Teacher Guidance Accessible Instructions

Guidance for teachers using Sensations English · 13 October 2026

Some of your learners use a screen reader, magnify the screen, or cannot use a mouse. The instructions you write in a task reach them through the same editor you use. Six habits make your instructions work for everyone, and none takes more than a few seconds.

1. Use real headings and lists

Use the editor's heading option (the paragraph-style menu) for section titles and the list buttons for steps or bullet points, rather than making text bold or typing dashes. Screen readers let learners jump between headings and count list items; bold text and dashes are invisible to them.

2. Write link text that says where it goes

Select the words that describe the destination and make those the link: Read the BBC article about the eclipse, not click here or a pasted web address. Learners who navigate by links hear the link text on its own.

3. Describe any image you link to

When you insert an image, the editor asks for alternative text. Write what the image shows and why it matters for the task, in one sentence: A bar chart showing rainfall in Manchester by month; October is the wettest. Leave it blank only if the image is decorative and carries no information.

4. Give a text alternative for video, audio and documents

If you link to a video, choose one with captions where you can, and add a sentence summarising what it shows. If you link to a PDF or slides, add the key points in the instructions themselves so a learner who cannot open the file still has what they need.

5. Do not rely on colour alone

If you colour words to mark them, also underline, bold or label them: the three verbs in bold. Some learners cannot see the colour difference and screen readers do not read colours.

6. Keep it simple

Short sentences, one instruction per sentence, numbered steps in the order learners should do them. This helps every learner, and especially those with dyslexia or who are reading in a second language.