VPAT

Moodle accessibility conformance report

WCAG Edition

(Based on VPAT® Version 2.5)

Name of product/version	Moodle LMS
Report date	February 2024
Product description	The world’s most customisable and trusted open-source learning management system. Moodle LMS is an open-source learning management system that is designed to deliver user-generated content to students and administer assessments.
Contact information	Moodle contact page

Revision history

Revision	Date	Remarks
Version 2	2024-06-06	Accessibility improvements for the tables in the conformance report. Downgraded SC 3.3.6 (AAA) to "Partially supports."
Version 1	2024-02-02	Initial revision

Notes

• This accessibility conformance report is based on an audit of Moodle LMS by GrackleDocs (formerly AbleDocs), Moodle HQ’s external digital accessibility consultant, as well as internal testing and community audits.
• AbleDocs issued a Statement of Accessibility Conformance for WCAG 2.1 Level AA in Jan 2024.
• AbleDocs performed the accessibility audit on Moodle 4.2. All issues identified during the audit have been rectified in all supported versions of Moodle.
• Only WCAG 2.2 items were assessed internally by Moodle due to the timing of the WCAG 2.2 standard's (Nov 2023) release and the external audit commencing (July 2023). All assessments against the WCAG 2.2 criteria are internal assessments only done in good faith. Moodle will be audited against WCAG 2.2 in the next cycle.

Evaluation methods used

This conformance report is based on an accessibility audit conducted by AbleDocs on Moodle LMS. The evaluation was completed following the WCAG Evaluation Methodology (WCAG-EM). The audit testing was conducted manually and cross-checked using AbleDocs' team of accessibility auditors to ensure that the results and comments presented were valid and comprehensive.

Separate external testing of Moodle LMS has also been conducted by a group of trained testers with accessibility needs to increase the coverage of the system.

The following tools and applications were used as part of the audit:

• Desktop browsers
  • Google Chrome
  • Firefox
• Screen reader
  • JAWS
  • NVDA
• Other tools
  • WAVE
  • NU HTML Validator

Applicable standards and guidelines

This report covers the degree of conformance for the following accessibility standards/guidelines:

Standard/Guideline	Included In Report
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0	Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (Yes)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1	Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (Yes)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2	Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (Yes)

Terms

The terms used in the Conformance Level information are defined as follows:

• Supports: The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.
• Partially Supports: Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.
• Does Not Support: The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.
• Not Applicable: The criterion is not relevant to the product.
• Not Evaluated: The product has not been evaluated against the criterion. This can be used only in WCAG 2.0 Level AAA.

WCAG 2.x report

Table 1: Success criteria, Level A

Notes:

Table 1: Success criteria, Level A

Criteria	Conformance Level	Remarks and Explanations
1.1.1 Non-text Content	Supports	Moodle ensures that all non-text content includes an accessible name.
1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain pre-recorded audio or video but allows content creators to upload video/audio content. Moodle offers options for content creators to provide alternative formats for their uploaded video/audio content.
1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain any pre-recorded audio or video, but it provides options for content creators to attach captions to user-created video and audio content.
1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain any pre-recorded audio or video, but it provides options for content creators to add Audio descriptions to audio/video and to provide alternative formats.
1.3.1 Info and Relationships	Supports	Moodle pages are structured such that assistive technologies can programmatically determine the intended read order and page structure.
1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence	Supports	Moodle pages are structured so that assistive technologies can programmatically determine the intended reading order in cases where the order is essential.
1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics	Supports	Moodle does not solely rely on sensory characteristics to convey information. Where these are used, they are backed up by appropriate text and other information for the user.
1.4.1 Use of Color	Supports	Colour is not used as the sole indicator of information in Moodle. In some cases, colour is used to complement other UI elements, such as text or distinct icons.
1.4.2 Audio Control	Supports	Moodle does not contain any pre-recorded audio. User-uploaded audio and video content do not auto-play by default.  Audio volume controls are always provided for the user.
2.1.1 Keyboard	Supports	The Moodle interface is fully keyboard accessible, with no timing requirement for the user.
2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap	Supports	Moodle has been designed in such a way that there are no keyboard traps, and it is fully navigable.
2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Only Moodle's rich text editor supports keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts are only active when the user is in the editing area and are designed to not interfere with accessibility software. There are no other keyboard shortcuts within the system.
2.2.1 Timing Adjustable	Supports	Moodle generally does not impose any time limits on content or actions, with amsmall number of all number of exceptions, such as user session expiration and timed quizzes/assignments.   User sessions can be extended indefinitely by users.   Quiz/Assignment time limits are essential and cannot be extended by the user. However, accomodations can be made by instructors for individual students.
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide	Supports	Moodle does not contain moving, blinking, and scrolling content.
2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold	Supports	Moodle does not contain flashing content.
2.4.1 Bypass Blocks	Supports	Skip links are provided to help users efficiently navigate Moodle
2.4.2 Page Titled	Supports	All pages within Moodle provide detailed page titles to aid navigation and help orientate users within the system.
2.4.3 Focus Order	Supports	Moodle pages have been carefully designed to support a focus order that is logical and aids in understanding the structure of each page.
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)	Supports	The link text of all links within Moodle indicates their purpose. Where practical, additional hints have been added to aid accessibility software to determine this programmatically.
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Moodle does not use any multi-point or path-based gestures within the UI
2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Pointer cancellation is supported in all main browsers with the exception of Internet Explorer. With Microsoft ending its support for Internet Explorer, Moodle has ceased support for this browser from Moodle 3.10 onwards.
2.5.3 Label in Name (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Throughout Moodle, the accessible name matches the visible name of buttons and links
2.5.4 Motion Actuation (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Moodle does not have functionality that requires motion as a means of input
3.1.1 Language of Page	Supports	Moodle supports multiple languages. This is communicated programmatically using the HTML lang attribute.
3.2.1 On Focus	Supports	Moodle does not change the context or focus when a user navigates to a focusable item in the interface anywhere. Opening links in new windows and tabs are not used where an alternative is practical.
3.2.2 On Input	Supports	Moodle does not change the context of use without the user initiating an explicit action
3.2.6 Consistent Help (2.2 only)	Supports	Moodle provides contextual help for each page using a consistent help menu. The structure and order of this menu are consistent throughout the system.
3.3.1 Error Identification	Supports	Errors are described to users and marked up with appropriate ARIA roles and attributes.
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions	Supports	The system provides extensive labels and instructions, including expected data formats, to help users input the appropriate values.
3.3.7 Redundant Entry (2.2 only)	Supports	Unless essential, data is pre-filled for users, or a sensible default is provided.
4.1.1 Parsing	Supports	For WCAG 2.0 and 2.1, the September 2023 errata update indicates this criterion is always supported. See the WCAG 2.0 Editorial Errata and the WCAG 2.1 Editorial Errata.
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value	Supports	The name and role of all components within Moodle can be programmatically determined using native semantic HTML tags and/or the appropriate ARIA roles and attributes.

Table 2: Success criteria, Level AA

Notes:

Table 2: Success criteria, Level AA

Criteria	Conformance Level	Remarks and Explanations
1.2.4 Captions (Live)	Supports	Moodle does not contain live streaming capabilities; this functionality is only provided by third-party tools.
1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain any pre-recorded audio or video, but it provides options for content creators to add Audio descriptions to audio/video content.
1.3.4 Orientation (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Moodle's user interface (UI) is responsive and does not lock the orientation of the display or restrict the product's use in one layout or the other.
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Input fields across the system are clearly identified by their purpose and are available to assistive technologies.
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)	Supports	All elements of the Moodle UI meet the minimum contrast and size requirements for WCAG Level AA.
1.4.4 Resize text	Supports	The Moodle UI has been designed to be responsive on various screen sizes and, as such, supports zooming of text sizes without breaking controls or content. In some cases, UI elements will be shifted or replaced with more appropriate elements to accommodate this.
1.4.5 Images of Text	Supports	Images of text are not used in any part of the system to convey essential information unless it is required as part of the functionality.
1.4.10 Reflow (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	The reflow of content is supported across Moodle. Except for wide tabular content such as the Grader report, content is presented in a responsive manner. This helps users avoid the need to scroll horizontally when viewing the page’s contents, especially on smaller screens or when the page is zoomed.
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	All non-text elements within Moodle exceed the required 3:1 contrast ratio.
1.4.12 Text Spacing (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	All default fonts and layouts within Moodle adhere to WCAG text spacing requirements
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Elements that display additional content on hover or focus, such as help icons, display a popover on focus. The content does not disappear unless the focus is moved somewhere else or when the escape key is pressed. The mouse can hover on the popover content while it is displayed.
2.4.5 Multiple Ways	Supports	Moodle provides multiple ways to navigate and understand the content structures within Moodle, including search and page indexes where applicable
2.4.6 Headings and Labels	Supports	All pages make appropriate use of headings and labels to support user understanding of the page and its purpose
2.4.7 Focus Visible	Supports	The keyboard focus is visible on all pages, allowing users to help users easily determine their location as they navigate through the page contents.
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (2.2 only)	Partially supports	Generally, user-opened contents do not obscure user interface components receiving keyboard focus. However, on smaller screens or when the page is zoomed, the drawers on the course homepage can obscure focused content on the course homepage itself. (See MDL-81702).
2.5.7 Dragging Movements (2.2 only)	Supports	All interactions that require drag and drop have alternative ways to interact that do not require dragging movements
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (2.2 only)	Supports	All targets for pointer inputs meet the minimum required size or are accessible via an alternative means
3.1.2 Language of Parts	Supports	Pages in Moodle are rendered in the language based on the user’s preference. The language selector menu options have the lang attribute to convey the language for each menu option to assistive technologies. User-created content within Moodle can be tagged with the appropriate language of the content, and this can be done in parts.
3.2.3 Consistent Navigation	Supports	Moodle uses a consistent navigation layout and methodology, with elements appearing in the same order between pages.
3.2.4 Consistent Identification	Supports	Moodle is designed using a consistent set of components that use common terminology across the system.
3.3.3 Error Suggestion	Supports	Data validation is extensive across the system, and error messages explain to the user how to fix the error with the data.
3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)	Supports	Moodle provides various mechanisms to prevent errors from happening. e.g. a review page before submitting a quiz, a confirmation dialogue before deleting a user or before user un-enrolment, etc.
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (2.2 only)	Supports	Moodle provides third-party OAuth and other SSO authentication mechanisms to provide alternatives to the default username and password.  Additionally, the default login form is correctly marked up for an accessible authentication experience.
4.1.3 Status Messages (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	All status messages and alerts are marked with the appropriate ARIA roles and attributes, allowing assistive technologies to determine them programmatically.

Table 3: Success criteria, Level AAA

Notes:

Table 3: Success criteria, Level AAA

Criteria	Conformance Level	Remarks and Explanations
1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain audio or video content, but content creators can upload prerecorded video content with sign language interpretation.
1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain audio and video content; content creators can upload prerecorded multimedia content with extended audio descriptions.
1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded)	Supports	Moodle does not contain audio and video content; content creators can provide media alternatives for prerecorded multimedia content.
1.2.9 Audio-only (Live)	Supports	Moodle does not support live audio-only streams. Where available, this is provided by third-party software.
1.3.6 Identify Purpose (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	ARIA landmarks and roles are extensively used across Moodle to help assistive technologies identify the purpose of UI elements.
1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced)	Partially supports	Text colours in Moodle in most places have a contrast ratio greater than 7:1 against their default background. Some small amounts of texts with colours that meet the minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for WCAG 2.2 Level AA but do not meet the enhanced colour contrast requirement of 7:1 for WCAG 2.2 Level AAA.
1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio	Supports	Moodle does not contain any pre-recorded background audio.
1.4.8 Visual Presentation	Supports	Moodle is designed so that the content presentation can be modified to suit the required visual presentation using browser functionality.
1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception)	Supports	Images of text are not used in any part of the system to convey essential information except in a small number of cases where it is required as part of the functionality.
2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception)	Supports	In all cases, a keyboard-only option has been provided for all functionality across the system.
2.2.3 No Timing	Supports	For activities that may have time limits, such as quizzes, this can be disabled for users who require accommodations.
2.2.4 Interruptions	Supports	Moodle does not automatically update content without user interactions with the exception of the Chat activity. The Chat activity provides a separate accessible interface that only updates when the user requests a refresh.
2.2.5 Re-authenticating	Partially supports	In most cases, the user’s progress is saved, such as in assignments and quizzes. However, some pages do not support this, and data will need to be re-entered.
2.2.6 Timeouts (2.1 and 2.2)	Partially supports	Timeouts are only for session timeouts, which are configurable for the system. Users are warned to refresh their session before they get logged out. In most cases, draft data already entered is saved and restored when the user resumes activity.
2.3.2 Three Flashes	Supports	Moodle does not contain flashing content.
2.3.3 Animation from Interactions (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Moodle does not contain animated content interactions.
2.4.8 Location	Supports	Moodle provides breadcrumbs and the current page location in the page title to aid user understanding of their location within the system.
2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only)	Partially supports	Most links are uniquely identifiable by the link text only. However, some known areas where the link purpose cannot be determined by the link text only are: Edit, Delete, and Reply links in a list of posts within a forum discussion The letter links for filtering a list of users by first name or surname do not make sense out of context
2.4.10 Section Headings	Supports	All pages have section headings, allowing users to orient themselves within the content structure.   Moodle provides the tools to enable content creators to build user-generated content in an accessible way.
2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) (2.2 only)	Partially supports	In some specific situations, the keyboard focus can be partially obscured. Known instances include: Using the "Skip to Content" link on the course page when it is already scrolled past the top items Tabbing to the bottom of the Course page or Gradebook pages when in edit mode, the footer can obscure the focus.
2.4.13 Focus Appearance (2.2 only)	Supports	In most places, a blue highlight around a focusable user interface component denotes the keyboard, which meets the success criteria.   In some cases, older styling is still in place, where the focus indicator comprises a background colour change and underlining of the link.
2.5.5 Target Size (2.1 and 2.2)	Partially supports	Most controls and clickable targets are larger than 44x44 CSS pixels. However, there are exceptions.
2.5.6 Concurrent Input Mechanisms (2.1 and 2.2)	Supports	Moodle does not restrict the use of multiple input modalities simultaneously.
3.1.3 Unusual Words	Supports	Moodle provides contextual help that allows users to understand unfamiliar and unusual words. Moodle also provides a built-in glossary functionality that allows automatic linking to definitions for user-created content.
3.1.4 Abbreviations	Supports	Moodle provides contextual help that allows users to understand unfamiliar abbreviations in the context of the system. Moodle also provides a built-in glossary functionality that allows automatic linking to definitions for user-created content.
3.1.5 Reading Level	Supports	Moodle has been designed to be as intuitive as possible. It provides language packs targeted at younger users, but this mostly addresses the needs of the system’s learner users. Moodle provides the facilities for user-created content to conform to this success criterion.
3.1.6 Pronunciation	Partially supports	The core Moodle system does not provide pronunciation support in most cases. However, Moodle does provide the facilities for user-created content to comply with this success criterion, including markup, automatic glossary linking, and the ability for a user to add additional content.
3.2.5 Change on Request	Supports	Moodle does not change contexts for the user without explicit actions from the user.
3.3.5 Help	Supports	Context-sensitive help is provided on every page for users to access. Additionally, instructions on complex forms and extensive tooltips for specific fields add additional help resources for users
3.3.6 Error Prevention (All)	Partially supports	Form validation mechanisms allow users to correct their input when completing a form. Confirmation dialogues or pages are also present to prevent users from accidentally performing an irreversible action (e.g. data deletion, etc). However, there are some known instances where an irreversible action does not have a prior confirmation prompt, such as granting additional assignment attempts for students.
3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) (2.2 only)	Supports	Moodle provides third-party OAuth and other SSO authentication mechanisms as alternatives to the default username and password. Additionally, the default login form is correctly marked up for an accessible authentication experience.

Legal disclaimer

The information herein is provided in good faith based on Moodle LMS at the time of the accessibility audit and does not represent a legally binding claim. Please contact Moodle Pty Ltd to report any accessibility errors or conformance claim errors for re-evaluation and correction, if necessary.