Accessibility in education is more than the built environment

We have a long way to go to make post-secondary education #accessible and equitable to people with print disabilities. A bold statement? Perhaps, but the truth is, before, during, and now after the pandemic, educational institutions are still struggling to make digital content accessible to everyone.?

Typically, when people think about accessibility in #education or general, they think of the built environment. So, things like ramps, braille signage, and wider doorways.?

However, it's so much more. These days, where hybrid, virtual, and remote learning plays more critical roles in education, students spend a great deal of time online.?

Let's think about it some digital touchpoints from the student's perspective:?

To apply for a post-secondary institution, students will visit a school's website to learn more about them.?

If their website is inaccessible, prospective students who use assistive technology will be unable to navigate it independently or in a barrier-free way. This can turn off potential students from attending, as they may think the inaccessibility issues will only get worse from here.?

Did you know that as many as 90% of websites don't meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (#WCAG) set by the World Wide Web Consortium (#W3C)? In other words, most websites aren't accessible to people with sensory disabilities or different needs. This is a big problem for the education sector.?

A student has been accepted, but they need to acknowledge the acceptance, pay and register.?

If the registration system is inaccessible, students cannot confirm their acceptance, pay tuition, or register for their classes. Additionally, if there are documents on the system that they need to access, these need to be accessible as well; otherwise, the student will miss out on vital information.?

The student is now all registered for classes, but the professors upload inaccessible content, like #PDFs, slides and videos, onto the school's learning management system.?

More often than not, faculty aren't provided with the appropriate training to make their content accessible to everyone in their class. Even more challenging for students is accessing an accessible version of the required #textbooks.?

These types of hurdles make post-secondary education an even higher mountain to climb for students with print disabilities. Yet, they face a challenge or obstacle every step of their journey.?

Students participate in various online activities, ranging from researching to interacting through virtual chats and calls to enrolling in courses, watching #educational videos, and doing homework. For all students to be successful, they must be able to engage in these activities efficiently.?

There's a lot to consider when it comes to digital accessibility in the education space, I know, but we can start making progress if we work together.?

My team at AbleDocs is here to help your educational institution become more digitally accessible. Whether it's an accessible website, learning about document creation, or even simply helping your school establish a starting point for its accessibility journey, we're here for you to help make the process as easy and seamless as possible.

Read more about accessibility at: https://adam-spencer.com/articles/