Moodle Accessibility Checklist 2026 | WCAG 2.1 AA, Title II & EAA

Set a rule that no scanned image-only PDF is ever posted, and run optical character recognition or replace the file with a proper digital source before it goes into a course. For documents you author, build accessibility in upstream: use real heading styles in Word or Google Docs, add alt text to figures, mark table header rows, set the document language, and then export using the accessibility-preserving export rather than print-to-PDF. Where a document is genuinely hard to remediate, post an accessible alternative alongside it, such as an HTML page or a tagged Word file, and prefer publishing the content directly as a Moodle page instead of as an attachment whenever the material is mostly text.

Train course authors to use the heading styles in the editor's format menu rather than bold and font size, and explain that headings are navigation landmarks, not decoration. Keep the levels in order without skipping, and remember that the page or activity title is already the top-level heading, so section titles inside the content should sit below it. Enable the accessibility checker in the text editor so authors see the warning before they save, and run the Brickfield toolkit across existing courses to find pages that contain long text with no heading structure.

Do not use drag-and-drop question types for graded assessment unless you have verified the exact question renders and operates without dragging, and always author an equivalent question that tests the same learning objective using a keyboard-operable type such as multiple choice, matching, or select missing words. Where a course must use a drag interaction pedagogically, publish the equivalent version alongside it rather than making students request an accommodation, and confirm before each term that the question can be answered with the keyboard alone and that each draggable item and drop target has a meaningful accessible name.

For every timed quiz, use Moodle's user and group override features to grant extended time to students who need it, and set that up before the assessment opens rather than after a complaint. Where the time limit is not pedagogically essential, remove it. Make sure the quiz warns clearly how much time remains and that the warning is announced, not just displayed, and confirm that a student can save progress rather than lose an attempt when a session times out. Document the override process in the course so students know it exists without having to disclose more than they want to.

Require captions on every recorded lecture and embedded video before it is published, and treat auto-generated captions as a first draft that must be corrected, particularly for names, formulas, and technical terms. Publish a transcript alongside longer recordings so students can search and skim the material, and describe any essential visual information that is shown but not spoken, such as a diagram or an on-screen calculation. Build caption review into the recording workflow rather than handling it as a per-student accommodation after term starts.

Check every text and background pair in the theme against the 4.5 to 1 requirement for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text, and check interface components and focus indicators against 3 to 1 as well. Where a brand color fails, darken the variant used for text and interactive elements rather than abandoning the brand. Make sure completion, grading, and status indicators carry a text label or icon in addition to color, and verify that the keyboard focus outline remains clearly visible against the customized background, since custom themes commonly weaken or remove it.