being useful for those who use screen readers to understand the visuals, individuals without any disability can also benefit from such alt-text.

3. Meet the Accessibility Standards

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act lists technical standards for web-based content, including images, audio, video, and text. Your developers should ensure that the content meets the technical standards, such as effective labeling of web pages, subtitles in videos, transcripts in audio files, and closed captions.

Apparently, only 3% of the web is considered accessible. So, ensure that your elearning course material and website fall into this category.

4. Perform Thorough User Testing

Conducting user testing with people with disabilities helps evaluate the efficacy of the elearning materials. They are ideally the ones who suffer from digital barriers; thus, they can provide the apt feedback on how to improve the accessibility of the elearning content. Thus, you can modify your elearning materials accordingly to increase their accessibility in real time.

5. Provide Clear Instructions

Since every individual learns differently, it is vital to provide instructional materials in various formats. This includes audioand video clip instructions, closed-captioned videos, and PDF versions of presentations or notes where needed. When it comes to written instructions, ensure you follow accurate language grammar rules that are supported by visuals and are easy to read.

6. Make Decent Color Contrast Choices

Your color contrast choices should meet the standard requirements for accessibility. These differ depending on the browser or device being used to display materials for individuals with color blindness.

It is important to select your colors wisely. Though a majority of color-blind learners can see things clearly, they find it tough to understand images and text that feature blue, green, or red colors. Take this into consideration while designing your content and avoid using these colors whenever possible.

7. Focus on Navigation

To ensure even more accessibility for every elearning platform user, include drop-down menus with labels. These labels help users easily navigate the menus without having to use the touchpad or mouse. Also, including keyboard commands makes it easier for visually impaired people and those who have difficulty using a mouse to access all the features of your platform for better engagement.

This is because the keyboard is the sole means of navigating through the elearning content for people with disabilities. Though the Tab key is generally used as the chief command for navigation, you should also explore the usage of alternate shortcut keys such as the Space bar.

8. Select Appropriate Content Size and Font

Do not assume that people with visual impairments will easily use operating system commands or browser settings to resize their content. You should provide them with text-resizing configuration options within your elearning material.

Apart from easing the text sizing, it is also important to go a step further when it comes to designing textual content for learners with disabilities. For example, choosing a Sans-Serif font for people with dyslexia can prove to be beneficial.

9. Add Voice-Over and Audio Usage

It is important to provide voice-over features while designing content for visually impaired people. Voice-over effectively reads out and describes the information displayed on the screen. To obtain optimum results, you should also ensure that the learner can control the speed of narration.

Furthermore, individuals with auditory processing disorder often face difficulties in distinguishing similar-sounding tones. They might also not be able to effectively hear course audio over other background noises. Thus, whenever possible, avoid using sounds randomly in your course.

Conclusion

Regardless of whether the law asks you to make your elearning courses accessible or not, it is always the right thing to do. By applying accessibility standards to your courses, you create a positive impact on the adoption of your courses and boost learner retention. It is vital that you rigorously test your courses for 508 accessibility compliance. Turn on the accessibility features of your computer and run your course from start to finish. This will help you fix areas that are not accessible.

To end, run your own “blindfold test,” fix what’s broken, and know that every improvement brings you closer to a truly accessible online classroom.