Section 508 Compliance in LMS

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What is Section 508 Compliance?

Section 508 compliance in eLearning requires the course content to be built in a way that it becomes easily readable to those with reading disabilities. It ensures that the eLearning content follows the minimum acceptable standards while using multimedia in courses, such as “the use of text descriptions for graphics etc.”. The main purpose of Section 508 is to eliminate barriers to information technology. It enables the availability of new opportunities for people with disabilities while using technology to help such people achieve their goals.

Why is 508 Compliance Needed?

508 compliance helps make eLearning easy for those people who carry certain types of disabilities. Such people are smart enough to understand the content, but the traditional format of the content is such that it becomes difficult for them to comprehend, especially those with hearing and vision-related disabilities who face a lot of problems. Considering the statistics given below, it is high time for the need for such compliance –

Over 285 million people in the world are visually impaired
Between one and nine percent of the population have movement-related disorders
Hearing loss affects about 10% of the global population to some degree
15% of the U.S. population has learning-related disabilities

508 Compliance in eLearning

An eLearning authoring tool can help create engaging and interactive 508 compliant, easy-accessible eLearning courses. “Accessibility” means making eLearning content user-friendly for everyone, including individuals with poor vision, hearing disabilities, or other physical challenges. Content created with thoughtful color choices and clear language benefits everyone.

A key feature in many eLearning authoring tools for creating 508 compliant courses is a check tool. This tool generates a list of issues that need to be addressed to ensure the eLearning course complies with 508 requirements.

Features of 508 Compliant eLearning Courses:

Whenever animation or video is used in eLearning courses, the text equivalent for it should be provided.
Anything not “Initially Visible” when the page loads would not get read by a screen reader.
Appropriate font sizing for those who may need to see text at a larger size.
Mindful color contrast should be used considering those who are colorblind or have trouble determining different colors.
Use of ‘alternate text’ attribute to describe every image.
Proper structuring of course content.
Provide descriptive subtitles, captioning and transcripts of audio and videos.
The explanations of links should make sense when read out of context. For example, avoiding writing “click here” as link text.
Summarizing graphs and charts whenever used.
Provide alternate content for case scripts, applets and plug-ins that are inaccessible or unsupported.
Drop down menus should be easily ‘accessible’.
Build a practice of testing the courses frequently—it’ll help avoid last-minute headaches of discovering that your courses are not accessible.

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Frequently Asked Questions?

Why is Section 508 Compliance important for LMS platforms?

Section 508 Compliance is important to ensure that all learners, including those with disabilities, have equal access to educational content. It promotes inclusivity and accessibility, which is a fundamental principle of education.

Who is responsible for ensuring Section 508 Compliance in an LMS?

Generally, both the content creators (instructors) and LMS administrators share responsibility. Content creators must design accessible materials, while LMS administrators need to ensure that the platform itself is accessible.

What is WCAG, and how does it relate to Section 508 Compliance?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of international standards for web accessibility. Section 508 references WCAG, and adhering to WCAG guidelines is a common way to achieve Section 508 Compliance.