Poll Everywhere Accessibility Information
Poll Everywhere is a student response system currently offered as a part of a polling tools pilot. When an instructor launches a poll or activity, students respond with their personal devices. These activities can be solely for classroom engagement or can also become graded activities.
Affected Users
Accessibility issues with Poll Everywhere will primarily affect students and instructors with low vision and/or who use a screen reader, and students and instructors using keyboard navigation.
Known Accessibility Barriers
Barriers for Presenters and Instructors
Instructors or presenters that do not use a mouse will not be able to use keyboard access when accessing the reporting and chart visualization areas of Poll Everywhere and may have difficulty with creating polls and accessing some of the custom settings.
Instructors or presenters using screen readers for blindness or low vision will not be able to depend on accurate labels in the reporting and chart visualization area and will not be able to use the authoring tool consistently.
Barriers to Participants and Students
Students or participants using keyboard support will not be able to respond to clickable image questions.
Students using screenreaders will not be able to respond to clickable image, Q & A, or free text polls or access results for multiple choice questions.
Alternate Access for Students
Instructors should offer the following option to students experiencing accessibility barriers with Poll Everywhere:
If an instructor has a student using a screenreader, they should not use clickable image, free text, or Q & A activities. Instructors should also read the results of multiple choice questions aloud if they are presented to students.
If an instructor has a student using keyboard support for access, they should not use the clickable image poll type and should add an image above a multiple choice question instead.
Accommodations for Instructors
For instructors or staff using keyboard support, a TA should assist with tasks and access related to reporting, poll creation, and settings customization. Parts of the presenter application without sufficient keyboard support are skipped until they can be improved. TA support is also needed if an instructor cannot get into or use the desired area.
Instructors or staff using a screen reader or with low vision or colorblindness may need alternative reports created for them. TA support should be provided for creating and running activities in class.
Additional Support
If these workarounds are not sufficient to provide access for a specific individual, accommodations may be necessary. To address accommodation needs:
• For student(s), contact AccessibleNU at accessiblenu@northwestern.edu
• For faculty, staff, or the general public, contact the Office of Equity at accommodations@northwestern.edu