Totara Accessibility Conformance Report
International Edition
(Based on VPAT® Version 2.5)
Name of Product/Version: Totara 19
Report Date: January 2025
Product Description: Learning Management System
Contact Information: enquiry@totaralearning.com
Notes:
The following document captures our conformance levels and testing information for this major release of Totara. For a page-level testing list, see Appendix 1. While the information below is accurate to the best of our current knowledge, due to the size and configurable complexity of our product, not all areas and configurations have been tested. If accessibility is a major concern for an implementation, we recommend that an independent accessibility audit is created. We also encourage raising issues and specification-guided improvements so that we can further improve on our commitment to accessibility. For customisations to Totara, please refer to our release notes, so that you can retest any areas that may be affected during an upgrade.
Evaluation Methods Used:
Design reviews using WCAG POUR framework
Automated linting and testing in the codebase
Peer review of front-end code for accessibility compliance
Colour contrast checking
Browser extensions to test rendered code in the browser: Deque's aXe, The Paciello Group's ARC Toolkit, ANDI
Manual assessment of WCAG Success Criteria, partially facilitated by Microsoft's Accessibility Insights
Functional testing with screen readers: VoiceOver on MacOS, NVDA on Windows
Applicable Standards/Guidelines
This report covers the degree of conformance for the following accessibility standard/guidelines:
Standard/Guideline | Included In Report |
Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (No) | |
Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (No) | |
Level A (Yes) Level AA (Yes) Level AAA (No) | |
Revised Section 508 standards published January 18, 2017 and corrected January 22, 2018 | (Yes) |
EN 301 549 Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services - V3.1.1 (2019-11) AND EN 301 549 Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services - V3.2.1 (2021-03) | (Yes / No ) |
Terms
The terms used in the Conformance Level information are defined as follows:
Supports: The functionality of the product has at least one method that meets the criterion without known defects or meets with equivalent facilitation.
Partially Supports: Some functionality of the product does not meet the criterion.
Does Not Support: The majority of product functionality does not meet the criterion.
Not Applicable: The criterion is not relevant to the product.
Not Evaluated: The product has not been evaluated against the criterion. This can only be used in WCAG Level AAA criteria.
WCAG 2.x Report
Tables 1 and 2 also document conformance with:
EN 301 549: Chapter 9 - Web, Sections 10.1-10.4 of Chapter 10 - Non-Web documents, and Sections 11.1-11.4 and 11.8.2 of Chapter 11 - Non-Web Software (open and closed functionality), and Sections 12.1.2 and 12.2.4 of Chapter 12 – Documentation
Revised Section 508: Chapter 5 – 501.1 Scope, 504.2 Content Creation or Editing, and Chapter 6 – 602.3 Electronic Support Documentation.
Note: When reporting on conformance with the WCAG 2.x Success Criteria, they are scoped for full pages, complete processes, and accessibility-supported ways of using technology as documented in the WCAG 2.0 Conformance Requirements.
Table 1: Success Criteria, Level A
Notes:
Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
1.1.1 Non-text Content (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Non-text content supplied with Totara has alternative text content. Authoring Tool: Both Weka and Atto editors encourage non-text content to have text equivalent. |
1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or video content is shipped with Totara 19. Authoring Tool: Both Weka and Atto editors encourage audio and video elements to have text equivalent. |
1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or video content is shipped with Totara 19. Authoring Tool: Both Weka and Atto editors encourage audio and video elements to have text equivalent. |
1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or video content is shipped with Totara 19. Authoring Tool: Both Weka and Atto editors encourage audio and video elements to have text equivalent.
|
1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Partially supports Authoring Tool: Partially supports | Web: There has been a considerable effort in ensuring correct relationships have been created and maintained, however as with any project the size of Totara, there may be locations that have been missed. Authoring Tool: Basic functionality is supported. |
1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Content is displayed in a meaningful sequence. Authoring Tool: While it is possible to create content in a non-meaningful way, the correct order is encouraged. |
1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Core functionality. Authoring Tool: Content could be created that does not match these criteria. |
1.4.1 Use of Color (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Colour is not the only means of identifying functionality. Authoring Tool: As with most content authoring tools, content could be made inaccessible. |
1.4.2 Audio Control (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or visual content is provided with Totara 19. Authoring Tool: Content can be made to autoplay with both Weka and Atto, however standard audio controls are displayed for a user to control playback. |
2.1.1 Keyboard (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All content can be accessed via the keyboard only through native integrations. Authoring Tool: All content can be accessed via the keyboard only through native integrations.
|
2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: There are no keyboard traps inside the application. Authoring Tool: There are no keyboard traps inside the application. |
2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts (Level A 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Browser keyboard functionality is supported. Authoring Tool: Supports. |
2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Quizzes and lessons can be set up to require a timed response. Authoring Tool: Content can be created that has a timed requirement to simulate exam-like conditions. |
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Functionality is provided to hide toast-like notifications. Authoring Tool: Content can be added that does not meet this requirement. |
2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No content is distributed with Totara 19. Authoring Tool: Content could be created that does not meet this requirement. |
2.4.1 Bypass Blocks (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: There are numerous skip links positioned throughout Totara. Authoring Tool: Skip links can be created by the authoring tools. |
2.4.2 Page Titled (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: As with any large application, there may be locations where titles are not present. Authoring Tool: Page titles can be impacted by content entered into the application. |
2.4.3 Focus Order (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Most locations have an appropriate tab order. Authoring Tool: The authoring tools do not have the ability to change tab order. |
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Partially supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: There are several locations where surrounding context is required to understand what a link does and where it takes the user. Authoring Tool: This is up to the content author. |
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures (Level A 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: There are no locations where pointer gestures are required. Authoring Tool: The authoring tool does not have the ability to define pointer gestures. |
2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation (Level A 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Partially supports Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: Some locations use mousedown events to start dragging items, and there are some locations where the mousedown event is used to interact with the page. Authoring Tool: The authoring tool does not provide the ability to define pointer events. |
2.5.3 Label in Name (Level A 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Labels follow conventions and are programmatically linked to their inputs. Authoring Tool: Locations where content can be created have ways to specify labels for any inputs created. |
2.5.4 Motion Actuation (Level A 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: Totara does contain any motion-activated content. Authoring Tool: There is no way to create motion-activated content in the authoring tool. |
3.1.1 Language of Page (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: The language attribute is set on appropriate HTML tags. Authoring Tool: Multi-language content can be created with the appropriate language specified in the element. |
3.2.1 On Focus (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All focusable elements have additional styling. Authoring Tool: All focusable items automatically get additional styling. |
3.2.2 On Input (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Actions can change form fields and display, and links take users to a different location. Authoring Tool: Form input can change display, and links take users to a different location. |
3.2.6 Consistent Help (Level A 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: Help information (where available) is applied consistently across the site. Authoring Tool: Content creators can add help content through the authoring tool. |
3.3.1 Error Identification (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Error information is applied in a small number of ways across the site. Authoring Tool: Some error messages can be applied. |
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All inputs have associated labels. Authoring Tool: Inputs are encouraged (and in some cases required) to have a label associated with them. |
3.3.7 Redundant Entry (Level A 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports | Web: Redundant entry is not required (other than for a new password). |
4.1.1 Parsing (Level A) Applies to: WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 – Always answer ‘Supports’ WCAG 2.2 (obsolete and removed) - Does not apply EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Supports | For WCAG 2.0, 2.1, EN 301 549, and Revised 508 Standards, the September 2023 errata update indicates that this criterion is always supported. See the WCAG 2.0 Editorial Errata and the WCAG 2.1 Editorial Errata.
|
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value (Level A) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Partially supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Role and aria links are used in several locations, however due to the size of the application, there are several places where these are incorrect or missing. Authoring Tool: Usage of correct elements is encouraged. |
Table 2: Success Criteria, Level AA
Notes:
Criteria | Conformance Level | Remarks and Explanations |
1.2.4 Captions (Live) (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or video content is shipped with Totara. Authoring Tool: Adding transcripts is encouraged when adding audio and video content. |
1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No audio or video content is shipped with Totara. Authoring Tool: Adding transcripts is encouraged when adding audio and video content. |
1.3.4 Orientation (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Content may be hidden or shown based on the screen width. Hidden content is shown when certain actions are done (e.g. showing a menu on a button click). Authoring Tool: No content is hidden based on orientation. |
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All inputs have an appropriate label and type. Authoring Tool: All inputs are encouraged to have an appropriate label and type.
|
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All content meets contrast ratios, however a themer may change colours in their theme. Authoring Tool: Editor defaults meet colour contrast settings. |
1.4.4 Resize text (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Using browser zoom, content can be resized without affecting content or functionality. Authoring Tool: Using browser zoom, content can be resized without affecting content or functionality. |
1.4.5 Images of Text (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All supplied images have accessible text. Authoring Tool: All images are encouraged to have accessible text. |
1.4.10 Reflow (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Partially supports Authoring Tool: Partially supports | Web: Some locations require two-dimensional scrolling when data is displayed in a large table. Authoring Tool: Some locations require two-dimensional scrolling when data is displayed in a large table. |
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All content supplied with Totara 19 has a contrast ratio greater than 3:1, however this may be changed by a custom theme, meaning a site will no longer meet contrast guidelines. Authoring Tool: Supports the generation of appropriate contrast. |
1.4.12 Text Spacing (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: No visible issues are caused by changing the line height or text size. Authoring Tool: Content created in the Weka and Atto editors is displayed in a way that does not cause issues when line height and text size are changed. |
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: All content that it is displayed on hover is also displayed on focus. Authoring Tool: Content created in the Weka and Atto editors displays identical content on hover and on focus. |
2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: Content can be reached via various locations. Authoring Tool: Users can add/edit links and content. |
2.4.6 Headings and Labels (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Headings and labels are representative of the content they’re related to. Authoring Tool: Headings can be created by the authoring tools. |
2.4.7 Focus Visible (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Focused items have additional styles. Authoring Tool: Where inputs are created by any authoring tool, they have additional styles when focused. |
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (Level AA 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports | Web: Content should not be obscured for any reason. |
2.5.7 Dragging Movements (Level AA 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports | Web: Normal drag-and-drop functionality can be achieved by another means – either via the keyboard or by multiple clicks. |
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Partially supports | Web: Most of the learner functionality has a target area of greater than 24px x 24px. Some of the older administration areas do not. |
3.1.2 Language of Parts (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: The language attribute is set on appropriate HTML tags. Authoring Tool: Multi-language content can be created with the appropriate language specified in the element. |
3.2.3 Consistent Navigation (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: Main menu and footer navigation is in a consistent location, although the individual items may differ based on permissions. Authoring Tool: Users with higher privileges can configure the menus on a site-wide basis. |
3.2.4 Consistent Identification (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: An effort has been made to ensure consistent language is used for consistent functionality; however, this can be customised in the language packs. Authoring Tool: The creator is in full control of the language used. |
3.3.3 Error Suggestion (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Supports | Web: The main purpose of the application is for learning, therefore suggesting input is not suitable. Authoring Tool: Basic validation makes some suggestions. |
3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) (Level AA) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508
| Web: Not Applicable Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: Totara does not cause any legal or financial transactions. Authoring Tool: The authoring tool does not cause any legal or financial transactions. |
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (Level AA 2.2 only) EN 301 549 Criteria – Does not apply Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports | Web: By default, no additional information is required, however additional methods may be added by site configuration. |
4.1.3 Status Messages (Level AA 2.1 and 2.2) Also applies to: EN 301 549 Criteria
Revised Section 508 – Does not apply | Web: Supports Authoring Tool: Not Applicable | Web: All status messages have an appropriate role and name. Authoring Tool: The user does not have the ability to generate status methods. |
Appendix 1 - Page-level testing list
Learn
Existing functionality, tested against new in 2.2 SC
A handful of key learner-facing pages with high traffic
Dashboard
Catalogue (grid, the default)
Courses (and programs and certifications)
Topics
Single activity
Quizzes
Seminars
Book
Forum
Feedback
Certificate
Formats
Activities
Front page
Record of Learning
Team
LinkedIn Learning
Pathway course format
Library
Library
Resource
Survey
Your resources - create / edit
Your playlists - create / edit
Edit survey
Shared with you
Saved resources
A playlist from Your playlists
Overview tab
Comments tab
A resource
Overview tab
Comments tab
Workspaces
Find workspaces
A workspace
Discuss tab
Library tab
Members tab
Browse files
Dashboard
Recommendation
Perform
Competencies
Competency profile
Charts
Tables
Competency detail for a competency
Rate competencies
Self-assign competencies
Manage competency assignments
Currently assigned users
Create assignments
Performance activities
Performance activities
Your activities
Activities about others
Manage performance activities
General tab
Content tab
Assignments tab
Edit content elements
Report
Completing an activity
Review elements
Evidence bank
Evidence bank
Add evidence item
Add evidence item - details
Manage evidence types
Create
Goals
Create/Edit/ View