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Websites built with '''accessibility''' in mind are flexible in meeting different user needs, preferences and situations. Though these methods can increase [[Development:Usability|usability]] for everyone who uses the web they are often legally required to be implemented in a specific effort to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities.
{{About Moodle}}
Moodle's goal is to be fully accessible and usable for all users regardless of ability.


See the tracker under [http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-7396 Accessibility Compliance in Moodle 1.8] and [http://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL-7860 Compliance with Italian Legislation on Accessibility] for more information on what we are doing for Moodle 1.8.
This (DRAFT) page describes the current state of accessibility in Moodle as well as our plans for the future.


== Established practices ==


== Starting points ==
Moodle core developers spend a lot of time making sure new development are accessible.  Part of the process when building new code in Moodle is to follow established best practices and part of the process for accepting new code into core is to test pages carefully and gather feedback from experts.


These are some readable introductions to accessibility that cover; what accessibility is, why it is important, as well as practical advice.
== Conformance to standards ==
* [http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php Web Accessibility Initiative's ''Introduction to Web Accessibility'']
* [http://diveintoaccessibility.org/ Mark Pilgrim's ''Dive into Accessibility'']
* [http://joeclark.org/book/ Joe Clark's ''Building Accessible Websites'' book]


== Standards, guidelines and legislation ==
The Moodle platform is a complex piece of machinery with many working parts.  Code is always evolving.  Modules can be enabled and disabled.  The interface can be heavily customised using themes and thousands of settings.  The actual content can be produced by any teacher or any student.


* [http://www.parliament.the-stationery-office.co.uk/pa/ld200001/ldbills/003/2001003.htm SENDA - Special Educational Needs and Disability Act/Bill]
As such it is impossible to say with 100% certainty whether Moodle or any site based on Moodle is absolutely accessible or not. Accessibility is not a state, it is a process of continuous improvement in response to our users and the wider technical environment.
* [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/1995050.htm Disability Discrimination Act 1995]
* [http://www.section508.gov/ Section 508]
* [http://www.w3.org/WAI/ Web Accessibility Initiative]
** [http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)]
** [http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag20 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (draft)]
*** [http://www.alistapart.com/articles/tohellwithwcag2 an article on the problems with WCAG2]


=== Other countrys ===
=== WCAG 2.0 ===
* Germany: [http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bitv/ Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung - BITV]


== Tools ==
* We hope to have document here soon discussing how well Moodle meets WCAG 2.0 requirements.


* [http://firefox.cita.uiuc.edu/ Firefox Accessibility Extension] by the Illinois Center for Information Technology and Web Accessibility (iCITA)
=== ATAG 2.0 ===
* [[Web developer extension]] for [[Firefox]]
* [[Blank_Your_Monitor_and_Easy_Reading_extension_for_Firefox|Blank Your Monitor and Easy Reading Extension]] for Firefox
* [[W3C validation]] (for [[HTML in Moodle]], [[CSS]] and [[RSS]])
* [http://wave.webaim.org/ Web accessibility evaluation tool]
* [http://cynthiasays.com/ Cynthia Says accessibility checker]
* [http://www.standards-schmandards.com/projects/fangs/ Fangs – the screen reader emulator] for Firefox
* [http://www.nvda-project.org/ NVDA NonVisual Desktop Access] - open source screen reader for Windows


see also this [http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/tools/complete long list of accessibility tools].
* In Moodle 2.7 a new editor Atto was added which is intended not only to improve how everyone can use the editor itself, but also to improve the accessibility of the content produced with it.
* A conformance report is planned.


== Resources ==
=== Section 508 (US) ===


* [http://webstandards.org/action/atf/manifesto/ Web Standards.org's ''Accessibility Task Force Manifesto'']
* Moodlerooms (a Moodle Partner) have a [http://www.moodlerooms.com/accessibility VPAT statement] on their web site.
* [http://alistapart.com/topics/userscience/accessibility/ Accessibility articles from ''A List Apart'']
* [http://diveintomark.org/archives/2003/08/29/semantics Mark Pilgrim's ''Won’t somebody please think of the gerbils?'']
: [http://diveintoaccessibility.org/ Dive Into Accessibility] by Mark Pilgrim
* [http://joeclark.org/access/webaccess/ Joe Clark's writings on accessibility]
: [http://joeclark.org/book/ Building Accessible Websites] by Joe Clark (online version)
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_accessibility Wikipedia article on ''Web Accessibility'']
* [http://juicystudio.com/article/validity-accessibility.php ''Validity and Accessibility'']
* [http://www.edtec.unsw.edu.au/inter/support/accessibility/access_vids.cfm Videos showing as student accessing another Learning Management System via Screen Reader software]


== See also ==


* [[Moodle Accessibility Specification]]
=== SENDA UK ===
* [[Semantic HTML]]
 
* [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=820 Accessibility forum on Moodle.org]
* No known SENDA report exists
* Using Moodle [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=85119 New Accessibility Themes] forum discussion
 
* [http://www.easy.pro.br/ EASY: Interface Between The Virtual Environment Moodle Learning and People with Visual Impairments]
 
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/bbcinternet/2008/03/homepage_accessibilty.html BBC blog post on how their Web 2.0 homepage was made accessible]
== Discussions ==
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/accessibility/ BBC Accessibility Help]
 
One of the main places accessibility work is being carried out right now is on the Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group mailing list, see http://collaborate.athenpro.org/group/moodle/
 
There are also many discussion on issues in the [https://tracker.moodle.org/browse/MDL/component/10083/?selectedTab=com.atlassian.jira.jira-projects-plugin:component-issues-panel Moodle Tracker]
 
== Known Bugs and issues ==
 
This is [https://tracker.moodle.org/issues/?jql=component%20%3D%20Accessibility%20AND%20project%20%3D%20MDL%20AND%20resolution%20%3D%20Unresolved%20ORDER%20BY%20priority%20DESC the main list of accessibility issues], organised by priority. This list is always changing.
 
== Areas of major development ==
 
* Atto - a new text editor
* Filepicker


== See also ==


[[Category:Accessibility]]
[[dev:Accessibility|Accessibility for Moodle Developers]]

Latest revision as of 07:40, 10 April 2014

Moodle's goal is to be fully accessible and usable for all users regardless of ability.

This (DRAFT) page describes the current state of accessibility in Moodle as well as our plans for the future.

Established practices

Moodle core developers spend a lot of time making sure new development are accessible. Part of the process when building new code in Moodle is to follow established best practices and part of the process for accepting new code into core is to test pages carefully and gather feedback from experts.

Conformance to standards

The Moodle platform is a complex piece of machinery with many working parts. Code is always evolving. Modules can be enabled and disabled. The interface can be heavily customised using themes and thousands of settings. The actual content can be produced by any teacher or any student.

As such it is impossible to say with 100% certainty whether Moodle or any site based on Moodle is absolutely accessible or not. Accessibility is not a state, it is a process of continuous improvement in response to our users and the wider technical environment.

WCAG 2.0

  • We hope to have document here soon discussing how well Moodle meets WCAG 2.0 requirements.

ATAG 2.0

  • In Moodle 2.7 a new editor Atto was added which is intended not only to improve how everyone can use the editor itself, but also to improve the accessibility of the content produced with it.
  • A conformance report is planned.

Section 508 (US)

  • Moodlerooms (a Moodle Partner) have a VPAT statement on their web site.


SENDA UK

  • No known SENDA report exists


Discussions

One of the main places accessibility work is being carried out right now is on the Moodle Accessibility Collaboration Group mailing list, see http://collaborate.athenpro.org/group/moodle/

There are also many discussion on issues in the Moodle Tracker

Known Bugs and issues

This is the main list of accessibility issues, organised by priority. This list is always changing.

Areas of major development

  • Atto - a new text editor
  • Filepicker

See also

Accessibility for Moodle Developers