09 July 2020

The Texthelp team

How can you remove online barriers to Higher Education?

Every organization strives for excellence, and for educational institutions this means providing the best learning environment for each and every learner. We know that providing a supportive experience for your learners is at the forefront of everything you do, but does your website also live up to your standards?
 

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Creating a true first impression

First impressions count, and your website gives prospective students all the information they need to know before deciding if they would like to study with you. It’s important that your content is accessible, so that your welcoming messages are delivered to every single one of your potential future learners. Just as you would make adjustments to physical accessibility, the same should be done within your digital presence, to ensure that your content is equally accessible to individuals with learning or cognitive difficulties. 

Given today’s current global pandemic, this has never been more crucial for educational institutions. In recent research conducted to review the effects of Covid 19 on Higher Education, 45% of US-based high school seniors said they are very likely to look for a different institution, with one of the most commonly cited reasons including doubts about the quality of remote learning. In addition, if institutions have to shift to remote learning in the fall, 32% of students reported that they’re most likely to look for schools with better online capabilities. 

An inclusive and accessible website demonstrates that you’re committed to creating great online experiences for all, and for students with disabilities, this is key. 
 

Ensuring a brighter future, for everyone

Around 13% of Canadians aged between 15 and 24 years identify as having one or more disabilities, and 1 in 10 people have neurodiverse traits, such as dyslexia, ADHD, and aspergers. This means that content is accessed and processed in various different ways. Making sure your web content can be accessed using assistive technologies such as computer readers and screen magnifiers, can help remove some of the barriers neurodiverse students face in accessing higher education.  

This is especially important as we look to the future of education. The current pandemic has seen students around the world moving to remote learning. Educators have had to react to make sure that the supports are still there for every one of their students. Institutions are being prompted to look at their online platforms, to improve the suitability for remote learning. And, for those in the Higher Education sector, they’re working to understand the potential impacts of COVID-19 on enrollment for the year ahead. In fact, 86% of college presidents put fall or summer enrollment numbers at the top of their most pressing issues in the face of COVID-19. 

As we look to a future where blended learning could very well become a preferred viable model for educational institutions, there has never been a more crucial time to review the inclusivity of your digital communications.
 

Getting one step ahead with legal compliance

Taking the time to review your website and applications process, and making the effort to help increase inclusion for all individuals, can also help you to get one step ahead with legal compliance.

For a long time our increasingly digital world has led to a call for digital inclusion. But today, with the rise of remote learning, this is a calling that can no longer be ignored. The topic of web accessibility is rising up the priority list for many, and equality initiatives, such as Bill C-81, The Accessible Canada Act, aim to protect individuals from barriers they would otherwise face in everyday life. They put the onus on providers of services, to ensure that everyone has equal access to the services they provide, and the tools in place to support diverse needs. 

Whilst at the moment, the Act is applicable to parliament, the Government of Canada, and the federally-regulated private sector, every organization should share their vision - a world where everyone is empowered to participate fully within their communities without barriers. 
 

Attracting a wider and more diverse student body

An accessible website also helps to attract a wider and more diverse student body, including international students who are considering studying in Canada, but where English is not their native language.

As the world’s third-leading destination for international students, a staggering 642,000 foreign students are studying in Canada. This market generates $22 billion annually to the country’s economy.

So what can you do to become more accessible?

Web accessibility standards exist to help organizations become more inclusive. Existing guidelines such as WCAG 2.1 utilize the POUR guidelines, which outline what it means for a website to be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust - in other words, accessible. Accessible websites allow assistive screen readers to read content, so that all site visitors can access content in a way that suits their needs.

Using the POUR guidelines, we have identified some actions you could take to kickstart your efforts and help you on your way to welcoming a diverse student body. In addition, our digital inclusion software, Browsealoud, can be simply added to your website to offer an on site screen reader for the convenience of users. 
 

Perceivable

Every element of every website should be discoverable. This means that content should be transformable between formats i.e. images to text, text to audio etc. so that those with visual impairments, hearing limitations and cognitive disorders can perceive it too. 
 

Your Action	Our Solution
Use metadata to provide text alternatives to images	Browsealoud reads alt-tags behind images, to provide oral description to the visually impaired
Minimize visual overload	Simplify feature removes distracting content, so users can focus on what’s important
Ensure downloadable content is accessible too	MP3 generator converts text to audio files for offline listening

Operable

Web users with limited movement or tremors may use adaptive devices instead of a keyboard and mouse to access web content.

Your Action	Our Solution
Optimize web code to ensure that all functionality is available from a keyboard	Browsealoud is fully keyboard accessible
Help users navigate and find content	Dual color highlighting shows users where they are on the page Screen mask helps users to create a focal point
Do not use content that causes seizures	A screen mask can be applied to ‘dim’ the screen Simplify mode removes distracting content

Understandable

Content that someone can access is not necessarily accessible. The language used can impact whether or not a user can understand the information. 

Your Action	Our Solution
Give users enough time to read and use content	Audio speed and voice can be changed to suit user needs
Ensure text is readable	Magnifier feature enlarges text size specified by the user
Use language that can be understood by all site visitors	Translate option with 99 languages
Be transparent, so visitors understand what actions to take on the site	Browsealoud communicates content to the user as long as alt-tags are in place Hyperlink feature announces links to the user when content is read aloud
Help users to avoid and correct mistakes	Audio feature reads text aloud, including information typed into forms, so visitors can identify spelling mistakes

Robust

Each individual accesses the web using technology which suits their needs and preferences. This includes different devices and browsers. 

Your Action	Our Solution
Optimize your website for use with assistive technologies	The actions on this checklist will help your website to be accessed by screen readers such as Browsealoud
Maximize compatibility with current and future user tools	Browsealoud works across all common browsers and platforms, and is regularly updated Browsealoud services are hosted on Amazon, to ensure its features are agile, robust and resilient

We’re offering organizations the chance to try Browsealoud on their own websites for free for 90 days. Simply register to receive your free personalized code and discover the benefits for yourself.