Accessibility statement

Moodle

Moodle is used by the University of Greenwich. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website.

This Accessibility Statement applies to Moodle. Moodle is the University of Greenwich’s Learning Management System (LMS). It helps teachers, administrators, and students create personalized learning experiences in a secure and reliable way. Moodle meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. Using Moodle allows us to provide a consistent experience for everyone using these webpages.

Using this website

This website is managed by the University. Our goal is to make it accessible to everyone. For instance, you should be able to:

  • Zoom in up to 300% without the text spilling off the screen
  • Navigate most of the website using just a keyboard
  • Navigate most of the website using speech recognition software
  • Listen to most of the website using a screen reader

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. AbilityNet is a UK Charity that exists to help disabled people use digital technology.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

  • You cannot modify the line height or spacing of text
  • Some older images lack text alternatives
  • Most older PDF documents are not fully accessible to screen reader software
  • Some older videos do not have captions
  • Some of our online forms are difficult to navigate using just a keyboard and lack separate labels
  • Some of our pages lack sufficient colour contrast
  • Some of our pages use colour to convey information
  • Some of our pages ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) have hidden elements
  • Some of our pages contain duplicated ARIA ID's and labels
  • Some of our online forms are not accessible due to incomplete markup
  • Some of our links do not have discernible text
  • Some of our pages contain unstructured list items

We are continually working to make the text of these pages easier to understand and as accessible as possible. Additionally, we offer automatically generated alternative formats for download of all the content on Moodle through Blackboard Ally.

What to do if you cannot access parts of this website

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

We will consider your request and get back to you in two working days.

We are always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we are not meeting accessibility requirements, please contact us using any of the means listed above.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

The University of Greenwich is committed to making this website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances below.

Line height and text spacing

While text can be magnified, it is not possible for users to modify text spacing or line height. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.12 (text spacing).

We are looking at solutions to this issue.

Older images lacking text alternatives

Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

PDFs and other documents

Most of our older PDFs and Word documents do not meet accessibility standards. For example, they may not be marked up, so they are accessible to a screen reader. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

Video captions

Some of our older videos don't have accurate edited captions or transcripts. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.2.1 (audio-only and video-only pre-recorded), 1.2.2 (captions pre-recorded), 1.2.3 (audio description or media alternative pre-recorded) and 1.2.5 (audio description pre-recorded).

Students who receive private assignment feedback that is in an audio or video format will be able to request either a text transcription for audio or a captioned video that will be available in Panopto. If this is requested via the Student Wellbeing service, the format will be provided with any reasonable adjustments required.

To enhance the accessibility of recordings created in Panopto, we have implemented automatic captioning by default on all of our video recordings.

While automatic captioning is sufficient for the majority of those interacting with Panopto, there are others who require more precise transcription services. We have implemented a process for students to request human transcription services from video content they may need it for. This is service is paid for through our university Disability and Dyslexia team.

The accessibility regulations do not apply to recorded videos published before 23 September 2020. Any new videos published will have edited captions or transcripts upon request.

Online forms

Some of our older online forms are difficult to navigate via keyboard or lack clear input labels. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.5.3 (Keyboard) and 2.5.3 (Label in Name).

The forms within Moodle are continually being improved through a rolling program of updates and bug fixes. Moodle address accessibility issues with interim updates and major revisions of the platform.

Colour contrast ratio

Some of the pages on this website use themes that lack a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 between text and background colours. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

Colour contrast of themes

Some of the pages on this website use themes that use colour as the sole indicator of visual information, for indicating an action or prompting a response. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.41 (Use of Colour).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) have hidden elements

Some of our pages have hidden elements with focusable content which will be problematic for screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role Value).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) duplicated ID's and labels

Some of our pages contain duplicated ARIA ID's and labels which will be problematic for screen readers interpretations. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

Incomplete markup on forms

Some of our online forms are not accessible due to incomplete markup which will be problematic for screen readers interpretations. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.1 (Parsing).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

Links without discernible text

Some of our pages contain links that do not have accessible text which will not be visible to screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose(In context)) and success criterion 4.1.2 (Name, Role Value).

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

Unstructured list items

Some of our pages contain unstructured list items which will be problematic for screen reader perceiving different formatting. This fails WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships)

Blackboard Ally, our third-party accessibility plugin, scans all Moodle content producing an accessibility report for the entire site and for each faculty. It offers direct access to content with accessibility issues and provides suggestions on making the content accessible.

Additional accessibility considerations

WCAG 2.1 defines three levels of conformance: level A, level AA and level AAA. Although our goal is WCAG 2.1 Level AA conformance, we have also applied some level AAA success criteria:

  • Images of text are only used for pure decoration or where a particular presentation of text is essential to the information being conveyed
  • We have implemented automatic captioning by default on all of our video recordings.
  • Functionality of the content is operable through a keyboard interface without requiring specific timings for individual keystrokes

How we tested this website

This website was last tested on 20 September 2019. The test was carried out by the University of Greenwich based on a sample of most-visited pages and course pages. All flagged priority issues were investigated and, where possible, addressed.

Moodle has been significantly upgraded with improvements for functionality and accessibility. Retesting is being considered for 2025.

What we are doing to improve accessibility

We have a rolling programme of updating the content and design of this website in accordance with the guidelines set out by the WCAG and will continue to assess and improve our accessibility based on these guidelines, user testing and user feedback.

This statement was prepared on 20th September 2019. It was last updated on 11th December 2024.

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