Moodle and Accessibility

Create Accessible Activities and Resources in Moodle

Moodle is built with accessibility in mind and is designed to meet widely used accessibility standards. Its basic navigation, course structure, activities, and other built-in features are designed to work with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies.

However, the accessibility of Moodle also depends on the content that instructors create within it. When you create assignments, discussion forums, quizzes, Pages, or other Moodle activities and resources, the text, images, links, tables, and other content you add must also be accessible. Otherwise, students who use assistive technologies may encounter barriers even when the Moodle platform itself is accessible.

For content created directly in Moodle, the main place you need to pay attention to accessibility is when using the Moodle text editor. The text editor appears in many places throughout Moodle, including activity instructions, assignment descriptions, discussion forum posts, quiz questions, course section descriptions, and Pages.

The following practices focus on using the Moodle text editor and will help ensure that the content you create directly in Moodle is accessible.

1. Use Headings to Organize Longer Content

Headings provide structure to longer sections of text and help readers understand how information is organized. They are especially important for people using screen readers, who can use headings to navigate from one section of a page to another.

When your Moodle content contains multiple sections, use the built-in heading styles in the Moodle text editor rather than making text look like a heading by increasing the font size, using bold, or changing its color.

Choose heading levels according to the organization of the content. Major sections should use a higher-level heading, with lower-level headings used for subsections. Avoid skipping heading levels simply because you prefer the appearance of a particular heading style.

Add a Heading in Moodle

Whenever you are using the Moodle text editor:

1. Select the text you want to make into a heading, or place your cursor in the appropriate paragraph.
2. Open the paragraph or formatting menu.
3. Select the appropriate heading level.

2. Use Built-In Bulleted and Numbered Lists

Use Moodle’s built-in list tools whenever you are presenting a list of related items or a sequence of steps. Built-in lists provide structure that assistive technologies can recognize and communicate to the reader.

Use a bulleted list when the order of the items does not matter. Use a numbered list when the items need to be completed or read in a particular order.

Avoid creating lists by manually typing dashes, asterisks, numbers, or other characters.

Create a List in Moodle

Whenever you are using the Moodle text editor:

1. Enter the items you want to include in the list.
2. Select the items.
3. Select the Bulleted List or Numbered List button.

3. Add Alternative Text to Images

Images added directly to Moodle need alternative text, or alt text, so that people who cannot see the image can understand the information it communicates.

For images that provide information students need to understand, add concise alt text that communicates the purpose or important content of the image. Alt text does not need to describe every visual detail. Focus on the information the image contributes in its particular context.

For example, instead of using a file name such as:

photo.jpg

use alternative text such as:

Students examining specimens with microscopes in a biology laboratory.

Add Alt Text in Moodle

Whenever you are adding an image through the Moodle text editor:

1. Select the Image tool.
2. Upload or select the image.
3. Enter a short description in the image description field.
4. Insert the image.

If an image has already been added, select the image and open its image properties to add or edit its description.

Decorative Images

Some images are included only for decoration and do not communicate information students need. These images should be identified as decorative so that screen readers can skip them.

When appropriate, select the option indicating that the image is decorative instead of entering unnecessary alternative text.

Complex Images

Charts, diagrams, maps, infographics, and other complex images may contain more information than can reasonably be communicated through short alt text. Provide brief alt text that identifies the image and explain its important information in the surrounding Moodle content.

4. Write Descriptive Hyperlinks

The text of a hyperlink should describe where the link goes or what the reader will find there.

Avoid link text such as:

• Click here
• Read more
• Website
• A long web address

Instead, incorporate the link into descriptive text. For example:

Review the WebAIM guide to writing alternative text.

Descriptive links make it easier for everyone to understand where a link leads. They are particularly helpful to people using screen readers, who may navigate through a page by moving from link to link.

Add a Link in Moodle

Whenever you are adding a link through the Moodle text editor:

1. Write the descriptive text that you want readers to see.
2. Select that text.
3. Select the Link button.

4. Enter or paste the web address.
5. Save the link.

Whenever possible, avoid displaying long web addresses as the visible link text.

5. Use Color Carefully

Moodle’s standard text and background colors are generally the safest choices for readability. If you change text colors, make sure there is sufficient contrast between the text and its background.

Avoid light colors, such as pale gray, yellow, or pastel colors on a white background. These can be difficult to read for people with low vision and may not meet accessibility standards.

If you are unsure whether your text has sufficient contrast with its background, you can check it with the WebAIM Contrast Checker or the TPGi Colour Contrast Analyser.

Do Not Use Color Alone to Communicate Meaning

Do not rely only on color to distinguish important information.

For example, instead of writing:

Items shown in red are required.

identify the required items with text or another indicator as well:

Required: Literature Review

Color can still be used as an additional visual cue, but the information should remain understandable if a reader cannot distinguish the colors.

Whenever you change text color using the Moodle text editor, make sure the text remains easy to distinguish from its background.

6. Create Simple, Accessible Tables

Use tables only when information needs to be presented in rows and columns. Do not use tables simply to position text, images, or other content on a Moodle page.

When you create a table:

• Keep the structure as simple as possible.
• Identify header rows or columns when appropriate.
• Use meaningful labels for table headers.
• Avoid merged or split cells whenever possible.
• Include a caption that identifies or explains the purpose of the table.
• Do not add blank rows or columns simply to create visual spacing.

Simple tables with clearly identified headers are easier for screen readers to interpret and navigate.

Create a Table in Moodle

Whenever you are creating a table through the Moodle text editor:

1. Open the Table menu and select Insert table.
2. Choose the number of rows and columns you need.
3. Enter your content into the table.
4. Identify header rows or columns when appropriate.
5. Add a caption that identifies or explains the purpose of the table.

7. Check Your Content Before Publishing

The Moodle text editor includes an accessibility checker that can identify several common accessibility problems in the content you create.

Whenever you are using the Moodle text editor, you can run the accessibility checker before publishing your content:

1. Open the Tools menu.
2. Select Accessibility Checker.
3. Review the issues Moodle identifies.
4. Correct the problems before making the content available to students.

The accessibility checker can identify several common problems, including:

• Images without alternative text
• Insufficient color contrast
• Long sections of text without headings
• Tables without captions
• Tables containing merged cells
• Tables without identified row or column headers

An automated checker cannot identify every accessibility issue. You should still review your content to make sure that headings are meaningful, links make sense in context, alt text communicates the purpose of images, and the overall content is clear and logically organized.