Introduction
SchooLinks is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible platform for all users, including those with disabilities. To achieve this, SchooLinks has integrated an advanced accessibility widget powered by accessiBe. This widget offers a wide range of features designed to enhance the usability of our site for individuals with various accessibility needs.
Accessing the Accessibility Widget
Students: Click on the Accessibility Widget in the bottom right corner of the webpage, represented by a blue circular icon with a white human figure inside.
Staff: Click on the Gear Icon in the top navigation bar, select Show Accessibility Widget, then click on the Accessibility Widget in the bottom right corner of the webpage.
Key Features of the Accessibility Widget
The accessibility widget offers several features categorized to address different accessibility needs. Expand each of the following sections to read a detailed overview of each feature.
Accessibility Profiles
Accessibility Profiles
Seizure Safe Profile: Enables epileptic and seizure prone users to browse safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Vision Imparied Profile: Adjusts the website so that it is accessible to the majority of visual impariments such as Degrading Eyesite, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
ADHD Friendly Profile: Reduces distractions to help people with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders browse, read, and focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
Cognitive Disability Profile: Provides various assistive features to help users with cognitivte disabilities such as Autism, Dyslexia, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
Keybooard Navigation (Motor): Enables motor-impaired users to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as "M" (menus), "H" (headings), "F" (forms), "B" (buttons), and "G" (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
Blind Users (Screen Reader): Optimizes the website for compatibility with screen readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack.
*Note: The SchooLinks accessibility widget does not include built-in text-to-speech functionality. Instead, enabling this profile ensures seamless compatibility with external screen readers for an accessible browsing experience.
Content Adjustments
Content Adjustments
Content Scaling: Adjusts the size of text and other visual elements on the screen to make them larger or smaller.
Readable Font: Converts the site’s fonts to more readable ones, improving legibility.
Highlight Titles: Highlights all titles on the page, making them stand out for easier navigation.
Highlight Links: Emphasizes all links, making them more visible and distinguishable.
Text Magnifier: Enlarges text when hovered over to assist users with visual impairments.
Text Alignment: Allows users to adjust text alignment to left, center, or right based on their preferences.
Adjust Font Sizing: Increase or decrease the size of the text on the screen only.
Adjust Line Height: Adjust vertical spacing between lines of text.
Adjust Letter Spacing: Adjust the space between individual letters.
Color Adjustments
Color Adjustments
Dark Contrast: Switches the site to a dark background with light text, reducing eye strain and improving readability in low-light conditions.
Light Contrast: Reduces contrast for a softer visual experience, making bright colors less intense.
High Contrast: Increases contrast between text and background to improve readability for visually impaired users.
High Saturation: Increases the contrast between background and foreground elements, enhancing readability for users with low vision.
Low Saturation: Reduces color intensity for a more muted display, aiding users sensitive to bright colors.
Monochrome: Converts the site colors to grayscale, which can help users with color vision deficiencies.
Adjust Text, Tile, & Background Colors: Customize the site’s appearance by selecting from a preset list of colors to modify the text, tile, and/or background.
Orientation Adjustments
Orientation Adjustments
Mute Sounds: Disables all sounds on the website, assisting users who are sensitive to audio cues or prefer a quieter browsing experience.
Hide Images: Removes all images from the website to reduce visual clutter, improve readability, and minimize sensory overload.
Read Mode:
Reading Guide: Introduces a reading guide to help users focus on specific lines of text, improving reading comprehension and focus.
Useful Links:
Stop Animations: Halts all animated content, which can be distracting or trigger photosensitive epilepsy in some users.
Reading Mask: Highlights a horizontal section of text while dimming the rest of the screen to improve focus and readability.
Highlight Hover: Highlights elements as you hover over them, making navigation easier for users with visual or attention difficulties.
Highlight Focus: Emphasizes the selected element (e.g., links, buttons, form fields) to improve keyboard navigation and accessibility.
Big Black Cursor: Enlarges the cursor and changes it to black for better visibility against light backgrounds.
Big White Cursor:Enlarges the cursor and changes it to white for better visibility against dark backgrounds.
Customizing Your Experience
Each user has unique accessibility needs, and the widget allows you to customize settings to fit your preferences. To activate and customize these features:
Open the Accessibility Widget: Click on the accessibility icon, typically located in the bottom corner of the webpage.
Explore Categories: Navigate through the various categories (Accessibility Profiles, Content Adjustments, Color Adjustments, Orientation Adjustments).
Toggle Settings: Select and toggle the features that best suit your needs. Each setting can be enabled or disabled independently.
Save Preferences: Your preferences are saved and will be applied every time you visit SchooLinks.
Conclusion
SchooLinks, with the help of accessiBe’s accessibility widget, strives to create a welcoming and user-friendly environment for everyone. By utilizing these accessibility features, users can tailor their browsing experience to meet their specific needs, ensuring that all students, educators, and stakeholders can fully engage with the platform.
For further assistance or to report any accessibility issues, please contact our support team at support@schoolinks.com.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is the accessibility widget available on all pages of SchooLinks?
Is the accessibility widget available on all pages of SchooLinks?
Yes, the accessibility widget is available across the entire SchooLinks platform to ensure a consistent experience.
How do I reset the accessibility settings to the default settings?
How do I reset the accessibility settings to the default settings?
You can reset the settings by opening the widget and selecting the reset option at the bottom of the menu.