Change by Design has been hired by one of our Texas clients to deliver four modules within their WCAG 2.1AA Compliant Cognitive Adaptive Therapy (CAT) project, which is in addition to the initial four that were completed this month. Based on work done for them in previous years, along with the good work done for 2021, the same client ordered an additional four-module course on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) for Q3.

The common thread between these two new skills-based projects with this repeat client is a clear focus on various levels of healthcare practitioners:

  • improving of their understanding of these behavioral health issues, especially if they haven’t encountered them before or have preconceptions not backed up by experience

  • expanding their capacity to effectively employ interventions with various individuals at different points on the spectrum of independence, who require some form of assistance

Ultimately, the goal in these modules is to describe and demonstrate research-based best practices, so that care providers (and even individuals with mental health-related issues) can apply these skills effectively. Together, we can change the trajectory of people experiencing mental health-related challenges from one of deterioration, to one of well-being. But one of the major requirements is making the CAT modules fully accessible.

eLearning Accessibility Under The WCAG 2.1 AA Standard

At the onset of each eLearning project, clients have several choices to make. Common considerations are budget, timeline, scope, and technical requirements. Of these, one technical requirement for most governmental agencies and public-facing organizations is accessibility. The question is, what standard do they require?

Imagine not being able to move a mouse so that your cursor can select an object on screen during an eLearning. It makes drag-and-drop activities impossible. Or what if you are color-blind, and the images on screen all look the same to you because of how the content was designed? The right answer could look wrong, and the wrong answer could look right. These are just two small examples of the numerous things the Change by Design team discusses with the client before scope is finalized.

In the project described above, the client required a very high level of eLearning accessibility (WCAG 2.1 AA) for their learners. This impacted design in several ways, including:

  • Color palette, usage scheme, and values

  • Fonts used and sizing for different elements

  • Elements contrasting between foreground and background

Additionally, very thorough and deliberate screen design was executed so that layering was flat, navigation was locked, object states were highly distinguishable, and everything had correct alt tags for screen readers, as captions did not obscure learning content. We did all this and more, along with making the modules aesthetically pleasing and polished for a professional learning experience.

The application of this proprietary eLearning accessibility methodology is something in which Change by Design has made major investments, and that which very few companies who are currently delivering eLearning solutions can demonstrate effectively. Applying this specialized skill set as a team is one of the major reasons for the repeat business described earlier. By providing the same high-quality learning to people with low vision, learning and cognitive disabilities, as well as people who have color-blindness or hearing impairments, Change by Design practices its organizational value of inclusion.

Written by Sue Ebbers, Ph.D. and published in 2021.

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