Accessibility Features for Screen Readers
Brightspace includes features aimed at improving the usability of the system for learners using assistive technology. Design decisions that D2L uses to benefit screen reader users include the following items:
- Standard page design. Similar functionality appears in the same place and is accessed in the same way across tools.
- Simple heading structure across all tools. Heading 1 is used for page titles. Heading 2 is used for widgets and major page sections. Heading 3 is used to organize information within widgets and subsections.
- Unique, contextual link names and button names.
- Title attributes on links that open the link in a new window. It is recommended that you adjust your screen reader settings to read the title attribute. When this setting is turned on, the screen reader alerts you when a link opens in a new window.
- Descriptive alternative text on all system images and graphics. Brightspace also prompts course designers to include alternative text when uploading images.
- Table row and column markup and table summaries or captions.
- Toggle icons, such as show/hide, indicate the state of the control.
- Skip navigation links and ARIA landmarks so you can skip sections of a page.
- Account settings that enable you to simplify the layout of many tools. There are specific settings related to accessibility, including system font and font size, the option to change modal dialogs to windows, and the option to turn off the Brightspace Editor.
- Full keyboard accessibility. The tab order is logical and tab focus is visually indicated. Drag-and-drop and other dynamic interaction features have keyboard alternatives. For example:
- Rearranging navbar links
- Arranging links within custom link groups
- Reordering questions in a quiz
- Editing the arrangement of widgets on homepages
- Rearranging criteria while creating a rubric
- Rearranging topics in the Content tool and Course Builder
- Adjusting the split view in evaluation screens and activity editing screens for Assignments, Quizzes, ane Discussion tools.
- WAI-ARIA markup for links, context menus, error messages, and confirmation messages to help improve navigation.
- Support for browser and assistive technology scaling and contrast options. System content uses styles that you can overwrite using cascading style sheets (CSS); however, the complexity of the system requires detailed style sheets.
Optimize personal account settings for assistive technology
The Account Settings link contains several tabs, depending on the role you have within the Brightspace. You can adjust the settings in these tabs to meet your personal needs; however, the following settings might be of particular interest if you are using assistive technology devices or software applications.
In the Account Settings tab, consider the following configuration options:
- You can configure the Login Destination option to log directly into a course, rather than My Home. This option can simplify navigation if you are only taking a few courses.
- The Font Face and Font Size options adjust the appearance of text in Brightspace. Choose options that provide the best results for your needs. To adjust the size of icons, you can use a magnification tool such as the zoom feature built into most browsers.
- To automatically detect embedded videos, turn on the Optimize video presentation for programmatically-driven assistive technologies option.
In the Discussions tab, consider the following configuration options:
- To simplify the layout of discussion lists, turn off the Always show the Discussions List pane option.
- Turn off the preview pane and show topics in grid view.
In the Email tab, consider the following configuration options:
- To simplify the layout of your inbox, clear the Show the Message Preview pane and Show the Folder List pane check boxes.
The Metadata tab is available only to administrators and instructors. Consider the following configuration option:
- To simplify movement through the main metadata page, select the Basic and Expand all Categories options.
The minibar includes a personal menu with links to tools that store your personal information and settings. To open the personal menu, select the link containing your name. There are three links on the personal menu:
- Profile - Edit your shared personal information
- Notifications - Set how you receive notifications about activity in your courses
- Account Settings - Change display settings for Brightspace
Accessibility features for low-vision users
Some design decisions benefit users with vision impairments who use screen magnifiers, zoom, and color contrast functionality.
- Standard page designs provide similar functionality located in the same place and accessed in the same way.
- Support for browser and assistive technology scaling and contrast options. System content uses styles that you can overwrite using cascading style sheets (CSS); however, the complexity of the system requires detailed style sheets.
- The keyboard provides a fully accessible experience. The tab order is logical and the tab focus is visually distinctive.
- Code is compliant to accessibility standards. If your screen magnifier supports basic screen reader features, such as reading the cursor location or navigating by links, you can use these features effectively.
- Account settings that enable you to simplify the layout of many tools. There are specific settings related to accessibility, including system font and font size, the option to change modal dialogs to windows, and the option to turn off the Brightspace Editor.
- System information is not communicated only by color.
- All pages meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements for color contrast (with the exception of user-generated content).
- Font and icons meet 3:1 contrast ratio with text color to adhere to WCAG success criterion 1.4.1.
Using Magnifier and zoom functionality
In some cases, users who have difficulty reading online and users with fine motor skills difficulty use magnifiers and zoom functionality to increase the target for selectable content such as links, icons, and form fields.
To increase the size of content in Brightspace:
- Use the Account Settings tool to increase the system font size. This increases system fonts only, not icons, other graphics, or user-created content.
- Use an assistive technology or browser that supports zooming in. This increases the magnification of the entire page. This option works well in the Brightspace as images and navigation panels resize well.
- Use a screen magnifier to magnify a portion of the page, such as the area around the cursor. Some users prefer screen magnifiers because they preserve the layout of the page, but allow you to focus on the content in a specific area.
- If you are using equations built with Equation Editor, double-click on inline equations to view them at a larger size.