Accessibility statement for Learning Systems websites

Accessibility statement for Learning Systems websites

The Open University is committed to making its websites and mobile applications accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

This accessibility statement applies to the Learning Systems websites used for learning and teaching at the Open University. They include module and Study home websites on learn2.open.ac.uk, community and support websites on learn1.open.ac.uk, and staff-facing websites on learn3.open.ac.uk.

This statement only applies to the underlying platform used for these websites. For website content, refer to the Accessibility Guide on your module website. This should include guidance about the different types of content within the module or any additional software required to study the module.

Some modules may use or direct users to an alternative learning platform. Where this is the case, please check that platform for accessibility-specific information.

For the OU Study app, read the accessibility statement for your device from the OU Study app page.

We want as many people as possible to be able to use our websites and mobile apps, and accessibility is an essential part of our mission. On our Accessibility hub, you'll find everything you need to answer any questions you have about accessibility, whether you're a student or a member of staff.

To adapt the content to your needs or preferences you should be able to:

• Change colours, contrast levels and fonts.

• Resize text up to 200% without impact on the functionality of the website.

• Zoom in up to 400% without loss of information or functionality.

• Navigate the website using just a keyboard.

  • tab to ‘Skip to content’ links at the top of the page to jump over repetitive information to the main content.

  • tab through the content; the current location will be indicated by a clear visual change.

  • control the embedded media player to play audio and video materials. 

• Use a screen reader (e.g. JAWs, NVDA) to:

  • listen to the content of web pages and use any functionality on the page.

  • list the headings and subheadings in the page and then jump to their location on the page.

  • bring up a list of meaningful links on the page. 

• Use transcripts or closed captions with most audio and video materials. 

• Download learning materials in alternative formats (e.g. Word document, PDF, ePub). 

• If you have a print disability we provide SensusAccess to students, which is an automated service that converts files from one format to another, for example, PDF to text, audio, Word or Braille.

• AbilityNet also provides advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability. 

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed on the next page.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Specific activity types

Blog

When deleting a blog, focus does not remain constrained within the 'confirm' modal popup, and it is possible to access other parts of the page. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

Forum

1. The focus mechanism for the Reply and Edit post buttons is not implemented correctly. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

2. Links are used as expand/collapse controls instead of buttons. This causes focus issues when the page reloads. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

3. Focus does not remain within the move, Delete and Make discussions stick modals as expected. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

Glossary

1. The permalinks on each of the glossary items do not have a visible label. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

2. The purpose of the Special link is not clearly indicated in the link text. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

Media Player

1. Where interactive transcripts are available and activated, the text of the transcript is displayed in the tab order. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

2. The progress bar is inaccessible to screen reader users. It does not announce the position of the video in real time. Also, on tabbing to the progress bar, there is no announcement to indicate that the focus is on the progress bar. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

3. Where chapter markers are available, the markers are not accessible to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1: Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.  

4. When audio description and Closed Captions are turned on, the screen reader reads out both the on and off values for these buttons, which can be confusing. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (Level AA) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

5. In videos with the audio description, the keyboard focus order on the media player control buttons is not consistent with the visual layout of the controls. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3: Focus Order (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

OpenStudio

1. The Create folder and Upload content links under the Add Content option are both labelled 'Openstudio/contentedit'. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

2. The alt text associated with Shared with my module/only me icons is incorrect. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

3. The image links to add new activity content are not clearly labelled. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

4. When using a screen reader, the add tags feature is presented as an empty list box. This results in screen reader users not being able to add tags when creating a new folder. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

5. There are several accessibility issues with the Filter panel. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

StudentQuiz

1. The selection status of the fast filter buttons on the main page is not indicated to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

2. On the questions table, the comments column has icons to show questions that do not have comments. These icons do not meet the required colour contrast ratios. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

3. Question rating does not work correctly for screen reader users. When a screen reader user focuses on the star rating buttons, they are announced as selected even though the user has not selected them. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

4. Colour has been used as the sole mode for displaying progress bar information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.4.1: Use of Colour (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

5. The Change state button on the question page is not programmatically associated with its visible label. As a result, no label is read out when screen readers focus on the button. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

Text editor

1. The element path feature at the bottom of the editor does not have a clear label. This makes it difficult for assistive technology users to understand its purpose. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

2. Editor keyboard shortcuts are not communicated to assistive technology users. This makes it difficult to interact with functionality within the editor unless you already know the correct keyboard shortcuts. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.3.1 Info and Relationships and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. As a temporary solution a tooltip has been added above the most common instances of the editor to help communicate useful shortcuts.

3. When tabbing through buttons in the editor it isn’t possible to move past the last button under certain circumstances. This causes navigation to become interrupted, and the user should instead be returned to the first button in the menu to allow cyclical navigation. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.3 Focus Order and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

4. Feedback is not provided for assistive technology users when using buttons or keyboard shortcuts to perform actions such as bold or insert a link. This is confusing as users can’t confirm an action has been applied. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 4.1.3 Status Messages and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

5. Contextual toolbars that allow users to quickly apply formatting such as headings or bold are not easily communicated to assistive technology and keyboard users. This causes some users to miss out on quick editing options unless they know the correct keyboard shortcut. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.1.1 Keyboard and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

Wiki

The History and Annotate links under the start page are displayed to screen reader users as unavailable. But they do not appear in a disabled state visually, and can be activated. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

Workshop

1. The interactive expand/collapse link for accessing the submission and assessment instructions is not fully accessible to screen reader users. The link's expand/collapse state is not announced when the link is accessed using arrow keys in the browse mode. As a result, screen reader users will not be aware that the instructions can be collapsed if they access the link using arrow keys. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

2. The expand/collapse state of links is not announced by screen readers. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

3. When uploading a submission, if an error occurs, this error is not automatically communicated to screen reader users. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 3.3.1: Error Identification (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

4. Group labels in the workshop do not contain the aspect name. This results in screen reader users not being able to identify various aspect fields more easily when tabbing through the form. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026. 

5. In the assessment phase, all the assessment buttons are labelled as 'Assess'. When there are multiple submissions, screen reader users will not be able to establish an association between the submission and its Assess button. This fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion: 1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) and will be resolved by the end of January 2026.

The content is not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20 September 2019.

This statement was last reviewed on 26 August 2025.

The Learning Systems websites were tested between December 2023 and December 2024. The tests were carried out by Open University staff responsible for the Learning Systems in conjunction with the Accessibility and Usability Evaluation team. Sample pages which were chosen for testing to represent different types of content across Learning Systems websites. We focused on those pages with large numbers of users, or which would significantly affect particular groups of users. Each sample page was tested against all of the WCAG 2.2 AA criteria using manual and automated test methods. The testing approach taken involved:

• Keyboard-only testing

• Testing with a screen reader (NVDA)

• Axe browser extension for Chrome

• Siteimprove browser extension for Chrome

• Colour Contrast Analyser Tool from the Paciello Group

• Validating code using the W3C Validator tool.

This testing will continue to be carried out across the digital estate to ensure The Open University is constantly monitoring and improving accessibility.

Feedback and contact information

If you find that a certain section of our website is not accessible and you can’t get access to the information that you need please use the Open University Accessibility Feedback Form to request support and we will ensure that you are provided with the information you require. You will need to provide your contact details and Personal Identifier if you are a student so we can get back to you. You should expect to hear back from us within 5 working days.

The OU is very experienced in meeting the accessibility needs of our students. In many cases, we are able to provide module and other study support materials in alternative formats for students who indicate a need for this when completing a Disability Support Form.

In addition, some module materials are available in different formats and can be downloaded from module websites. Students can contact their Student Support Team for advice.

If you are a student, or someone who has had contact with the University before, and have a complaint about the accessibility of our websites, you should raise a complaint via the complaints and appeals process.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the ‘accessibility regulations’).

If you are based in the UK, and you’re not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).