Key Takeaways:
- You don't have to start from scratch. The education community has already developed standards, tools, and resources that can help institutions build accessibility into their digital ecosystems.
- Accessibility is a shared responsibility. Successful accessibility efforts begin with a plan that involves stakeholders across the institution, from IT and instructional design to procurement, disability services, faculty, and leadership.
- Collaboration accelerates progress. By learning from peers, participating in communities like 1EdTech and WCET, and sharing lessons learned, institutions can reduce duplicated effort, solve problems faster, and create more accessible learning experiences for every learner.
As the deadline for new accessibility requirements approaches, many education leaders are asking the same question: Where do we even begin?
The answer, according to institutions that have been working through the process together, is reassuring: you don't have to start from scratch, and you don't have to do it alone.
The new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements require state and local government web content and mobile applications, including those used by public K–12 schools, state departments of education, and public colleges and universities, to conform to the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. For many institutions, that means reviewing hundreds of websites, digital learning tools, courses, assessments, documents, and applications.
It can feel overwhelming.
However, after months of workshops, community discussions, and collaboration among educational institutions, technology providers, and accessibility experts, through 1EdTech and WCET’s Accessibility Workshop Series, one message consistently emerged. Meeting accessibility requirements is a significant undertaking, but there is already a strong foundation of standards, tools, resources, and experienced peers ready to help.
Here are several lessons learned from organizations already moving through the process.
Start with the Tools That Already Exist
One of the biggest misconceptions is that every institution must build its accessibility strategy from scratch.
In reality, the education community has spent years developing standards, tools, and best practices that make accessibility easier to implement from the start.
Through collaboration among member organizations, 1EdTech has developed resources that help organizations build accessibility into digital learning ecosystems, including:
- Question and Test Interoperability® (QTI®) 3, which supports accessible digital assessments using WCAG 2.1 AA guidance, Section 508 accommodations, and modern web accessibility practices.
- Access for All®, which helps learning systems adapt to each learner's accessibility needs and preferences.
- LTI® Personal Needs and Preferences Connector Service, which securely transfers learner accessibility needs and preferences between systems.
- Data-SSML, which improves pronunciation and speech quality for text-to-speech technologies.
1EdTech also provides practical implementation resources, including an Accessibility Rubric, a self-assessment framework that helps edtech providers improve accessibility and have more transparent conversations with institutions. It complements accessibility documentation such as VPATs, Section 508, and ADA requirements.
Organizations can also build on resources from accessibility leaders such as CAST, Benetech, and Teach Access.
The important takeaway is simple: much of the groundwork has already been done. Your institution doesn't have to start from the beginning.
Build a Plan Together
Many institutions want to jump straight into fixing accessibility issues. A better first step is understanding where the biggest gaps are and who should help address them.
Start by conducting a gap analysis. Identify which websites, applications, and digital learning tools are covered, what accessibility documentation your vendors already provide, which systems already support accessibility standards, where your greatest risks lie, and what expertise already exists within your institution. Creating a list of unanswered questions early can help prioritize work, engage the right experts, and build a realistic implementation plan:
- Which websites, applications, and digital learning tools are covered?
- What accessibility documentation do our vendors already provide?
- Which systems already support accessibility standards?
- Where do we have the greatest risks?
- What internal expertise do we already have?
Accessibility is not solely an IT project or a compliance exercise. Creating a culture of accessibility is everyone’s responsibility, especially because it touches every part of an institution, including instructional design, procurement, disability services, faculty, communications, legal counsel, student support, and leadership. Bringing these stakeholders together early helps clarify responsibilities, prevents work from falling through the cracks, and ensures decisions reflect the needs of the learners you serve.
“The workshop series reinforced that accessibility is as much about people and processes as it is about standards and technology,” said participant Johnny Zhou, Instructional Designer for the University of Hawai‘i System. “As we developed the University of Hawaiʻi's accessibility professional development course, the conversations and resources from the series helped validate our approach while providing practical ideas we could adapt to our own context. Connecting with peers facing similar challenges highlighted that while every institution's context is different, many of the underlying challenges and opportunities are shared. Moving forward, we'll continue emphasizing proactive design, shared responsibility across campus partners, and practical resources that empower faculty to create more accessible learning experiences from the beginning.”
The most successful accessibility efforts recognize that no one department can do it all. When institutions bring together diverse perspectives from the start, they not only build stronger solutions but also create advocates who can help sustain accessibility long after the initial compliance work is complete.
Network Early and Often
Perhaps the strongest lesson learned from institutions already doing this work is the value of community.
Across workshops and collaborative sessions, participants repeatedly discovered they were facing many of the same challenges. Some had already solved problems that others were just beginning to encounter. Others had developed new approaches that improved existing practices.
No single institution has every answer.
But collectively, the education community has addressed many of the challenges.
“It was great to see the enthusiasm and commitment of the teams we coached,” said Mark Hakkinen, director of digital accessibility compliance for the Educational Testing Service (ETS). “It demonstrates that organizational interest in accessible and inclusive edtech is growing, and programs such as the 1EdTech and WCET Accessibility Workshop Series are great forums to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing between experts in the field and those in the trenches implementing solutions to serve all learners.”
Moving Forward Together
Accessibility compliance is undoubtedly a significant undertaking.
But it is also an opportunity.
By adopting shared standards, leveraging existing resources, learning from peer institutions, and building cross-functional teams, organizations can create digital learning environments that work better for everyone. 1EdTech and WCET offer free resources and collaborative communities to support this work. This isn’t just about meeting compliance deadlines; it’s about improving the educational experiences for all learners.
Want to learn more? Join us for our webinar, "Accessibility in Action: Lessons from the 1EdTech + WCET Workshop Series," on Aug. 20. Register here.
About the Authors
Megan Raymond has been with WCET since June 2007. As the senior director of membership and programs, she oversees member recruitment and activities and manages various programs, most notably the Annual Conference, Summits, monthly webcasts, and Closer Conversations. Megan brings over 20 years of higher education experience to the position and holds a bachelor's degree in Marketing from Fort Lewis College and a master's degree in Nutrition and Health Education.
Susan Haught is the Director of Program Management. She collaborates with educational institutions and tech providers worldwide while leading the development of innovative standards across the product portfolio, creating strategies and solutions that advance equity, privacy, security, and data interoperability. She has academic and technical professional experience working in K12 and higher education, with a focus on education technology leadership, IT project management, professional learning, academic support programs, and classroom teaching. She holds a B.S., Interdisciplinary Studies/Elementary Ed. and a M.Ed. in Education Technology Leadership from Lamar University.
