LUC 2017 Recap: Got Accessibility? Accessibility Tips and Tricks in Lectora Inspire and Lectora Online

The breakout session “Got Accessibility? Accessibility Tips and Tricks in Lectora® Inspire and Lectora Online” was a joint presentation at the 2017 Lectora User Conference. Karen Ngowe, Senior Instructional Technologist at the CDC, teamed up with Dan Richards, Chief Learning Strategy Officer at Interactive Advantage.Together, Karen and Dan shared a ton of helpful accessibility tips with attendees, including advice for some tricky situations.Take a look at a few of their great tips:

• Karen says that it’s good practice to always make eLearning accessible when designing a course for the general public. This is true not only from a usability perspective, but also because Section 508 (US Federal Law) and W3C WAI WCAG (International Standard) can apply in some cases, such as at US Federal agencies.
• Dan turned on the JAWS screen reader to show how it sounds­—it reads everything on the page, announcing buttons, links, etc. It also reads content on the page.
• eLearning developers can find a trial version of JAWS at freedomscientific.com to test their courses.
• Those using Lectora can run the Accessibility Check tool, which is a great way to check your course for any issues.
• Karen shared a template on the Trivantis® Community to use as a starting point and guidelines: 508 Lesson and Template for Lectora and Lectora Online.
• Karen recommended the “What’s New in Lectora Online 3.3” webinar, where Trivantis Product Manager Daryl Fleary demonstrates Lectora Online’s additional support for creating accessible content that meets 508 and WCAG 2.0 AA specifications. (Note: Lectora Online is now on a newer version, but this webinar is a good walkthrough of the features specifically for creating accessible eLearning.)

Recorded webinar: "What's New in Lectora Online 3.3"

Karen and Dan recommended the Trivantis Community for finding recorded webinars and other resources to help with creating accessible eLearning. I linked to a few webinars that you can start with below, plus other resources that are helpful.

• Recorded webinars:
• “Creating Accessible eLearning Content That Engages Learners”
• “Tips and Tricks for Developing a 508/WCAG Compliant Course”
• Discover why accessible content matters for everyone and how to create it in this free Trivantis eBook: Making eLearning Accessible.
• Be sure to check out the Lectora Accessibility Support

Above: Karen Ngowe, CDC, and Dan Richards, Interactive Advantage, presenting at LUC 2017.

Thanks for sharing your expertise on accessibility at LUC 2017, Karen and Dan!Have a question about accessibility? Post it in the Trivantis Community Forum and start a conversation with other eLearning developers.