CS: Accessibility in Technology
Designing digital tools that more people can use
CS: Accessibility in Technology
Designing digital tools that more people can use
CS - Grade 6-8
- 1
A student uses a screen reader to listen to a website. Explain why adding alt text to images helps this student.
Think about what a person needs to know if they cannot see the picture.
Alt text helps because a screen reader can read the description aloud, so the student can understand important information in the image. - 2
Write helpful alt text for an image on a school lunch website. The image shows a tray with a turkey sandwich, carrot sticks, apple slices, and milk.
A helpful alt text example is: Lunch tray with a turkey sandwich, carrot sticks, apple slices, and milk. This describes the important content clearly. - 3
A video for a science class has no captions. Identify one group of users who may have trouble using it and explain why captions would help.
Captions can help people in more than one situation.
Students who are deaf or hard of hearing may have trouble using the video. Captions would help them read the spoken words and important sounds. - 4
A website login form can only be used with a mouse. Explain why this is an accessibility barrier.
This is a barrier because some people use a keyboard, switch device, or other assistive technology instead of a mouse. They may not be able to log in. - 5
List two ways a web designer can make a button easier for more people to use.
Think about size, color, labels, and keyboard access.
A designer can make the button large enough to click or tap easily and label it with clear text such as Submit or Start. These choices make the button easier to find and use. - 6
A website uses light gray text on a white background. Explain the problem and suggest a better design choice.
The problem is that the text has low contrast and may be hard to read. A better choice is dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background. - 7
An app shows errors only by turning a form field red. Explain why this can be a problem and give one improvement.
Do not depend on color as the only way to give information.
This can be a problem because some users may not see color differences clearly. The app should also show an error message or icon that explains what needs to be fixed. - 8
Match each accessibility feature to the user need it supports: captions, keyboard navigation, alt text, adjustable text size. Write one sentence for each match.
Captions support users who need text for audio. Keyboard navigation supports users who cannot use a mouse. Alt text supports users who need image descriptions. Adjustable text size supports users who need larger text to read comfortably. - 9
A teacher posts a PDF that is a scanned picture of a worksheet, so students cannot select or search the text. Explain why this may be inaccessible.
A picture of text is not the same as real digital text.
It may be inaccessible because screen readers may not read the text in the image, and students cannot easily search, copy, or enlarge the text. A text-based or properly tagged document would be more accessible. - 10
A website has headings that look big and bold, but the code does not mark them as headings. Explain why proper headings matter.
Proper headings matter because screen reader users can jump between sections and understand the page structure. Visual style alone does not give the same information to assistive technology. - 11
You are testing a website for accessibility. Describe three actions you could take to check whether it is easy to use without a mouse.
Try using only the keyboard to move around the page.
I could use the Tab key to move through links and buttons, use Enter or Space to activate controls, and check that I can see which item is currently focused. These actions help test keyboard access. - 12
A game includes background music and sound effects. Describe two accessibility options that could make the audio easier to control.
The game could include separate volume controls for music and sound effects. It could also include captions or visual alerts for important sounds. - 13
Explain the difference between accessibility and usability in technology.
Accessibility focuses on who can use it, while usability focuses on how easy it is to use.
Accessibility means designing technology so people with different abilities can use it. Usability means making technology easy and efficient for users to use. A good product should have both. - 14
A navigation menu closes too quickly when a user moves the pointer away for a moment. Explain how this could affect users and suggest a fix.
This could affect users who need more time to move carefully or who have limited motor control. A fix is to keep the menu open longer or allow it to open and close with a click or keyboard command. - 15
Choose a website, app, or device you use often. Describe one accessibility feature it has and one accessibility improvement you would add.
Use a real example from school, home, or a device you use.
A complete answer should name a specific technology, describe one feature such as captions, voice control, zoom, or keyboard shortcuts, and explain one improvement that would help more users access it.