In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Accessibility Updates in Q2 2025
Welcome to our Q2 2025 update! We’ve got plenty of progress and highlights to share because a lot can happen in just a few months. The group continues to grow, with 125 new members joining us this quarter, bringing us to 658 people who care about making things more accessible. That’s incredible, and we’re so glad you’re here. Let’s take a look at what’s been happening! Product Updates Rise 360 New: Articulate Localization launched! Instantly translate Rise 360 courses into 70+ languages with fully integrated AI translation. New: Generate text-to-speech audio and transcripts with AI Assistant. New: Insert audio in text, quote, statement, image, list, carousel, flashcard, tabs, and accordion blocks. Enhanced: Matching knowledge check blocks have been reworked to better reflect their original design while retaining full keyboard support and comprehensive screen reader integration. Storyline 360 New: Articulate Localization launched! Instantly translate Storyline 360 courses into 70+ languages with fully integrated AI translation. New: Insert AI-generated alt text for slide objects to improve accessibility. New: Improve the accessibility of your content. Get actionable feedback based on key WCAG guidelines to instantly identify barriers like missing closed captions and disabled course playback speed. New: Instantly generate high-quality captions for your audio and video content to boost accessibility. New: Enjoy more sizing options for the modern player. Lock the player size or let it adjust to learners' browsers. Enhanced: Create inclusive content from the start with a template that meets accessibility standards. Enhanced: Use the Esc key to close any window in Storyline 360. Enhanced: We improved the screen reader experience by adding a customizable player text label for the sidebar menu landmark. Fixed: NVDA screen readers didn't follow the correct focus order. Fixed: Closed captions showed up earlier than expected and could stack up on each other while using the seekbar. Fixed: Screen readers incorrectly announced some graphic elements despite their being invisible to accessibility tools. Fixed: Screen readers skipped some lightboxed content if the browser window was maximized or the system display scaling was set to 100%. Other Updates New articles AI Assistant in Storyline 360: AI-generated Alt Text Suggestion Storyline 360: Improving Experiences With the Accessibility Checker AI Assistant in Storyline 360: AI-generated Captions Storyline 360: New Project Accessible Template How E-Learning Redefines Accessibility for All Learners Rise 360 Accessibility Maturity Plan Storyline 360 Accessibility Maturity Plan Reach 360 Accessibility Maturity Plan Updated articles Storyline 360: Our Accessibility Journey Accessibility Index Training Reimagining Storyline Interactions for Accessibility and User Experience Register now: Create More Inclusive E-Learning with the New Storyline 360 Accessibility CheckerAccessibility Checker - Switch off accessible objects
I'm using the accessibility checker to make all my courses 100% accessible. I open the project file, run the checker and go through each line, one by one. The most common error is an object (rectangle / line / icon) not being accessible. Why does a horizontal line ever need to be accessible? So I'm going through turning them all off as they don't need alt text. This is painful, some project files have 000s of errors. Is there a quick way to untick the accessibility of all shape type objects. Icons from the media library are grouped and the main group and its elements all need to be switched off. The acc checker doesn't allow multi select and when in the timeline selecting all and unticking doesn't always work. Its taking forever!The Accessibility Checker is now available in Storyline 360!
An accessibility checker has long been one of the most requested Storyline features, and now we’re delivering it to you with Update 100! Built to support you at every stage of course creation, the new accessibility checker in Storyline 360 scans your project for common accessibility issues and gives clear, actionable guidance on how to fix them. Our first accessibility checker release will help you spot 24 accessibility issues across 15 WCAG success criteria. To help you build accessible courses from the start, we’ve also added a new accessible project template. Learn more in our latest journal entry. Big kudos to Ronnie_Pilman on this significant milestone![REDUNDANT] Storyline custom focus control
========================================================================= Update 18 March 2025 This functionality is now redundant. Please use the native focus trigger in Storyline 360 64 bit March 18, 2025 (Build 3.98.34222.0) ========================================================================= There have many been times, when using Storyline to develop content, it has not been possible to get the kind of screen reader focus control that I have needed. Using layers for this can only get you so far. I developed a JavaScript function that allows you to send the screen reader focus to the text field that you want, via any trigger. Adding the following JavaScript to your projects Slide Master will make it available throughout your module: // Check if function has been defined already if (typeof window.setFocus === "undefined") { // Get reference to the Storyline Player var $player = GetPlayer(); // Set the amount of time to delay before attempting to send focus to the target element (milliseconds) 1000 = 1 second. var $interval = 200; // window.setFocus = function ($target, $announce = false) { // Get the target element, based on the passed argument setTimeout(function () { var $div = document.querySelector('[data-acc-text^="' + $target + '"]'); var $id = "acc-" + $div.dataset.modelId $div = document.getElementById($id); if($announce) { $div.setAttribute("aria-atomic", "true"); $div.setAttribute("aria-live", "assertive"); } // Send focus to target, after defined $interval $div.focus(); }, $interval); } } Once the function is defined in your Slide Master, you can then call the function on the page using a JavaScript function, which can be triggered by any Storyline trigger such as timeline start, timeline end, button click etc. // The second argument will determine if the content should // be announced to assistive technology using aria-live=assertive // This will announce the text contents to the screen reader window.setFocus("Customer in the queue", true); // This will just send focus to the element. window.setFocus("Customer in the queue", false); The first argument, which is passed in the "" quotes, is the text contents of the text field you are targeting. You do not have to include all the text, just enough to ensure it is unique. For example, if you have two text fields: "Customer in the queue talking on their phone." "Customer in the shop staring into space." Passing the words "Customer in the" would not be specific enough, as there would be two text fields found. However, passing "Customer in the queue" would send the focus to the text field that contains the text "Customer in the queue talking on their phone." The second argument (true or false) determines if the target elements contents should be announced to the screen reader when it receives focus.In Case You Missed It (ICYMI): Accessibility Updates in Q4 2024
Welcome to 2025! Since my last update, this accessibility group has grown by 61 members, bringing its total to 403 members. The first ICYMI edition was published on October 23, 2024, and established a foundation, but we can keep it short and sweet from now on. Product Updates: Rise 360 New: Immerse all learners in customizable interactive experiences with accessible scenario blocks that offer alternative text, screen reader support, and a visible focus indicator. New: Select the source course language when exporting your training for translation. Enhanced: Select the text of a hyperlink to apply formatting, including changing the color of the text. Enhanced: Line height and letter spacing are now available in the text formatting toolbar. Storyline 360 Enhanced: Expand your reach with a new AI text-to-speech model that supports Hungarian, Norwegian, and Vietnamese in addition to the 29 other languages already supported. Enhanced: You can now add text-to-speech narration and sound effects to markers. Fixed: Text alignment wasn't preserved in existing projects. Upcoming accessibility features: We've released Rise Accessible Drag-and-Drop Questions (Q1 2025, but released before posting this) and added Rise Math Equations. Current accessibility items on our feature roadmap include: Storyline Accessibility Checker Storyline Math Equations Rise Math Equations Updates in articles, documentation, resource center, or training: Refreshed: Storyline 360: Working with Hyperlinks New blog: What Is Section 508? A Quick Guide to Section 508 Compliance Upcoming webinar: Beginner's Guide to NVDA and Storyline for Accessibility Testing New entry in Storyline 360: Our Accessibility Journey - Accessibility Enhancements to Kick Off 2025
