Screen Readers and muting course

Jul 26, 2023

Hello and thank you in advance.

Can screen reader users simply mute the course to avoid hearing audio narration (because audio narration may interfere with their screen reader)? 

I originally used a variable on each slide so the user could mute the audio at the start of the course but that interrupted their ability to rewind/fast forward the timeline seekbar. I’m wondering if muting the course is a simple solution. Thanks 

3 Replies
Jose Tansengco

Hello Kathy, 

Happy to help!

Screen Readers can't mute courses by default, but we have this helpful article which contains some tips on how to design accessible courses in Storyline 360: 

One of the tips shared in the article is to not autoplay audio in your course, so you can give your learners the chance to activate the sound themselves. You can check out the article for more information on how to design courses with accessibility in mind.

Hope this helps!

Eric Santos

Hi Kathy,

I'm happy to chime in! Learners can use the keyboard shortcuts mentioned in this article to control the volume of your course:

If the learner lowers the course volume all the way, it should not impact the volume on their screen reader. The screen reader volume is controlled in the screen reader app itself.

Please let me know if you have questions.