About This Activity
Identifying a barrier is the first step to reducing it. In this activity you read twelve everyday barriers from schools and learning communities, decide which of the four POUR principles each one falls under, and see a way to reduce it.
- Read the barrier, then choose Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, or Robust.
- Select Check my answer for feedback, or Show the answer at any time.
- Some barriers touch more than one principle. The answer names the main one.
- Work alone or with a group. There is no score and no time limit.
What Counts as a Barrier
Barriers
- Never in the learner.
- Always in the design.
- We can reduce them.
Important factors
- Valued parts of identity and context, such as disability, language and culture.
- We do not design them away.
- We design for them.
Every barrier in this activity sits in a video, a worksheet, a website, a letter or a tool. None of them sits in a learner.
The Four POUR Principles
- Perceivable Everyone can take in the information, through more than one sense.
- Operable Everyone can use it and move through it, in more than one way.
- Understandable Everyone can make sense of the content and how it works.
- Robust It works with many devices, browsers, and assistive technologies, now and as they change.
POUR comes from the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). The icons are a visual reminder of each principle: an eye, tools, a lightbulb, and devices. They are not official WCAG symbols. The CAST resource in Foundations (opens in a new tab) explains it further.
Barrier 1
A science video plays in class with no captions. The video leaves out a learner who is deaf.
Show the answer for barrier 1
Perceivable
How to reduce this barrier: Add accurate captions and a transcript, so the information can be read as well as heard.
Resource: Making Audio and Video Media Accessible (opens in a new tab)
Barrier 2
A slide deck has a key diagram with no alt text. A learner using a screen reader hears only “image.”
Show the answer for barrier 2
Perceivable
How to reduce this barrier: Write alt text that gives the meaning of the diagram, and a longer description if it holds a lot of information.
Barrier 3
A worksheet uses light grey text on a white background. The low contrast makes it hard for several learners to read.
Show the answer for barrier 3
Perceivable
How to reduce this barrier: Use strong colour contrast between text and background, and check it before sharing.
Resource: Colour Contrast Analyser (CCA) (opens in a new tab)
Barrier 4
An online quiz can only be completed by dragging answers with a mouse. The quiz shuts out a learner who uses a keyboard.
Show the answer for barrier 4
Operable
How to reduce this barrier: Give every task a keyboard-friendly way to complete it, such as choosing from a list.
Resource: WebAIM: Building for Accessibility (opens in a new tab)
Barrier 5
A timed online test closes after ten minutes, with no way to ask for more time.
Show the answer for barrier 5
Operable
How to reduce this barrier: Let learners turn off, extend, or adjust time limits, or remove the time limit when time is not what is being assessed.
Barrier 6
The menu on a school website traps keyboard focus. The menu stops a keyboard user from reaching the rest of the page.
Show the answer for barrier 6
Operable
How to reduce this barrier: Make sure keyboard users can reach, use, and leave every part of the page, and test it with a keyboard alone.
Resource: Silktide: Accessibility Checker (opens in a new tab)
Barrier 7
A letter home to families is full of jargon and long sentences. The wording makes it hard for many families to follow.
Show the answer for barrier 7
Understandable
How to reduce this barrier: Write in plain language, and offer an Easy Read version with short sentences and clear pictures.
Barrier 8
An online form only says “Invalid input” when something is wrong, with no hint of what to fix.
Show the answer for barrier 8
Understandable
How to reduce this barrier: Name the problem in plain words and say how to fix it, next to the field that needs attention.
Barrier 9
Each page of a learning platform puts the menu in a different place. The changing layout makes it hard for learners to find their way.
Show the answer for barrier 9
Understandable
How to reduce this barrier: Keep navigation in the same place, in the same order, on every page.
Barrier 10
A class website uses a custom button that looks like a button, but a screen reader announces nothing when a learner reaches it.
Show the answer for barrier 10
Robust
How to reduce this barrier: Use real buttons and links with clear names, so assistive technologies can recognise them and tell learners what they do.
Barrier 11
After a learner submits homework/home learning online, a “Saved” message appears on screen, but a screen reader does not announce it.
Show the answer for barrier 11
Robust
How to reduce this barrier: Code status messages so assistive technologies announce them without moving the learner’s focus.
Barrier 12
A learning app only works in one browser and stops working when learners use their own assistive technology.
Show the answer for barrier 12
Robust
How to reduce this barrier: Choose tools that are tested with a range of browsers and assistive technologies, and ask suppliers how they test.
Resource: WCAG: What Educators Need to Know (opens in a new tab)
All Barriers by Principle
See every barrier grouped under its main POUR principle.
Show the sorted list
Perceivable
- A science video plays in class with no captions. The video leaves out a learner who is deaf.
- A slide deck has a key diagram with no alt text. A learner using a screen reader hears only “image.”
- A worksheet uses light grey text on a white background. The low contrast makes it hard for several learners to read.
Operable
- An online quiz can only be completed by dragging answers with a mouse. The quiz shuts out a learner who uses a keyboard.
- A timed online test closes after ten minutes, with no way to ask for more time.
- The menu on a school website traps keyboard focus. The menu stops a keyboard user from reaching the rest of the page.
Understandable
- A letter home to families is full of jargon and long sentences. The wording makes it hard for many families to follow.
- An online form only says “Invalid input” when something is wrong, with no hint of what to fix.
- Each page of a learning platform puts the menu in a different place. The changing layout makes it hard for learners to find their way.
Robust
- A class website uses a custom button that looks like a button, but a screen reader announces nothing when a learner reaches it.
- After a learner submits homework/home learning online, a “Saved” message appears on screen, but a screen reader does not announce it.
- A learning app only works in one browser and stops working when learners use their own assistive technology.
Take It Further
Think of one barrier in your own setting. Which POUR principle does it fall under, and what is one step you could take to reduce it?