CodeHS is committed to improving access to quality computer science curriculum for everyone. Our mission is to provide each student with the opportunity to learn to code, and we are continuously working to increase accessibility for all students.
Main Accessibility Measures
Images: We have applied descriptive alt tags to images throughout the website that provide alternative text descriptions. We have also applied null (empty) alt tags to all decorative images so that the screen readers will not announce them.
Links: We have provided descriptive link names to explain the context of links so that users can easily understand their purpose.
Use of ARIA: We have used various ARIA roles, properties and states to provide screen reader, voice control, and switch control users the information needed to make informed decisions. We recommend using a modern browser to take advantage of these features.
Headings: We have used clear headings to communicate the organization of the content on the page and to help screen reader users to navigate the page content.
Keyboard Navigation: Keyboard users can navigate the site, including menus and forms, using the keyboard. Use the Tab key to navigate forward and Shift + Tab to navigate backward. Escaping out of the Code Editor requires using Opt + Tab to proceed forward from the Code Editor.
Closed Captions on CodeHS Videos: Most videos that are hosted on CodeHS have closed captions. As an alternative, students can choose to watch the video and enable captions via YouTube. A few videos have Spanish closed captions as well. Chrome users also have the option to turn on live captions for all media, including CodeHS videos.
Text to Speech: We support text to speech on Notes Assignments so you can play and pause text on the page.
Use of Userway Widget: CodeHS includes use of the Userway widget to support many additional accessibility configurations including updating contrast, letter, word, and line spacing, text magnification, and more.
Support for Dyslexia: CodeHS allows for text resizing and magnification, in addition to a dyslexia friendly font through the Userway widget.
To learn more about features and settings users can adjust in the Code Editor, check out this article: Accessibility Features
Limitations and Alternatives
Despite our best efforts to ensure accessibility of CodeHS, there may be some limitations. Below is a description of known limitations and potential solutions. Please contact us if you observe an issue not listed below.
Known limitations for CodeHS:
Block coding: Our block coding feature has compatibility issues with screen readers. As an alternative, we recommend switching to text coding.
User Created Content: Content created by other users may not conform to accessibility standards. This content may not have structured semantic mark-up for screen readers, may contain images without text alternatives, as well as possibly containing non-descriptive link names.
Technical Prerequisites
CodeHS is optimized for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari browsers. You can read more about our technical requirements and best practices here: Technical Set-Up Guide
Feedback
We welcome feedback on improving the accessibility of CodeHS. Please fill out the Report an Accessibility Issue Form if you or your students encounter accessibility barriers while using CodeHS or you're not sure how to opt into certain accessibility features and our team will follow up with you.
Still have questions? Contact our team at hello@codehs.com to learn more!