What you'll learn
- Set up NVDA and run your first test in under 30 minutes
- Learn what correct and broken screen reader announcements actually sound like
- Understand exactly what A11yCheck's automated scan can and cannot verify for you
- Finish confident enough to do a real review, not just informed about the topic
What's inside
Anyone ready to test their own course with a screen reader for the first time
- 01Why screen reader testing matters
- 02Set up NVDA in five minutes
- 03Test your first course
- 04What you should hear
- 05Common accessibility problems
- 06Common testing mistakes
- 07What A11yCheck can and cannot verify
- 08How A11yCheck's Screen Reader Experience complements manual testing
- 09You're ready if you can...
Frequently asked questions
Do I need any accessibility experience to use this guide?
No. It was written specifically for someone who has never tested with a screen reader before and finds the idea intimidating. The goal is confidence, not mastery of every NVDA command.
Which screen reader does this guide use?
NVDA, a free screen reader for Windows and the most common starting point for a first test. The guide only teaches the handful of commands a basic review actually needs.
Isn't running an A11yCheck scan enough on its own?
No, and the guide is direct about that. A scan is very good at catching structural issues like missing alt text, but it cannot judge whether content actually makes sense out loud, that is exactly what a human listening for a few minutes can tell you.
How long does a first screen reader test actually take?
About 20 to 30 minutes for a typical course once NVDA is installed, most of that is simply listening, not learning new commands.
What is the Screen Reader Experience feature mentioned in the guide?
A real feature already built into every A11yCheck scan, it produces an ordered list of what a screen reader would announce moving through your course, the same kind of listening the guide teaches, run automatically for every slide.
Related Guides
Keyboard Navigation Testing Cheat Sheet→
The keys and quick test every keyboard-only check comes down to, for any course, page, or app. Kept open during testing, not read once and filed away.
The Complete Guide to Storyline Accessibility→
Everything instructional designers need to know to make Storyline 360 courses accessible, with a good and bad example for every check.
Alt Text Guide→
Alt text is a short written description of an image that a screen reader reads aloud in its place. Write what the image communicates, not what it looks like, and keep it under about a sentence.
Closed Captions Guide→
The difference between captions and a transcript, and exactly how to add both in Storyline and Rise.
Accessibility Testing SOP: A Standard Process for eLearning Teams→
A repeatable process, not a one-time checklist, for how a team tests accessibility: who's responsible, what tools and methods to use together, how often to test, and how to document that testing happened.
What Screen Readers Announce in Storyline→
A screen reader doesn't describe a Storyline slide the way it looks, it announces each focusable object in tab order, using only whatever accessible name and role that object actually has. Here's what that sounds like for Storyline's most common objects, done well and done poorly.
What Screen Readers Announce in Rise→
Rise's native blocks generally announce well by default, that's one of the real advantages of building in a block-based tool. The gap almost always shows up in the same place: an Embed block carrying custom HTML that Rise has no control over.
NVDA vs JAWS vs VoiceOver: Which Should You Learn First→
NVDA (free, Windows), JAWS (paid, Windows), and VoiceOver (built into macOS and iOS, free) are the three screen readers worth knowing about for eLearning testing. For a first screen reader, and for most eLearning QA, NVDA on Windows with Chrome or Firefox is the right place to start.
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