Creating online courses isn’t just about delivering great content it’s about ensuring everyone can access and benefit from it. Whether you’re an educator, online course publisher, or content creator, making your course accessible is key to reaching all learners, including those with disabilities. In online learning, accessibility means making sure all students, including those with disabilities, can easily see, understand, move through, and take part in the course without any obstacles. When you design your course to be accessible from the start, you help remove potential barriers so that every student can fully participate and succeed.
This accessibility checklist for course creators will guide you on how to make the course accessible, enhance learner engagement, and meet legal compliance standards. Use this course accessibility checklist to build inclusive and welcoming learning environments for all students.
Accessibility Checklist For Course Creators
Accessibility isn’t just about compliance it’s about creating better learning experiences for everyone. This accessibility checklist for course creators is designed to help you identify and apply best practices in course design, delivery, and content formatting.
Accessibility starts with thoughtful design and ends with thorough testing. Before launching your course, use this detailed course accessibility checklist to evaluate and improve your materials.
Logical Layout and Navigation
An accessible course starts with a well-structured, logical layout that supports all users, especially those using assistive technologies like screen readers.
- Use Semantic Headings
Use proper heading tags (H1 for titles, H2 for subsections) rather than just bold or large fonts. This helps screen readers understand the document structure and allows learners to navigate easily.
- Consistent Formatting
Apply consistent fonts, colors, button styles, and layout spacing across your course. Consistency reduces cognitive load and makes it easier for learners to focus.
- Navigation with Assistive Technologies
Ensure that screen readers can access menus, buttons, and other navigation elements. Use landmarks and ARIA labels where applicable so users can jump to key areas like content, navigation, or help sections.
Visual Accessibility
Design your visuals so they are easy to see and understand, even for learners with visual impairments or color blindness.
- High-Contrast Color Schemes
Use sufficient color contrast between text and background (e.g., dark text on a light background). Tools like the WebAIM contrast checker can help verify compliance.
- Readable Fonts and Scalable Text
Use sans-serif fonts such as Arial, Verdana, or Tahoma, which are easier to read. Avoid using text in images. Enable text resizing without loss of functionality or content clarity.
- Avoid Reliance on Color Alone
Don’t use color as the only way to convey information (e.g., “Click the red button”). Use labels or icons to differentiate.
Making Course Materials Accessible
Documents like PDFs, Word files, and PowerPoint presentations are core to most online courses. If these aren’t accessible, they can become significant barriers for learners.
- Common Document Issues
Watch for missing heading structures, inaccessible tables, lack of alt text in images, or unreadable scanned PDFs.
- Create Accessible Documents from the Start
Use built-in heading styles, add alt text to visuals, and use simple table structures. Use accessibility checkers in MS Word or Adobe Acrobat to verify your documents.
- For existing content, consider professional PDF and document remediation services to ensure compliance with accessibility standards.
Video and Audio Content
Multimedia content enhances learning, but only when everyone can access it.
- Captions and Transcripts
Provide synchronized captions for all video content and text transcripts for audio-only files. This supports users’ hearing difficulties and benefits everyone in noisy or quiet environments.
- Audio Descriptions
If your video includes essential visuals that are not described in the dialogue, include audio descriptions to narrate these visuals. This helps visually impaired learners understand the full content.
- Accessible Media Players
Choose players that support keyboard navigation, captions, and screen reader compatibility.
Alt Text and Image Descriptions
Images should support learning objectives, and everyone should be able to understand them—even if they can’t see them.
- Meaningful Alt Text
Provide descriptive alternative text that explains the image’s function or information. For example, “Bar chart showing revenue growth over five years” is more helpful than “Chart.”
- Avoid Decorative-Only Images
If an image doesn’t convey important information, mark it as decorative in your authoring tool so screen readers can skip it.
Keyboard Accessibility
Many users navigate without a mouse. Your course should be fully operable using only the keyboard. Keyboard accessibility is an important criterion in the course accessibility checklist.
- Tab Navigation
Ensure users can move through all interactive elements (e.g., menus, links, form fields) using the Tab, Shift+Tab, and Enter keys.
- Visible Focus Indicators
When users tab through elements, the currently selected item should be clearly highlighted with a border, underline, or glow.
- Avoid Keyboard Traps
Elements like modals or forms should allow the user to exit or continue without being stuck in a loop. Avoid keyboard traps, where a user can’t exit a pop-up or menu using the keyboard alone.
Inclusive Assessments and Interactions
Make sure all learners can participate equally in tests, exercises, and interactive tasks.
- Keyboard-Accessible Quizzes
Avoid quiz formats that require a mouse or drag-and-drop unless alternative versions are available.
- Avoid Visual-Only Cues
Instead of relying on animations or colors alone, use text descriptions, labels, or icons to explain interactive tasks.
- Provide Flexible Timing and Formats
Allow time extensions for timed activities and offer alternative formats for assignments, such as oral responses or written reports.
Accessibility Testing and Feedback
Testing is a vital part of maintaining accessibility and should be part of your course development cycle.
- Use Free Accessibility Testing Tools
Tools like WAVE, axe, or Storyline’s built-in checker can help identify issues early. Combine automated testing with manual review for the best results.
- Leverage Professional Services
Platforms like Continual Engine provide expert support in accessibility remediation and testing.
- Encourage Feedback from Learners
Create opportunities for learners to share their accessibility experiences. Use anonymous surveys or feedback forms to capture valuable insights.
- Make Accessibility an Ongoing Process
Treat accessibility as a continuous process. Continually review and update your materials as guidelines evolve and new technologies emerge.
Conclusion
As a course creator, you have the power to make education more inclusive and equitable. Accessibility is more than a checklist it’s a mindset. By following this accessibility checklist for course creators, you’re not only complying with standards you’re helping every learner, regardless of ability, engage with and benefit from your content and succeed. From designing inclusive visuals and interactions to ensuring document and media accessibility, each step you take helps build a more equitable learning environment.
Whether you’re starting fresh or updating existing materials, small accessibility improvements go a long way. With thoughtful design, accessible media, and regular feedback, you can ensure that no learner is left behind.
Let this checklist be your guide as you build learning experiences that truly work for everyone.
