Why WCAG Matters: A Practical Guide to Accessible eLearning Design

Why WCAG Should Matter to Every Instructional Designer

Accessibility in online learning is not simply an added bonus; it is a required part of e-Learning and course design. Every learner brings unique needs and experiences to the digital learning environment. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide a clear framework for creating content that is accessible and inclusive for everyone, including individuals with disabilities.

But WCAG can feel technical or overwhelming at first. Let’s simplify it. WCAG is built around four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). Each principle ensures a different aspect of accessibility is addressed.

The W3C WCAG Quick Reference breaks these principles down into practical success criteria that instructional designers can apply directly to learning content.

To help you do just that, here are four core success criteria, one from each POUR principle, along with tips for implementation.

Perceivable – SC 1.1.1: Non-text Content

“Provide text alternatives for any non-text content.”

💡 Tip: Always include meaningful alt text that describes the purpose of the content, not just what it is. For decorative images, leave the alt field empty and mark them as decorative so they’re skipped by screen readers. Skip phrases like “image of” or “graphic of” and get straight to what matters.

WebAIM’s Alt Text Guidelines remind us:

“Alt text should present the content and function of an image, not just describe its appearance.”

Operable – SC 2.1.1: Keyboard Accessibility

“All functionality must be accessible via a keyboard.”

💡 Tip: Test your course using only a keyboard. Can you tab through the content in a logical order? Can you activate all interactive elements using the Enter or Spacebar keys? If not, that’s a red flag—design with keyboard users in mind from the start.

As WebAIM notes in their Keyboard Accessibility Guide:

“If content cannot be operated using a keyboard, it cannot be considered accessible.”

Understandable – SC 3.1.1: Language of Page

“The language of the page must be programmatically identified.”

💡 Tip: Set the default language for your course content and apply proper language tags to any foreign words or phrases. This helps screen readers pronounce content correctly and switch languages when needed. If it’s in another language, tag it.

As Deque explains in their guide on Language Attributes:

“Without a lang attribute, screen readers may default to an incorrect language or pronunciation rules, leading to a confusing or inaccessible experience.”

Example in HTML:
If you're adding a Spanish phrase like ¡Hola! inside an English-language page, wrap it with the correct lang attribute:

<span lang="es">¡Hola!</span>

This tells the screen reader to switch pronunciation rules just for that word or phrase.

Robust – SC 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value

“All UI components must have proper roles, states, and values for assistive tech.”

💡 Tip: Use standard interface elements whenever possible; like built-in buttons, form fields, and labels because they already include the correct semantic markup. If you build something custom, be sure it communicates its function and state to assistive technologies.

The Nielsen Norman Group puts it simply:

“Good accessibility is good usability. You don’t have to trade one for the other.”

Putting It into Practice

Understanding WCAG isn’t just about compliance. It’s about creating learning environments where all learners have equitable access. You don’t have to overhaul your whole design approach to begin. Start small: Review your next course or eLearning module with just these four criteria in mind.

Need help? 🎯

Need a deeper dive or a partner to review your course? Connect with us at L’Etoile Education, LLC. We help teams make accessibility actionable.