[Athen] Ellucian Degree Works and screen readers

[Deborah Armstrong]

We have blind students now and expect six to enroll in the Fall.

Our college  depends on Ellucian Degree Works which students are required to use for priority registration. It helps them create an education plan and also figure out what courses they need to transfer to a 4-year college or change their major and transfer.

Though I take classes, I don't bother with priority reg since it is for personal enrichment. So I hadn't fooled with DegreeWorks much.

When a counselor asked me to assist her in helping a blind student I could make no headway with the software using any screen reader. I couldn't even view its help videos; there were no buttons or links to play the videos; just a lot of hexadecimal junk.

Have other colleges had any experience helping screen readers use it? Do we perhaps need to update it?

Ellucian also makes our portal, which is kind of accessible; lots of clickable elements but most screen readers find most of them.  No headings and lots of bogus landmarks but it can be navigated with a screenreader.

Here's the manufacturer's web page:
                Ellucian Degree Works
https://www.ellucian.com/solutions/ellucian-degree-works

--Debee


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