Module 1 Book: Formatting Course Content so it's Accessible
Hyperlinks
Do you often consider how you add hyperlinks in your content? For example, if you were directing students to resources provided by TRU Accessibility Services, how would you do so out of the following three examples?
Example 1: You can access TRU Accessibility Services Resources at: https://www.tru.ca/current/academic-supports/as/resources.html.
Example 2: Click here to access resources from TRU Accessibility Services.
Example 3: Be sure to check out TRU Accessibility Services Resources for additional tools and tips.
Ensuring that hyperlinks contain meaningful context is critical for enhancing accessibility for students with a range of disabilities or challenges so as not to disorient the reader. Screen readers, for example, identify hyperlinks much like they do headings. A screen reader may identify a “link” and then read the visible linked text. Keep this in mind when creating links in your content, as screen readers will read out an entire URL that has been pasted. As a bonus, avoiding pasting long web addresses will make your document much cleaner and more professional!
Tip!
If a document is intended to be printed, then including the full web address would be beneficial.
Linking to text such as “click here” is an improvement, but still lacks necessary context, especially for those that are blind or hard of seeing. Instead, link to text that describes the purpose and destination of the link (e.g., website/article name), as well as any relevant formatting considerations (is it linking to a Word or PDF document?). If a link is set to open in a new tab or window, it is important to include this context in your link text as well to not disorient the reader; however, it is generally recommended to avoid doing this.