Asset Compliance & Accessibility

CurryCMS includes compliance tracking for digital assets to help you meet accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1) and licensing requirements. This guide covers compliance requirements, status tracking, and remediation workflows.

Overview

The asset compliance system helps you:

• Track alt text - Ensure images have descriptive alternative text
• Manage attribution - Document licensing and source information
• Monitor compliance - Dashboard showing overall compliance status
• Filter non-compliant assets - Quickly find and fix issues
• Meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA - Support accessibility requirements

Compliance Requirements

Alt Text (Images)

Requirement: All images must have alt text.

Why it matters:
- Screen readers use alt text to describe images to visually impaired users
- Required for WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance
- Improves SEO and content accessibility

What makes good alt text:
- Describes the image's content and function
- Is concise (typically under 125 characters)
- Doesn't start with "Image of" or "Picture of"
- Conveys the same information as the image

Examples:

Attribution

Requirement: All assets should have attribution information.

Why it matters:
- Documents the source and license of assets
- Ensures compliance with open license requirements
- Protects against copyright issues
- Required for CC-licensed content

What to include:
- Creator/author name
- Source URL or publication
- License type
- Copyright year (if applicable)

Example attribution:

Photo by Jane Smith, CC BY 4.0
https://example.com/photo-source


License Types

CurryCMS supports various license types:

Open Licenses

Restricted Licenses

Compliance Status

Each asset has a compliance status:

Note: An asset can have multiple issues (e.g., missing both alt text and attribution).

Compliance Dashboard

The compliance dashboard provides an overview of your asset library's compliance status.

Accessing the Dashboard

1. Navigate to Assets in the main menu
2. View the compliance summary at the top
3. See counts and percentages

Dashboard Metrics

Progress Tracking

The dashboard shows your overall compliance percentage:

Finding Non-Compliant Assets

Using Filters

1. Open the Assets library
2. Use the Compliance Status filter:
   • All
   • Compliant
   • Missing Alt Text
   • Missing Attribution
   • Needs Review (any issue)

Bulk Review Workflow

To efficiently fix compliance issues:

1. Filter by "Missing Alt Text"
2. Work through each image
3. Add descriptive alt text
4. Save changes
5. Repeat for "Missing Attribution"

Adding Compliance Information

Adding Alt Text

1. Open an asset (image)
2. Find the Alt Text field
3. Enter descriptive text
4. Save the asset

Tips:
- Describe what's happening in the image
- Include relevant text shown in the image
- Be concise but complete
- Leave empty for purely decorative images

Adding Attribution

1. Open any asset
2. Find the Attribution field
3. Enter source information
4. Select the License type
5. Save the asset

Tips:
- Include creator name when known
- Link to source when available
- Specify the license type
- Add copyright year if applicable

Asset Types

CurryCMS automatically detects asset types:

File Requirements

Size Limits

• Maximum file size: 50 MB (configurable)
• Recommended: Optimize images before upload

Allowed File Types

Images:
- JPEG, PNG, GIF, WebP, SVG

Documents:
- PDF, Word (.doc, .docx), Excel (.xls, .xlsx)

Video:
- MP4, QuickTime, AVI, WebM

Best Practices

For Authors

1. Add alt text during upload - Don't defer compliance
2. Keep attribution handy - Note sources as you find assets
3. Use clear licenses - Prefer CC-licensed assets
4. Check before publishing - Review compliance dashboard

For Admins

1. Set compliance goals - Target 100% compliance
2. Monitor regularly - Check dashboard weekly
3. Train team - Share alt text best practices
4. Audit new uploads - Review recent additions

Alt Text Guidelines

Do:
- Describe the image content objectively
- Include text visible in the image
- Convey the purpose of the image
- Keep it under 125 characters when possible

Don't:
- Start with "Image of" or "Picture of"
- Repeat information already in surrounding text
- Include "click here" for linked images
- Leave blank for informative images

Accessibility Standards

CurryCMS compliance features support:

WCAG 2.1 Level AA

• 1.1.1 Non-text Content - Alt text for images
• 1.4.5 Images of Text - Avoid text in images
• 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast - Sufficient contrast

Section 508

• Equivalent federal accessibility standards
• Required for government-funded curricula

IDEA / ADA

• Educational accessibility requirements
• Ensures all students can access content

Common Questions

"What if I don't know the source of an asset?"

Mark the license as "Unknown" and add what information you have to the attribution field. Replace the asset with a properly licensed alternative when possible.

"Should decorative images have alt text?"

Purely decorative images (dividers, backgrounds) should have empty alt text (alt=""). CurryCMS allows empty alt text for decorative images—mark them as decorative in the asset settings.

"How do I handle complex images like charts?"

For complex images:
1. Provide brief alt text describing the image type
2. Add a longer description in surrounding content
3. Consider providing data tables for charts

"Can I bulk-update alt text?"

Currently, alt text must be updated per-asset. For large libraries, prioritize high-usage assets first (filter by "most used").

"What about video accessibility?"

While CurryCMS tracks alt text for images, videos should have:
- Captions for dialogue
- Audio descriptions for visual content
- Transcripts for audio content

These are managed outside the current compliance tracking.

"Who can see compliance status?"

All team members can see compliance badges and status. Compliance data is account-wide, not per-curriculum.

Related Documentation:
- Working with Assets - Asset management basics
- Publishing Editions - Edition asset handling
- Team Management - Role permissions