NLP strives to make Checkology as accessible as possible. Below you will find a list of Checkology features and supports that can help learners access and engage with news literacy content. If you have any suggestions for additional accessibility features or supports, please submit a request here in the Help Center.
This article features references to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. Checkology aims for compliance with WCAG AA standards.
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Videos offer English-language captions.
All Checkology videos have closed captioning. Regardless of your video preference (Vimeo, YouTube, or Wistia), the closed captioning option should appear in the lower right-hand corner of each assignment or tutorial video. This meets the WCAG 2.0 AA standard for prerecorded captions.
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Lessons include vocabulary support.
Students can click on the "WW" in the bottom right-hand corner of a lesson to view relevant news literacy terms and their definitions. They can also see a glossary of all these terms and their definitions by going directly to the "Word Wall" in their top navigation bar.
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Assignment transcripts are available.
English-language transcripts for all core Checkology lessons are available in the "Resources" tab in both an educator and student account.
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PDFs of reading-heavy elements are available.
For lessons like "Democracy’s Watchdog" and "The First Amendment" that have ready-heavy elements, we offer PDF versions of those elements that may work better with certain screen readers. You can find links to these PDFs in assignment transcripts located in the “Resources” tab.
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Lesson posters are available.
Posters showcasing key vocabulary and concepts are available for many Checkology lessons. To preview and download them, head to the "Resources" tab of your teacher account and click "Lesson posters" on the menu. You can print these and hang them in your classroom or simply share the images with students so they may use them as references.
Teacher tip:
To help you determine what content best fits with your curriculum and student needs, check out the “Assignment guides” located in your “Resources” tab. These guides provide an overview of the assignment, including its intended grade levels, learning objectives, essential questions and more.
In addition to the above supports, NLP is also working toward the following accessibility goals for all Checkology content:
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Content will be readable with a screen reader.
Each non-decorative image on Checkology will contain alt text that describes the image. Users accessing Checkology with a screen reader will be able to hear image descriptions and assessment text spoken aloud. This meets the WCAG 2.0 AA standard for non-text content, which ensures that users can access non-text content in other forms.
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Assignments will be navigable via keystroke.
Students will be able to use their keyboards or a keyboard emulator to navigate Checkology assignments. This meets the WCAG 2.0 AA standard for keyboard accessibility, which ensures that content is operable using a keyboard.
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Visuals in Checkology will be compliant with color contrast standards.
All visuals on Checkology will have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. This meets the WCAG 2.0 AA standard for contrast, which makes it easier for users to perceive and distinguish between content on the page.