One very important topic when we talk about LearnDash websites in the United Kingdom and online courses in general is accessibility.
From personal experience, it is very clear when the issue of accessibility is taken more seriously.
For example, my clients in the public sector, such as universities, need to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA + an Accessibility Statement, as the EHRC can take legal action under the Equality Act 2010.
Regarding the accessibility statement, it is mandatory for the public sector and recommended for private businesses.
It must include: the level of conformance, known limitations, and a contact channel for feedback.
When it comes to small business owners and private companies, following the basic accessibility recommendations and the Equality Act is important. After all, 1 in 5 people in the UK has some form of disability, and even from an SEO perspective, more accessible websites with better UX tend to perform better, as usability impacts the semantic structure of your course, which in turn impacts SEO best practices.
Let us take this step by step.
WCAG 2.1 (Level AA): The Technical Standard
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 were developed by the W3C with the aim of making web content more accessible to people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities.
Level AA is the compliance standard most widely used in legislation around the world, including in the United Kingdom. The requirements include:
- Your online course must have adequate colour contrast, ensuring that learners can read the content clearly.
- Normal text: minimum 4.5:1
- Large text (≥18pt or 14pt bold): minimum 3:1
This also applies to icons, buttons, and graphical elements such as forms.
- Keyboard navigation: the website must be fully functional without the use of a mouse, helping people with Parkinson’s disease, for example, or other conditions that cause hand tremors.
- Videos must always include captions, so that people with hearing impairments can use the course. This applies to all multimedia content.
- Images must contain an
altattribute (alternative text describing the content). - Compatibility with screen readers (such as NVDA), ensuring that content is interpreted correctly.
- Reflow: the website must support zoom up to 200% without loss of content or functionality and without the need for horizontal scrolling.
- Forms must work with correct labels, clear error messages, and keyboard navigation. Errors must not rely solely on colour to be understood.
- Avoid overlays, such as floating buttons or plugins that add elements on top of the content.
About the Levels
Please be aware:
- Level A: the most basic requirements, such as keyboard navigation
- Level AA: the standard accepted in the UK, covering the most common accessibility issues
- Level AAA: the most rigorous and difficult level to achieve, which may include requirements such as sign language and more advanced contrast and comprehension criteria
Third-Party Content – Please Note
Even if you use third-party content, it may affect your compliance. This includes embedded videos, external plugins, SCORM tools, and similar.
Practical Summary
- Public sector: must follow specific accessibility regulations (Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018)
- Private businesses: must ensure accessibility under the Equality Act, even without a strict technical checklist
In the UK, accessibility is not merely good practice — it is a requirement that can impact contracts, reputation, and even the possibility of working with public institutions.
How to Configure Your WordPress Website for Accessibility in LearnDash Courses in the UK
In my opinion, one of the best themes for combining LearnDash courses with an accessibility focus is Kadence, as it already eliminates several common issues found in WordPress themes built purely for aesthetics.
The website design needs to be simpler and more functional, without anything too “fancy”. It is important to remember that people with visual impairments need clear information, so elements should only exist if there is a genuine need for them.
The structure must be well defined, using a correct hierarchy with headings and subheadings (H1, H2, H3, etc.), clear divisions, and more concise blocks of text.
Buttons must have descriptive text, not just “click here”, but actions such as: “buy the course”, “return to page”, “watch the lesson video”, etc.
For videos with captions, you can use YouTube, which works very well with WordPress and generates automatic captions.
Images must always include descriptive ALT text, avoid text embedded within the image, and, in the case of graphs or charts, provide a written explanation.
For navigation, everything must work with a keyboard, menus must be simple, buttons large, and pop-ups avoided.
In LearnDash, focus on objective and clear questions and provide textual feedback, not only visual.
And always, before launching your course, carry out tests: use a screen reader such as NVDA, and test contrast with the WebAIM Contrast Checker.
Some plugins can help with this, such as WP Accessibility and Accessibility Checker.
Of course, these tips are more introductory in nature. If you need a LearnDash developer in the UK to adjust or build your course with an accessibility focus, please do get in touch.
