Access to online learning: the role of the courseware authoring tool developer

Implementation of recommended design strategies can potentially allow any Web‐based learning program to be made accessible to learners who use adaptive technologies. However, one of the greatest barriers to achieving this goal is the lack of authoring tools that support course content developers in adhering to existing accessibility guidelines. In order to ensure universal access, attention must be given to Web pages generated automatically by courseware programs, as well as those uploaded from an external source. Courseware authoring environments could easily include utilities to support developers in making their online resources accessible. This paper will review products recently available on the market using the guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative as a framework for analysis.