Accessibility of OER: We Need Your Expertise and Evaluations

Most OER does not include information about its accessibility or been validated as being accessible on any number of aspects. We need your help to share your experience and expertise on the accessibility of the OERs that you have used.

The California State University and MERLOT, with consultation from OCWC, has developed and deployed a user-friendly framework of accessible technology descriptions and easy-to –use method to add comments and evaluations concerning the accessibility of MERLOT resources. MERLOT's open educational services enable the accessibility community, which has the appropriate expertise, to share their accessibility evaluations of MERLOT resources, enabling the world's community of teachers, learners, and support communities to benefit.

MERLOT Accessibility Framework

  1. Accessibility Statement and/or policy
    The website provides statement describing how it will provide support for users who need alternative formats to the media, and/or a policy on how the organization who created the website will provide support for users who need alternative formats to the media,
  2. Text Access
    The text of the digital resource is available to assistive technology that allows the user to enable text-to-speech (TTS) functionality-including the ability to adjust the TTS speed and voice/engine selection (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
  3. Text Adjustment
    The text of the digital resource is compatible with assistive technology that allows the user to adjust the font size and font/background color (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader) that offers this functionality).
  4. Reading Layout
    The text of the digital resource is compatible with assistive technology that allows the user to 'reflow' the text by specifying the margins and line spacing (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality). If the digital resource is an electronic alternative to printed materials, the page numbers correspond to the printed material. This correspondence is also preserved when a 'reflow' function is enabled.
  5. Reading Order
    The reading order for digital resource content logically corresponds to the visual layout of the page when rendered by assistive technology.
  6. Structural Markup/Navigation
    • The text of the digital resource includes markup (e.g. tags or styles) that allows for navigation by key structural elements (chapters, headings, pages) using assistive technology (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
    • The text of the digital resource includes markup for bullets and numbered lists that is compatible with assistive technology (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
    • If the text of the digital resource is delivered within an ebook reader application, a method is provided that allows users to bypass the reader interface and move directly to the text content that is compatible with assistive technology.
  7. Tables
    Data tables include markup (e.g. tags or styles) that identifies row and column headers in a manner that is compatible with assistive technology (or are rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
  8. Hyperlinks
    URLs (e.g. website or email addresses) within the text of the digital resource are rendered as active hyperlinks in a manner that allows them to be detected and activated with assistive technology (or are rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
  9. Color and Contrast
    • All information within the digital resource that is conveyed using color is also available in a manner that is compatible with assistive technology. For example, when a table contains negative values, these values should be conveyed with a leading 'minus' character in addition to (or instead of) formatting them in red.
    • The visual presentation of text and images of text in the digital resource has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
  10. Language
    The text of the digital resource includes markup that declares the language of the content in a manner that is compatible with assistive technology. If the digital resource includes passages in a foreign language, these passages include markup that declares the language in a manner that is compatible with assistive technology.
  11. Images
    • Non-decorative images have alternative text that is compatible with assistive technology (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
    • Decorative images are marked with null alternate text or contain markup that allows them to be ignored by assistive technology.
    • Complex images, charts, and graphs have longer text descriptions that are compatible with assistive technology (or are rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader) that offers this functionality).
  12. Multimedia
    • A synchronized text track (e.g. open or closed captions) is provided with all video content.
    • A transcript is provided with all audio content.
    • Audio/video content is delivered via a media player that is compatible with assistive technology. This includes support for all criteria listed in Section 13 below.
  13. Flickering
    The digital resource content does not contain anything that flashes more than three times in any one second period.
  14. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)
    STEM content (e.g. Mathematics, Chemistry) is marked up in a manner that is compatible with assistive technology (or is rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality). This includes the ability to convey both notation (presentation) and meaning (semantics).
  15. Interactive Elements
    • Each interactive element (e.g. menu, hyperlink, button) and function (e.g. annotations) allows keyboard-only operation both with and without assistive technology.
    • Each interactive element conveys information to assistive technology regarding the element's name, type, and status (e.g. "Play, button, selected")
    • All instructions, prompts, and error messages necessary to complete forms are conveyed as text to assistive technology (or are rendered by an application such as a browser, media player, or reader that offers this functionality).
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