Accessibility Tools

Version: Kora Courses, January 25, 2024 or later

Permissions required: Student

One of the most important aspects of Digital Accessibility is about making sure that content (images, videos, audio) is usable by everyone. At Digication, we are committed to ensuring that digital content you create is accessible to everyone. We offer tools that allow you to detect and add missing accessibility details for images, videos, and audio, making them more accessible. 

In partnership with Teach Access, a leading nonprofit, we offer additional educational resources, including a tip sheet and video, to learn and implement accessibility practices.

Digication Accessibility Tool: On-page accessibility information

We believe it’s vital for Digication users to have the ability to create accessible content in a way that can be consumed by people with all abilities. In Digication, we have created an on-page Accessibility Information Tool (1) that can aid users in making their content more accessible (2). 

Creating accessible content is an ongoing journey. While we don't promise perfection, our tools, and guidance are here to help you steadily improve accessibility for your content, ensuring it's accessible to all.

Common examples of accessibility information are alt texts for images, captions for videos, and audio descriptions for audio.

To learn more about other accessibility information please see the Digication tip sheet or Teach Access accessibility resources.

Access Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools can be accessed through three places in Digication.

1. From the ePortfolio page by clicking the ‘Accessibility Tools’ button. From there, you can navigate to Tools for Authors and choose the Edit option.
2. From module settings, specifically image/video/audio settings, where you can find the accessibility information under the ‘Edit’ option.
3. From the Library, under ‘Previous Uploads’. Click on ‘File Info’, and within the accessibility information section, you'll find the ‘Edit’ option.

1. Access from the ePortfolio page

• When a user uploads a new image, video, or audio file to an ePortfolio or uses a previously uploaded file from the library, a red dot (1) is displayed to indicate missing accessibility details.

Detect missing accessibility information

• Click on 'Accessibility Information' (2) to identify any missing accessibility information for image, video, and audio files.

• Navigate the accessibility information modal for 'Tools for authors' (3) to enhance ePortfolio accessibility and 'Resources for authors' (4) for essential guidelines and resources from Teach Access.

Tools for authors

• In the tools for authors section, you can identify missing accessibility details (1) for images, videos, and audio and gain insights into headings.

• Click “Edit” (2) to add missing accessibility information for image files.

• Choose a category either ‘All Images’ (3) or ‘Only inaccessible images’ (4).
• Scroll through the images (5), and add the necessary accessibility information such as image alt text as appropriate. 
  

Alternative text

Alternative text (alt text)  is a brief description or caption that you can add to images, graphs, and charts. This text acts as a substitute for the image if it cannot be seen by the user. For example, if someone has a visual impairment and uses a screen reader, it will read out loud the alt text to describe the image. Alt text makes web content more accessible to people with visual impairments. 

Here are some tips on how to write effective alt text: 

To write good alt text, provide a clear, concise description focusing on the image's purpose and context, while avoiding unnecessary words like 'image of'. Refer to Alternative Text by Webaim for more information.

A decorative image is a visual element used to enhance a webpage's appearance or layout, not conveying essential information.

To understand what a decorative image is, please see “Add alternative text to work images”.

• Click “Edit” (6) to add missing accessibility information for video or audio files.

• Choose a category either ‘All Video/Audio’ (7) or ‘Only Video missing captions’ (8).
• Scroll through the videos or audio (9), and add the necessary accessibility information such as video captions and audio descriptions as appropriate. 
  

Video captions or subtitles

Video captions are text versions of the spoken words and sounds in a video. They appear on the screen so viewers can read along as they watch. Captions are designed to include not only the dialogue but also identify who is speaking and provide descriptions of important sounds that are part of the video’s storyline or content.

At this time, Digication does not provide automated generated captions. You can learn more about creating captions (VTT files) here.

Audio description

Audio descriptions provide a verbal narration of visual elements happening on screen. This narration is added during natural pauses in the audio, and it describes important visual details that a viewer who cannot see the screen might miss. These details include actions, expressions, scene changes, and on-screen text.

At this time, Digication does not provide automated generated audio descriptions. You can learn more about creating audio descriptions here.

There are other optional accessibility related content you can provide in addition to captions, such as chapter markers, languages, etc. To learn more please see “Add chapter markers, subtitles or closed captioning, or audio description to uploaded videos”.

View heading usage

Using proper headings on your ePortfolio pages helps all users access and navigate content with ease. Correct usage of headings aids in:

Easy-to-Understand Page Structure: Simplifies complex pages by organizing content with clear headings, making it easier for everyone to understand and navigate.

Accessibility for Users with Diverse Visual and Cognitive Disabilities: Enhances navigation for users with various disabilities, by enabling screen readers to jump directly to specific sections, using properly marked headings.

Efficient Information Digestion: Facilitates quicker and more efficient information processing for users by breaking down content into well-defined sections.

Digication allows users to easily add headings to sections in ePortfolios. With the help of rich text editor, you can style any text in a section as a heading. This offers the flexibility to structure how information is presented. For more information please see “Add and edit text’ and “Custom style properties”

• Click "View" (10) to see the headings used on your page. This allows you to assess its accessibility and add headings if needed, making sure the page is well-organized for everyone, especially for people using assistive technology.

Resources for authors

• Access the Digication tip sheet (1) to learn essential accessibility guidelines.
• Digication tip sheet includes guidance on color contrast, added context, text styles, heading styles, list styles, tables, capitalization, unusual words, idioms, abbreviations, acronyms, alternative text, and multimedia avenues (2).
• Expand (3) individual sections to read more about the specific guidelines (4).
• Expand all (5) sections at once or collapse all (6) simultaneously.

• Partnering with Teach Access, Digication offers valuable resources to enhance ePortfolio accessibility.
• Find a link (7) to Teach Access for further resources on improving digital accessibility.
• Access Digication's helpdesk (8) for more articles and resources on accessibility in Digication.

Digication allows you to select how to apply the accessibility information you add to files, based on any of the methods explained above. This option will give you two choices: 'Customized for this use only' and 'Used everywhere the file is used'.

2. Access from module settings

• Choose the media file (image, video, or audio) (1) you've added to your ePortfolio.
• Click on "Settings" (2) to open the module settings (3).
• Navigate to the specific settings for your media type (image/video/audio) (4) within the module settings.
• In the "Accessibility information" (5) section, click on "Edit" (6) to update the accessibility details.

For more information on how to update accessibility information please see “Add alternative text to work images” and “Add chapter markers, subtitles or closed captioning, or audio description to uploaded videos”.

Digication allows you to select how to apply the accessibility information you add to files, based on any of the methods explained above. This option will give you two choices: 'Customized for this use only' and 'Used everywhere the file is used'.

The 'Customized for this use only' option will apply changes only to the current use of the file. The 'Used everywhere the file is used' option will apply changes to all instances of that file. This is particular useful, if the same file is being used on multiple pages.

3. Access from the Library

• Click the “+” icon(1) from the ePortfolio page.

• Select ‘MY FILES’ (2) from the library.

• Select the media file, which can be an audio file (3), a video file (4), or an image file (5).
• Then, click on ‘File Info’ (6) to access accessibility information.

• Navigate to the 'Accessibility Information' section (7) of the modal that opens.
• Click 'Edit' (8) to add/edit accessibility information for your audio, video, or image files.

For more information on how to add/edit accessibility information, please see “Add alternative text to work images” and “Add chapter markers, subtitles or closed captioning, or audio description to uploaded videos”.