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Accessibility

Coassemble's WCAG 2.2 Level AA position for each learner experience, and how to make your own course content accessible.

Yes. Coassemble's learner experience is built to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, and the Classic learner experience holds a Statement of Conformance for it, independently verified by digital accessibility specialists Modality Co. Accessibility is a partnership: the platform meets the standard, and the choices you make as a creator (alt text, captions, contrast) determine how accessible your course content is.

Which learner experience does the Statement of Conformance cover?

There are two learner experiences, because there are two builders.

  • The Classic learner experience is the one Modality Co audited. It holds the Statement of Conformance for WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
  • The new builder's learner experience is built to the same WCAG 2.2 Level AA standard, applying everything learned from that audit, so it is built to be conformant. It has not been through its own independent verification yet.

If you are answering a procurement or accessibility questionnaire, the Statement of Conformance is the document to reference, and it covers the Classic experience.

What WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance means

The experience of completing a course meets all 56 success criteria across 13 guidelines at Levels A and AA, the level referenced by most accessibility legislation and procurement requirements worldwide. In practice:

  • Screen reader users (for example JAWS or NVDA) can navigate and complete courses.
  • Keyboard-only navigation is fully supported.
  • Content stays accessible when learners resize text or use Windows High Contrast Mode.

The Statement of Conformance itself is a tagged, screen-reader-friendly PDF.

Building accessible courses

Conformance covers the platform; the content within your course is up to you. A few things make a big difference:

Add alt text to images

In the new builder, the agent writes alt text for each image as it builds, and there's an alt text tool in the image block's toolbar to generate or edit one yourself. Where no meaningful description could be produced, the image is left with empty alt text and the agent's Review tab flags it, so check that tab before you publish.

In the Classic builder:

  1. Select an image and click Edit image.
  2. Select Alt to open the text field.
  3. Enter a clear, concise description and Save.

You can also set default alt text on an image in your library, so it carries over wherever you reuse it. Keep alt text meaningful and under about 125 characters, and leave it off purely decorative images.

Caption your video

Add accurate captions or subtitles to every instructional video, and consider transcripts as well. Captions aren't generated for you, so the caption file comes from you.

In the new course builder, add captions to a video you have uploaded:

  1. Select the video so the video toolbar appears.
  2. Open the Video menu and choose Captions.
  3. Set the language your captions are in.
  4. Upload your SRT or WebVTT file.

Both SRT (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) are standard exports from captioning tools and transcription services. A plain transcript won't work on its own, because it has no timings to synchronise against the video. For video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo, caption it on that platform and the captions carry through.

AI narration is separate. Where you generate narration from screen content, it produces its own closed captions that you can review before publishing.

Mind colour and contrast

All Coassemble theme presets meet contrast requirements. If you override colours, or set a font on an individual heading or paragraph outside your theme, check the result yourself: aim for a ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, and don't rely on colour alone to convey meaning.

Structure content clearly

Use clear headings, lists, and sections so screen readers can process content in a logical order. A heading block is what gives a screen its structure, so give any screen carrying real content one.

Set the reading order

In the new builder, any block can sit anywhere on the screen, so the order things are read in is worth checking whenever you arrange blocks side by side. Use Reading order in the screen toolbar to set the order blocks are read by screen readers, narration and keyboard navigation, independently of where they sit visually.

Choose accessible elements

In the Classic builder, all screen types work with screen readers. The Hotspot screen places labels over an image, which some screen readers handle less well, so consider your audience before using it. For embedded third-party content, in either builder, check the accessibility of the tool you're embedding.

Frequently asked questions

What accessibility standard does Coassemble meet?

WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The Classic learner experience is independently verified against it by Modality Co, meeting all Level A and AA success criteria. The new builder's learner experience is built to the same standard and has not yet been independently verified.

Can I get documentation for procurement?

Yes. Coassemble has a Statement of Conformance for WCAG 2.2 Level AA that you can reference and share.

Does accessibility depend on how I build my course?

Partly. The platform meets the standard, but content choices like alt text, captions, contrast, reading order and clear structure determine how accessible your specific course is.

Does Coassemble caption my videos for me?

No. Captions for video come from you, as an SRT or WebVTT file you upload to the video. Video hosted on YouTube or Vimeo carries the captions set on that platform. AI narration is the exception: it produces its own closed captions that you can review before publishing.