Accessibility and the Carousel Block

Thank you TeresaVanderpos​   ! We've taken this into account. This feedback is very insightful and exactly the kind we've been collecting to help improve the overall inclusivity of Process block.

In your post, you also mentioned you can't make changes to the alt text of the previous and next buttons. You can actually modify the accessibility labels for these via Course Settings → Labels → Screen Reader Announcement Tab and look for “Process” category.

You also inquired about how to introduce the carousels to your learner to be more inclusive, which is a truly challenging task. Carousels in general are complex and inherently ambiguous to navigate. While no single instruction that will serve everyone equally well, here are some ideas that can help alleviate some of its complexity.

Take advantage of the screen reader announcement labels. Update labels where they can better assist screen reader users. For example:

• Process region label
  • Use something like “Carousel widget.” This gives screen reader users a clearer signal that they are entering a custom interactive component. For users familiar with carousels, it sets expectations; for others, it indicates that a specific interaction pattern is in use.
• Process role description
  • Consider a more familiar term like “Slide show” for the role description. This can help set a clearer mental model, as “slide show” is widely understood and may better communicate how the content behaves
• Process slide controls group label
  • Rename it to something more descriptive such as “Slide pagination.” This more accurately reflects its natural function and makes it easier to understand.

Consider including a short instruction to help orient users. You can tailor it to how your content is most likely to be used and who. It could also be for general use like this example:

Take a moment to explore and familiarize yourself with the following interaction before getting started. Use the slide pagination buttons to jump to any slide, or use the previous and next buttons to move sequentially.

This helps encourage screen reader users to explore the component first, allowing them to build a mental model of how it is structured. Describing how to navigate also makes screen reader users aware right away of the available controls and how they can be used to move through the content.

Hope these ideas would help in the meantime, as we continue to improve the experience overtime.

Cheers!

Marvie