Understanding the 4 Principles of Accessibility

Developed as part of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0), these guidelines move beyond the suggestion that web content should be technically accessible, arguing that web-based material should be not only designed for technical accessibility, but also for usability. Here's a quick overview of the guidelines behind the acronym POUR as they relate to online course development.

Perceivable

Materials should be presented in ways so that it is perceivable to all users.

If information is presented in ways perceivable to those who are sighted, such as text, it also needs to be presented in ways so that it will be perceivable to those who are visually impaired.

Keep both accessible and usable in mind.

Text in a webpage can be read by a screenreader--it is technically accessible--but good design (like heading styles) will make the text more user friendly to both sighted and visually impaired users.

Operational

Consider the equipment needed to interact in the online class.

For example, mobility-impaired students may need to use a special keyboard to navigate the course.  This could cause them to take a little longer to navigate from place to place, or even answer a multiple choice question. Care should be taken to ensure any timed activities can be modified for students who need more time

Provide ways to help users navigate.

When adding multimedia to your course, ensure that media is not set to play automatically and that the player can be controlled via keyboard commands. Additionally, ensure modules and pages have descriptive, meaningful names, and that names are not duplicated.

Understandable

Materials should be designed in ways that are understandable to a range of users.

Every effort should be made to write at a level understandable to a variety of students, and key terms or vocabulary should be defined or explained in the surrounding text. Tutorials or support should also be provided to help users understand the tools used in the course.

Create predictable formatting and operational patterns.

Helping students understand online classes relies on predictability. Whenever possible, predictable patterns should be repeated and maintained, especially in linked material.

Robust

Maximize compatibility with current and future assistive technologies.

Using HTML to create content will allow for multiple types of assistive technologies to access and interpret content. When properly formatted using other types of materials, such as MS Word documents or Adobe PDFs, can also enhance compatibility.

Provide equitable access and an equivalent experience to a wide variety of users.

Creating content using a variety of modalities will allow students to engage in activities that resonate with their prefered way of learning.