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Accessibility in Minerva - using keyboard shortcuts and screen readers

Minerva has been designed and developed in accordance with the internationally recognised Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 Level AA. Further details on accessibility within Minerva is available in our Minerva Web Accessibility Statement.

Screen reader compatability

Minerva is designed and tested for accessibility across a number of systems. The developer, Anthology, recommends the following configurations:

Screen ReaderOperating SystemBrowser
JAWSWindowsGoogle Chrome
NVDAWindowsFirefox / Google Chrome
VOICEOVERMAC OSFirefox / Google Chrome

Using keyboard navigation and shortcuts

Industry standard keyboard interactions are used throughout to move between menus, open menus, and select items within a menu. Keyboard navigation patterns differ between browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. The interactions within any particular browser are common and consistent.

Deque University provides a Desktop Screen Readers Survival Guide which includes a list of common keyboard shortcuts for navigating web content.

Freedom Scientific also provides video guidance on Using Blackboard with JAWS.

Global keyboard shortcuts

Global keyboard shortcuts have been established for common actions:

  • Tab: Navigate links, fields and options on the page.
  • Shift + Tab: Navigate to previous links, fields, and options.
  • Enter: Select link, function, activate option, and expand collapsed section.
  • Space: Select or switch options.
  • Up and down arrows: Open drop-down lists that have an Apply or Go function to activate an option. Navigate the choices with the up and down arrows.
  • Open drop-down lists that do NOT have an Apply or Go function: Tab to the drop-down list and press Enter to open it. Use Alt/Option + the up and down arrows to select an option.

Mac keyboard navigation setup

If you are using a Mac with Firefox or Safari and are having difficulty navigating using your keyboard, review and update your operating system and browser settings. This ensures they are properly configured for keyboard navigation.

Content editor

The content editor in Minerva includes accessible controls, as well as keyboard shortcuts for formatting content created within it. The content editor appears throughout your modules, such as when you participate in a discussion.

To use your keyboard to jump to the content editor toolbar, press ALT + F10. On a Mac, press Fn + ALT + F10. Use the arrow keys to select an option, such as a bulleted list.

Editing Module Content

Navigating the Module Content area

In a Module Content area, you can use your keyboard to move an item to a new location, move an item into an expanded folder, and move a folder into another expanded folder.

  1. Tab to an item's move icon.
  2. Press Enter to activate move mode.
  3. Use the arrow keys to choose a location.
  4. Press Enter to drop the item in the new location.

Organising Content in Ultra Documents

Ultra Documents allow for content to be created in content blocks which can be organised by rows and columns. Entire rows can be reorganised through the Reorder row button, allowing for a row to be moved up, down or directly to the top or bottom of a content page.

Individual content can also be resized and organised within a row, or moved between rows, using the Reorder or resize block button.

  1. If working with existing document, select Edit content at the top of the page.
  2. The Reorder row button will appear first in the tab order for each row.
  3. Tabbing to a content item will give options to Edit, then Reorder or resize the block.
  4. Options will be available to move content into adjacent blocks, or shrink/expand the block within the row.
  5. To add new content to a row, first create it in a new row then use the controls to resize and reposition the block.

View Minerva Student Guides home page
View Minerva Staff Guides home page

View A to Z of all Digital Education Systems Accessibility Statements

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