Step-by-Step: Addressing Accessibility in Higher Education

Step 1: Get acquainted with digital accessibility

Digital accessibility refers to the practice of designing ICTs so that they are usable by all people, including people with disabilities. It allows for digital information to be available visually, aurally, and tactilely. Most of the time, the term digital accessibility reflects the needs of those who use specially designed technology to complete tasks on a computer or mobile device. These devices and software are called access technology, and they provide for equality in education, employment, and other major life activities. For example, students who are blind or have other print disabilities often use screen-reading software to verbalize or put into Braille what the sighted computer user sees. However, in order for screen-reading software to convert text into speech or Braille, the website, learning management system, or document must be created in accordance with standards and procedures that enable the software to function.

If websites, learning management systems, and instructional materials are not created in accordance with accessibility standards, students who rely on the use of screen-readers will not be able to access or utilize the information they contain.

Note: There is a wealth of additional information available on the internet introducing technology accessibility.

Step 2: Understand that this is more than a technology issue for your organization

Before you launch into addressing any technology issues that have been brought to your attention, it is useful to take a step back and consider what was the situation that gave rise to the technology issue in the first place. Accessible technology solutions have been around for decades. One of the main problems, we find, is that there is no organizational approach to addressing accessibility. That is, it is not part of the organizational culture. (‘Culture’ = What people say + What people do.) When a student approaches a lecturer with an accessibility problem preventing them from completing a task, what does that lecturer say and do? Having appropriate policies in place, offering and delivering training, and having appropriate support mechanisms—for lecturers (and other staff) who may not have been previously acquainted with accessibility issues—reduces your institution’s level of risk.

Risk can be considered in many ways here. Foremost is the risk that students (and employees) with disabilities do not get a fair chance to succeed. In the past, higher education institutions were not so accommodating to people with disabilities, and so laws—intended to help students with disabilities succeed—were enacted such as the Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act. But this was not in the days of rickety old wooden school houses and slate instead of writing paper; it was happening in modern times (1973 and 1990 respectively) in the days of print, and Braille as an alternative to print. And unfortunately, it remains a problem today because of a lack of uptake of freely available information and guidance to solve digital access issues. Here, for example, is the opening quote of this article in full:

“The problem is not the fact that I am blind. The problem is the fact that inaccessible technology is woven into the fabric of the collegiate academic experience at many institutions. Nobody wants the technology to be inaccessible, but no one has guidelines on how to ensure that I can be welcome in higher education. Well-meaning institutions can and do go awry without these guidelines.”—Justin, Louisiana student

Justin’s assessment that “no one has guidelines” seems to be borne out of frustration. The frustration is not that the guidelines don’t exist (they do) but that his institution’s staff weren’t actively seeking those guidelines out and then acting on them. When websites, documents, learning management systems, and other applications are built with accessibly addressed from the beginning, and university procedures and procurement policies include digital accessibility requirements, students with a variety of backgrounds and abilities will have integrated access to all aspects of campus life. Building accessible platforms and documents from the beginning will erase the need for and cost of retroactively recreating parts of your digital content.

Note: In the Accessibility Switchboard, we have provided guidance on how to get started with addressing accessibility at an organizational level; and provided guidance in the form of answers to common questions about how to get started with integrating accessibility into organizational components.

Step 3: Understand the legal risks associated with insufficient action

Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and titles II and III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, colleges and universities are obligated to provide students with disabilities equal and integrated access to higher education. Schools cannot deny students with disabilities equally effective opportunity to participate in the programs, benefits, and services they offer. This means that classrooms, cafeterias, libraries, residence halls, computer labs, and all other campus spaces, including online courses, must be accessible.

Digital Outcasts: Moving Technology Forward without Leaving People Behind is a book by Kel Smith. The book covers the digital gaps that exist, the role of innovation in accessibility, and tackling accessibility strategically.

In 2010 and 2011, the United States Departments of Justice and Education jointly issued guidance that educational technology must be accessible to students with disabilities, and that pilot programs designed for only a small margin of the student body must likewise be accessible:

• DOE and DOJ Joint dear Colleague Letter 2010
• DOE Dear Colleague Letter 2011
• Frequently asked questions on the Dear Colleague Letters

When self-advocacy and dispute resolution on campus fail to provide accommodations and equal access, blind students may be faced with no other option but to file a complaint with the United States Departments of Education or Justice, or to file a complaint in federal court. This is not an easy path for students, but it is an important one.

Note: Legal actions should always be seen as the last resort. They can be avoided by proactively taking steps to address accessibility before problems arise (as opposed to willfully ignoring issues and/or taking chances). For more, read our Q&A article ‘What are the steps I can take to reduce the likelihood of getting sued over the accessibility of my ICT?’

Step 4: Borrow from published sources on policy and implementation

Meeting legal obligations and providing equal access on campus requires time and commitment at all levels; but ultimately it requires a change in culture. Adopting policies and procedures that consider accessibility can create blueprints for a truly accessible campus. For example, having procurement plans in place that favor purchasing accessible technologies is an easy fix.

Step 5: Seek expert help when needed

If you’re new to this area, or you’ve been in this area for a while and are experiencing ‘roadblocks’ on the way to implementation of digital accessibility policies, there is help available:

• There are consultants and other subject matter experts who form the Accessibility Switchboard Community of Practice;
• The National Federation of the Blind also maintains a list of Web Accessibility Consultants.
• Help can also be sought form national and international professional and industry accessibility associations as well as consumer disability organizations.

Addendum: Advice for students with disabilities

Self advocacy

The Self-Advocacy in Higher Education Toolkit is designed for blind students seeking to better understand the higher education accommodation request process, mitigate access barriers on campus, and ultimately to succeed at their schools in their chosen area(s) of study.

Note: If you are new to blindness and looking for an introduction to the various types of device and software that are available to help you, consult the Technology resource list.

Other useful Accessibility Switchboard resources

The Accessibility Switchboard contains the following resources:

• We have produced a guide to help people with disabilities document their difficulties interacting with technologies. It helps to have different aspects of the problem documented (described) before reaching out to customer support (or in this case, your higher education institution’s supports) in search of a resolution to an accessibility problem. The guide provides structure in terms of (1) self-diagnosing the problem; (2) documenting what other (nondisabled) people can do; (3) documenting your disability in functional terms; (4) describing the problem; and (5) contacting customer support. If this process is not successful, we provide additional guidance on how to escalate the problem further. This guide is entitled ‘Documenting a day in your life: demonstrating the level of accessibility of the technologies you interact with, and those you cannot interact with’.
• Consumer demand can drive change. But how does the single consumer (or student) who is experiencing difficulties using inaccessible technologies get their message to those who can actually bring about changes in product design? This guide is intended to help speed up and smooth out the process of change, by providing the pros and cons of approaching different types of change-maker. This guide is entitled ‘How to approach change makers: what are the pros and cons of various options?’
• If you are a blind or low vision consumer having difficulty using a particular Information and Communications Technology (ICT), you can use our: Consumer Contact Form for the National Federation of the Blind.
• We also provide a list of other consumer disability organizations who can be contacted to seek help overcoming accessibility issues.