Guideline 1.3 - Adaptable
Outline
This article details a point in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and what the implications are for creating accessible course content in Evolve and is part of a larger path.
To view the full guidelines, please visit the Accessibility: WCAG 2.1 and Evolve path.
Guideline 1.3.1
Info and Relationships Level A Information, structure, and relationships conveyed through presentation can be programmatically determined or are available in text.
Explanation
This refers to having a logical structure and adequate labeling on web content.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
With Evolve, you have the freedom to structure your pages and content in a multitude of ways, but whatever layout you choose, the path through pages of content will be the same top down, left to right journey (unless translated into a right-to-left language, which Evolve can of course do).
The only way you could not serve this guideline is if you made a course that jumped from content to content in a non-linear way, without any explanation to the user about where they were or what was happening at any given point.
In terms of labeling, Evolve has done most of the work for you already. An example would be that when you add a title to a piece of content, whether that be a page header or a component title, those headings are tagged in such a way that assistive technologies such as screen readers recognize and identify them as the right level of heading. As long as your course has meaningful titles where necessary, and everything is labeled adequately, your course will meet this requirement.
Guideline 1.3.2
Meaningful Sequence Level A When the sequence in which content is presented affects its meaning, a correct reading sequence can be programmatically determined.
Explanation
Expanding upon the last point, this requires content to be in a logical order, and navigable with assistive technologies such as screen readers that follow that logical order.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
The journey through a page of Evolve content will always follow a logical, expected order, regardless of whether the learner is tabbing through content with the keyboard, or navigating with a screen reader. This guideline is easily met by the way Evolve structures content.
Guideline 1.3.3
Sensory Characteristics Level A Instructions provided for understanding and operating content do not rely solely on sensory characteristics of components such as shape, color, size, visual location, orientation, or sound.
Explanation
This means that you aren’t identifying things solely in terms of the above characteristics, such as instructing a learner to "select the image of the red door." If a learner is color blind, they would have no means of identifying what was being asked.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
This is down to content choices rather than any technical settings. It needs some careful thought to make sure you aren’t excluding any of your learners with certain language and design choices. This can cover everything from the red door example above, to not referring to anything as being ‘in the top right of the screen." A term like that wouldn't be meaningful to a screen reader user.
Guideline 1.3.4
Orientation Level AA Content does not restrict its view and operation to a single display orientation, such as portrait or landscape unless a specific display orientation is essential.
Explanation
This is one of the more recent additions to WCAG, that covers the use of touchscreen mobile devices. This states that content must not be tied solely to one orientation of the device.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
Evolve content is fully responsive. It displays just fine in portrait or landscape (although it adjusts the layout to suit the screen size and orientation of the device) so this point is not an issue for your courses.
Guideline 1.3.5
Identify Input Purpose Level AA The purpose of each input field collecting information about the user can be programmatically determined.
Explanation
This guideline is concerned with online forms. Browsers can store user information for things such as name and address, and can auto-complete forms. This guideline specifies how those fields should be coded and identified to allow this to happen.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
This is not relevant for Evolve content. Form fields may be included in a course; a user may be asked to enter text into an Open Input Component for example, but this wouldn’t be a repetitive action where the learner was having to enter the same information repeatedly.
As long as clear instructions (and aria labels) are included wherever a learner is asked to enter text into a field, this will suffice.
Guideline 1.3.6
Identify Purpose Level AAA In content implemented using markup languages, the purpose of User Interface Components, icons, and regions can be programmatically determined.
Explanation
This triple A guideline identifies that individuals with cognitive difficulties may prefer to substitute their own icons and names for elements such as buttons and links, and that consistent use of metadata and semantics would allow users to do this.
What does this mean for your content in Evolve?
While a learner may not be able to swap out items in an Evolve course, the use of icons and names across all the Evolve interactions is both logical and consistent. When creating content, make sure that manually added icons and formatting are used consistently.
For example, don’t use the same icon in different places to signify different things. Ensure that links are formatted in a consistent way and content is not laid out in an overly complex or ‘cluttered’ manner. Again, knowing your audience and their needs is key here — the more you know about an audience’s specific requirements, the better you can tailor your Evolve courses to meet their needs.
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