College Vidya, an all-encompassing resource for making informed online education choices, recently introduced several features to its platform to improve accessibility for visually impaired students. At the core of this decision was the company’s commitment to providing a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students, regardless of circumstance.
The newly added features aim to enable visually impaired students to navigate the platform and access educational resources easily. The platform now offers enhanced navigation tools, allowing these students to compare universities effortlessly and find their ideal learning partner without facing any unnecessary challenges. Beyond navigation, the company has gone further by ensuring post-admission support. Its counsellors are trained to provide a seamless experience for visually impaired students, providing audio learning materials and examination support tailored to their needs.
Rohit Gupta, Co-Founder and COO of College Vidya, stated:
We believe that education should be a right (not a privilege) for every student, and accessibility is a vital part of this vision. By enhancing our website through technology, we aim to make the learning journey smoother and more supportive for visually impaired students, ensuring they can easily walk on their educational paths.
The digital innovations driving these changes reflect College Vidya’s dedication to accessibility. The platform used Spark’s plugin for colour testing in Sketch and the Axe framework to test and improve accessibility features. A key part of the development process was using the JAWS screen reader to verify that all images had adequate alt text and descriptions. This made it easier for students to interpret visual content using any screen reader they preferred. Keyboard shortcuts have also been provided, making navigation more easier.
Since its inception, College Vidya has been dedicated to breaking down barriers in education and creating solutions that make online learning more accessible for all. With the launch of its latest initiatives, including CV subsidy, the platform continues to evolve in its mission to provide every student with the tools and resources they need to succeed.