What is eLearning accessibility?
eLearning accessibility means building online courses that work for everyone — including learners with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities. It also means courses that work in difficult conditions: a noisy office, a mobile phone in bright sunlight, a slow network connection, or a shared device with no headphones.
The standard that governs this is WCAG 2.1 — the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It applies to any digital content published as a web-based output, which includes all SCORM, xAPI, and HTML5 courses from Articulate Storyline 360 and Rise 360.
Most accessibility laws around the world — Section 508, the Equality Act, the European Accessibility Act — reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the minimum required standard.
The four principles of accessible eLearning
WCAG 2.1 is built on four principles — Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust. Every accessibility requirement maps to one of these.
Perceivable
All content must be presentable in ways learners can perceive — not just visually. Images need alt text. Videos need captions. Audio needs transcripts.
- Alt text on images
- Captions on video
- Sufficient colour contrast
- Text not relying on colour alone
Operable
Learners must be able to operate all interactions — including those who cannot use a mouse. Keyboards, switch access, and voice control must all work.
- Keyboard navigation
- No timing that cuts off users
- No content that flashes
- Clear navigation and headings
Understandable
Content and interactions must be understandable — clear language, predictable behaviour, and helpful error messages when something goes wrong.
- Plain language
- Consistent navigation
- Descriptive labels on form fields
- Helpful error messages
Robust
Courses must work reliably with assistive technologies — screen readers, magnifiers, voice control — not just standard browsers.
- Valid HTML structure
- Named interactive elements
- Correct heading order
- No broken ARIA attributes
The most common accessibility issues in eLearning
These are the issues A11yCheck finds most often when scanning Articulate courses — in order of how frequently they appear and how severely they affect learners.
How to check your eLearning course for accessibility
Publish to Review 360
In Storyline or Rise, publish your course to Articulate Review 360. Copy the Review link from the dashboard.
Paste your link into A11yCheck
Paste the Review 360 link into A11yCheck and click Scan. No download, no plugin, no Articulate login required.
Fix the issues
Get a prioritised report in under two minutes — with plain-English descriptions and specific fix steps for Storyline 360 or Rise 360.
Frequently asked questions about eLearning accessibility
What is eLearning accessibility?
eLearning accessibility means building online courses that all learners can use — including those with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities. In practice, this means following WCAG 2.1 guidelines: adding alt text to images, captioning videos, ensuring keyboard navigation works, and making sure text has sufficient contrast.
What is WCAG 2.1 and why does it apply to eLearning?
WCAG 2.1 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard for digital accessibility. It applies to any digital content published on the web — including eLearning courses. Most national accessibility laws reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the required standard. If your course is published as a web-based output (SCORM, xAPI, HTML5), WCAG applies.
Does Articulate Storyline 360 produce accessible courses?
Storyline 360 can produce accessible courses if you use its accessibility features correctly — alt text fields, tab order, caption support. But it does not enforce their use. Courses built without thinking about accessibility will fail a WCAG audit. A11yCheck finds those gaps automatically.
Does Articulate Rise 360 produce accessible courses?
Rise 360 produces better baseline accessibility than Storyline because its block structure creates clean HTML. But content issues — missing alt text, absent captions, low-contrast brand colours — still cause failures. Run A11yCheck on every Rise course before publishing.
What level of WCAG should eLearning courses meet?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard required by most laws and organisational accessibility policies. Level A covers the most critical issues. Level AA adds further requirements around contrast, captions, and keyboard accessibility. Level AAA is aspirational — it is not required by law but is worth aiming for on high-traffic pages.
How do I check if my eLearning course is accessible?
Publish your course to Articulate Review 360, paste the link into A11yCheck, and get a full WCAG 2.1 report in under two minutes. The report prioritises issues by severity and gives step-by-step fix instructions for Storyline 360 or Rise 360 specifically.
How many learners are affected by accessibility issues in eLearning?
Around 1 in 5 people has some form of disability. Beyond permanent disabilities, situational factors affect everyone: a broken arm, a noisy environment, a slow internet connection, an ageing monitor with poor contrast. Accessible courses work better for all learners, not just those with disabilities.
Is eLearning accessibility a legal requirement?
In most countries, yes — for certain organisations. In the US, Section 508 covers federal agencies and contractors. The ADA covers most employers. In the UK, the Equality Act applies. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act covers digital products including training. Even where not legally required, inaccessible training creates employment discrimination risk.
Check your course for accessibility issues now
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