Why It's Important
Creating accessible digital learning content is crucial for ensuring that all members of a community, including those with disabilities, Elders with changing abilities, and those with limited digital literacy, can participate fully in training and educational opportunities. Accessible content is easier for everyone to use and understand, which leads to better learning outcomes and increased engagement. The Accessible Canada Act requires many organizations to create barrier-free content. For communities, this is a matter of both equity and effectiveness. It ensures that investments in training reach the widest possible audience and builds a more inclusive and skilled community, which supports economic development by ensuring no one is left behind.
History
The movement for digital accessibility grew alongside the internet itself. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) published the first Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) in 1999. In Canada, accessibility has been increasingly enshrined in law. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), passed in 2005, set a new standard for provinces. More recently, the Accessible Canada Act, which became law in 2019, has established a federal framework to proactively identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility in areas under federal jurisdiction, including digital content. This legislative push has moved accessibility from a niche concern to a mainstream best practice.
Examples
The Government of Canada requires all of its websites and digital publications to conform to the WCAG 2.0 standard, providing a consistent, accessible experience for all Canadians trying to access government services and information online.
The University of British Columbia's "Flexible Learning" initiative provides extensive resources and training for faculty and staff on how to create accessible course materials, from syllabi to videos, for both online and in-person classes.
The CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) provides advocacy and resources to help organizations make their digital content accessible to people with sight loss.
Software and Tools
Microsoft Office 365: Modern versions of Word and PowerPoint have a built-in "Accessibility Checker" that can automatically scan your documents and presentations for common issues (like missing alt text or poor colour contrast) and provide guidance on how to fix them.
WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): A free browser extension that analyzes a webpage and provides a visual report on its accessibility issues, helping you identify problems on your organization's website.
Hemingway App: A simple web-based tool that helps you write in clear, plain language. It highlights overly complex sentences and jargon, which is a key part of making content accessible. (Free web version, paid desktop app).
YouTube's Automatic Captioning and Editing Tools: YouTube can automatically generate captions for your videos. While these are not perfect, the platform provides an easy-to-use editor that allows you to quickly correct the captions for accuracy.
NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access): A free, open-source screen reader for Windows. Testing your content with a screen reader is one of the best ways to understand the experience of users who are blind or have low vision.
AI Considerations
AI is rapidly becoming a powerful assistant in creating accessible content, but it requires careful human oversight. AI can automatically generate alt text for images or create first-draft captions for videos, which can save a great deal of time and reduce costs. The primary risk is inaccuracy. An incorrect alt text or caption can be more confusing than none at all. Therefore, a "human-in-the-loop" approach is essential; all AI-generated accessibility content must be reviewed and corrected by a person to ensure it is accurate and contextually appropriate. This is especially important for any content dealing with personal information (PII) or sensitive cultural material.
FAQ
A screen reader is a software program that people who are blind or have low vision use to have the content of a computer screen read aloud to them. It is one of the most common types of assistive technology.
Alt text (alternative text) is a short, written description of an image that is embedded in the code of a webpage or document. It is invisible to sighted users but is read aloud by screen readers.
If you build it in from the start of a project, it is not significantly more expensive. It is much more costly to try and fix an inaccessible website or document after it has already been created.
Yes. Most major social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly Twitter), now allow you to add alt text to your images.
Accessibility is about whether a person with a disability can use a product. Usability is about whether anyone can use the product easily and effectively. Good accessibility often leads to better usability for everyone.
Pro Tips
Enhance your instructional design skills by following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Learn to provide captions and transcripts for videos, ensure text contrast and resizability, support keyboard navigation and alternative input options, and use clear, plain language. Test your content with assistive technologies and diverse users, then refine your materials based on feedback. Accessible content broadens your reach and demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity.
Checklist
External Resources
WebAIM (Web Accessibility in Mind): An excellent resource with articles, tutorials, and tools for learning how to create accessible web content.
The A11Y Project: A community-driven effort to make digital accessibility easier with checklists and how-to guides.
Rick Hansen Foundation: A Canadian foundation that provides resources and programs to improve accessibility in all aspects of life, including the built and digital environments.