U001 – Is BookWidgets ADA compliant?
If the question is 'can I make ADA compliant widgets with BookWidgets', the answer is yes. If the question is 'will all widgets I make be ADA compliant', then the answer is no. If you would like to read BookWidgets' Accessibility Statement and our Voluntary Product Accessibility Report, see below.
ADA Compliancy
Both the widget type as the way you configure it affect ADA compliance.
BookWidgets has different 'widget templates' that get filled in with different types of user content. Some widgets, e.g. a Quiz, can be ADA compliant. Others perform functions which can't be ADA compliant. Some widgets or question types are heavily visual, like for example our hotspot image, or they have a function which can't be controlled by a keyboard, e.g drawing in the whiteboard widget.
Even though a Quiz can be ADA compliant, it doesn't mean all Quizzes will be: we have about 30 different question types, some of which focus on visual aspects and/or don't allow mere keyboard input (e.g. dragging and dropping of images, image multiple choice questions, whiteboard questions,…). While it would technically be possible to make all widgets ADA compliant, this would defeat the purpose… For example: if you're using an image-based multiple choice question, the goal is to interpret the image. Replacing this with a text that describes the image has no added value to the image-based exercise in the first place.
We therefore place ADA compliancy in the hands of the creator. If you want to create an ADA compliant Quiz, restrict yourself to the question types which are ADA compliant (e.g. text multiple choice, multi select, text input questions, ...), and also provide the alt text for the images which you potentially insert, transcripts for audio / video content, etc.
In summary: widgets can be ADA compliant, if the creator chooses to use only limited options, as well as to provide alternative descriptive texts for any type of multimedia content (images, audio, video).
BookWidgets Accessibility Statement
At BookWidgets, we understand the importance of providing equal access to educational resources for all students, regardless of their abilities. That's why we're committed to making our app as accessible as possible, for both teachers and students. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn and grow, and we're proud to offer a platform to help make that happen.
At BookWidgets, our mission is to ensure that every student and teacher has equitable access to our educational tools. We are dedicated to creating a user-friendly platform that accommodates a diverse range of abilities by featuring keyboard shortcuts, alternative text for images, and a high-contrast mode, among other accommodations. We regularly test our platform's compatibility with assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to align with accessibility standards.
While many of our widget and question types are inherently accessible, the extent of accessibility can vary based on how they are utilized within educational contexts and curricular content. Certain interactive elements, like drag-and-drop or image-based questions, are crafted with specific learning objectives for visual and auditory literacy that may not translate seamlessly into fully accessible formats without altering their intended educational value.
We recognize that meeting accessibility standards is an ongoing process, and we are committed to continuously improving the accessibility of BookWidgets. If you have any suggestions or feedback on how we can improve the accessibility of our app, please don't hesitate to contact us.