At D2L, our goal is to reach every learner. One important part of this mission
is supporting clients across the globe in complying with their local regulatory
requirements for accessibility. Fortunately, the regulations in most countries
point to the same accessibility standards – the World Wide Web Consortium’s
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
The EU Web Accessibility Directive
The European Union’s (EU) Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102 is an
example of such a local accessibility requirement. This directive requires
websites and mobile applications of public sector bodies in the EU to be
accessible to people with disabilities in alignment with the most recent
WCAG guidelines at Level AA. The EU Directive required member states to
publish their own accessibility regulations by September 23, 2018.
The UK Accessibility Regulations
In response to the EU Directive, the UK government passed the Public Sector
Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations
2018. This regulation states that all public sector websites or apps must:
- Meet accessibility standards as per the EU Directive
- Publish an accessibility statement
D2L supports clients in meeting these accessibility regulations in the
following ways.
Meeting WCAG 2.1 Standards
At D2L, we align our production processes with the latest version of the
WCAG standards, which is WCAG 2.1 now. We post our WCAG 2.1 checklist
showing conformance with these standards publicly on the accessibility
compliance page of our corporate website. This report details the functional
performance and accessibility of the Brightspace solution (including mobile apps) for users with disabilities in alignment with Level AA standards. Given
the continuous development and monthly deployment environment we
operate in, the exceptions listed in this report represent a set of issues under
repair at the time of reporting. When there are major changes to the status,
we publish an updated report. Clients can include relevant details about
Brightspace from this report in their accessibility statement.
Posting an Accessibility Statement
Public sector bodies in the UK are required to post an accessibility statement
on their website by:
- 23 September 2019 for new websites created from 23 September 2018
onward - 23 September 2020 for existing websites
- 23 June 2021 for mobile apps
The UK Government Digital Service provides comprehensive compliance
guidance along with a sample accessibility statement. Clients may add an
accessibility statement specific to their Brightspace implementation from
their Brightspace login page or within the Brightspace navbar using our
report as a reference point.
Together we can reach and support our learners.
This post is for informational purposes only and not intended as legal advice.