Create accessible eLearning content in Adobe Captivate

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Overview

Creating accessible and user-friendly content ensures that learners of diverse abilities can consume it and fulfill their learning requirements. The all-new Adobe Captivate helps you to create accessible eLearning courses. Learn more about inclusive e-learning development using the all-new Adobe Captivate.

You can make the slide accessible and add accessibility to images, SVG, interactive components, widgets, and quizzes on the slides.

Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR)

• Adobe Captivate

Accessibility support in Adobe Captivate

Support for assistive technologies

Users with accessibility needs often rely on hardware and software solutions, commonly called assistive technologies, to interact with digital content. Adobe Captivate is designed to support a wide range of assistive technologies to ensure content authors can create inclusive eLearning experiences. Captivate works with:

• Screen readers: supports NVDA, JAWS, and VoiceOver. Learn more on how to make a slide accessible and add the speech agent language for screen readers.
• Add closed captions: You can manually add closed captions to slide audio or import an SRT or VTT file. Learn more about adding closed captions in Adobe Captivate.
• Keyboard navigation: Use the keyboard shortcuts to navigate the course using the reading order in the table of contents.
• Zoom support for published output: Learners can use screen magnifiers to zoom in up to 200%, enhancing text readability and focus.
• Color support: Authors can select colors based on WCAG-compliant contrast guidelines to ensure sufficient visual contrast and accessibility for color-blind or low-vision users. Refer to the WCAG color contrast guidelines for more information.

Accessibility features by impairment type

Vision impairments

Users with visual impairments can:

• Use screen readers (such as JAWS, NVDA, or VoiceOver) to access and read interface elements, including slide content, button labels, alternative text for images, and quiz questions. (Requires authors to provide meaningful alt text and accessible labels. Learn more on how to set the reading order for objects on a slide.)
• Navigate the course using a defined reading order, which helps screen readers present content logically. (Authors must set the reading order for the components on a slide.)
• Zoom in on course content using screen magnifiers or browser zoom features. 
• View content with improved visibility by enabling OS/browser-based high-contrast settings. (Authors should avoid low-contrast color combinations and follow WCAG color contrast guidelines.)

Auditory impairments

Users with hearing impairments can:

• View closed captions on audio and video content (e.g., MP3 and MP4 files). (Authors must add or import captions during authoring.)
• Learn through visual alternatives, such as animations on character states, on-screen text components, or embedded sign language videos. (Authors must add these visual aids manually during course creation.)

Mobility impairments

Users with motor impairments can:

• Navigate through the course using keyboard-only controls, including the timeline, menus, and interactive elements. (Authors must ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible.)
• Interact with features like a Playbar and TOC, accessible widgets, and on-screen buttons. (Authors should enable skip navigation and choose accessible widget types where needed.)
• Progress through course content using the Tab key to go to the next action and use Shift + TAB to move to the previous action. (Requires authors to structure the slide components in the correct reading order.)

Keyboard shortcuts for navigation

Learners can use standard keyboard shortcuts such as Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, and arrow keys to navigate, interact with content, and control playback during course consumption.

Heading tags for accessibility

To enhance the semantic structure and accessibility of slide content in Adobe Captivate, the following practices have been implemented:

• Titles: All slide titles are marked using the <h1> heading tag to indicate their primary importance and top-level hierarchy on the slide.

• Subtitles: Subheadings or subtitles are assigned the <h2> heading tag, helping to create a clear structure and improve navigation for users and assistive technologies.

• Body content: The main slide body content does not use heading tags. This helps maintain focus on the headings and subtitles, ensuring clarity and consistency in the content hierarchy.

• Image content blocks: Subtitles within image blocks are treated as regular body text to ensure consistent formatting and readability. Captions associated with images are labeled with the <h1> tag.

• Multiple content blocks: When a slide includes multiple titles and subtitles or uses several content blocks, each block is assigned its own <h1> and <h2> tags. This ensures that every section maintains a proper semantic hierarchy, improving navigation and structure.

Authoring tips for accessibility

• Use descriptive alternative text for all images and interactive objects to support screen reader users.
• Structure content with clear headings and a logical reading order to improve navigation, especially for assistive technologies.
• Choose high-contrast color schemes that comply with WCAG contrast guidelines to aid users with visual impairments.
• Provide closed captions for all audio and video content to support learners with hearing impairments.
• Avoid auto-playing media unless users have controls to pause or stop playback.
• Test your course with screen readers and accessibility checkers to identify and fix potential issues before publishing.
• Ensure all interactive elements are keyboard accessible, including buttons, quizzes, and navigation controls.

More like this

• Make a slide accessible
• Make slide objects accessible
• Make an interactive component accessible
• Make a widget accessible
• Make a quiz accessible
• TOC and Playbar accessibility