Forum Discussion

Accessibility's avatar
Accessibility
New Contributor
3 years ago

GoToWebinar support for screen readers

It's come to our attention that the gotowebinar platform controls are not coded with accessible function descriptions.   This means that participants with visual impairments are being discriminated against because features that are available to the general public cannot be accessed by participants who use screen reader software due to the lack of proper labeling of each feature/control.

This needs to be addressed as soon as possible because it's discriminatory towards individuals with visual impairments and prevents the platform from meeting federal accessibility requirements.

Problem
  • KateG's avatar
    KateG
    2 years ago

    WebinarIT the beta version is currently available to try. If you login on your desktop you will see a banner that states "Your Webinars are getting a new look" on the GTW dashboard. Check out Glenn's post here for more information.  We are curious to hear what you think, so please do come back and share your thoughts. 

  • Chris Droessler's avatar
    Chris Droessler
    Respected Contributor
    3 years ago

    Can you provide a specific example of something that is not accessible and could be improved?

    • Accessibility's avatar
      Accessibility
      New Contributor
      3 years ago

      The programing for the Tab Navigation of the platform controls and panels must include Alt Text. 

       

      Screen reader users use tab navigation and depend on proper Alt Text to be able to identify the various platform features and controls. 

      The current lack of proper Alt Text for the GTW platform controls and panels prevents individuals using screen reader software from effectively navigating through the platform.  Currently, the screen reader JAWS cannot identify the function of each of the platform controls and features.

    • Accessibility's avatar
      Accessibility
      New Contributor
      3 years ago

      I appreciate your response; however, it's obvious that you lack the proper knowledge of how serious this issue is.

       

      I suggest you seek assistance from your legal department and consult with a qualified accessibility specialist to fully understand what's involved here.

       

      Again, the Tab Navigation is useless unless it's screen reader compatible.   

    • WebinarIT's avatar
      WebinarIT
      New Contributor
      2 years ago

      Has there been any update to this? 

       

      GoToWebinar is NOT compatible with screen readers. This is a really big issue for accessbility.

      • KateG's avatar
        KateG
        GoTo Manager
        2 years ago

        Hi WebinarIT welcome to the GoTo Community. Improved support is coming when we move GTW to the GoTo App. Attendees will be able to join in the Chrome browser and use screen readers similar to how GTM attendees can now. Thanks for your feedback, we will update the Community on further developments.