The 7 keys to online accessibility in higher education

Digital Accessibility as Educational Equity

The digital revolution in higher education has created unprecedented opportunities for learning, but institutions are being charged with making these opportunities accessible to all students, regardless of ability. As universities continue to expand their online offerings, ensuring accessibility in higher education isn’t just a legal requirement, it’s a cornerstone of educational equity.

According to recent studies, institutions that prioritize digital accessibility in education report higher student engagement and retention rates. With increasing numbers of students with disabilities pursuing higher education, implementing robust accessibility in schools is now a strategic priority. Institutions like UC Berkeley, The University of Western Australia and San Francisco State University are seeing great success in establishing course and online accessibility strategies to make for more inclusive learning. Plus, come Spring 2026, institutional leaders will no longer be able to glance over their accessibility policies. They’ll be held to comply with new standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act Title II. 

The Evolution of Campus Accessibility

Higher education has undergone a profound shift toward digital learning environments. What began as supplementary online resources has evolved into comprehensive digital ecosystems encompassing everything from lecture recordings to interactive learning platforms. This transformation brings both tremendous potential and significant challenges regarding technology accessibility. 

“The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities recognizes access to information and communications technologies, including the web, as a basic human right,” notes the Web Accessibility Initiative, underscoring the fundamental importance of accessible online content.

For public institutions, Section 508 compliance and various accessibility laws, including the ADA Title II, mandate electronic and information technology accessibility. Private institutions, though not bound by the same regulations, increasingly recognize that accessibility is both an ethical imperative and a competitive advantage in the education marketplace. In response, Verbit has launched a subscription plan, Campus Complete, to assist higher-ed leaders on their institutions’ online accessibility journeys.

Essential Components of Online Accessibility

Creating truly accessible online environments requires a multifaceted approach. Here are seven key considerations every higher education institution should implement:

1. Compatibility with Assistive Technology

Assistive technologies serve as critical bridges between digital content and users with disabilities. These tools make all functionality available from a keyboard for those unable to use a mouse. Speech input programs, screen readers, and other adaptive technologies must function seamlessly with your digital content.

Implementing proper heading structures and semantic HTML ensures that your content works with assistive technology solutions that many students rely on for educational access.

2. Support for Refreshable Braille Displays

Braille displays enable users who are blind or have visually impairments, including those who are deaf-blind, to read text content through tactile means. These specialized devices convert digital text into braille characters, providing essential access for students who rely on touch rather than sight or sound.

Educational platforms must ensure all text-based content is properly formatted to work with these vital tools for disability compliance in higher education.

3. Alt Text Implementation for Images

Visual content presents particular challenges for accessibility in education. The solution lies in alt text, offering short, descriptive text alternatives that convey the purpose and content of images. These descriptions allow screen reader users to understand visual elements, ensuring they receive the complete educational experience.

For example, rather than labeling a graph as simply “enrollment data,” effective alt text might read: “Bar graph showing 20% increase in student enrollment from 2020-2025, with highest growth in distance learning programs.”

4. Transcription Software Integration

Text transcripts make audio content accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing students while benefiting many others. Non-native speakers often rely on transcripts to clarify complex terminology, while students with various learning preferences appreciate having multiple formats for engaging with course material.

Automated transcription solutions can dramatically reduce the workload for educational institutions while ensuring all audio content meets disability compliance for higher education standards.

5. Comprehensive Captioning Solutions

Captions serve a critical function when students need to simultaneously process visual and audio information. Beyond compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Rehabilitation Act, video captioning delivers measurable educational benefits. Research from San Francisco State University demonstrated that students using captioned video achieved “a full GPA point increase” compared to those without captions. Today’s savvy institutions also offer live captions of their courses so students of all abilities can process information and engage in different ways based on their preferences. Institutions are also seeing value in using technologies like Venue Live to caption campus events, including sports and all events being streamed online like graduation ceremonies, commencements, open houses and town halls.

Inclusivity in Action: Brigham Young University-Idaho exemplifies institutional commitment through their dedicated office for deaf and hearing-impaired students. This specialized department coordinates comprehensive transcription and captioning services across all audiovisual course materials, setting a standard for accessibility in higher education.

6. Descriptive Link Text Implementation

Links should provide clear information about their destination, rather than generic phrases like “click here.” This specificity ensures that all users, particularly those using screen readers, can understand where links lead even when encountered out of context.

For example, instead of “Click here to learn more,” use descriptive text like “Explore our guide to implementing assistive technology in classrooms.”

7. Accessibility Notification Systems

Transparency about accessibility measures builds trust with users. Institutions should include statements detailing specific accessibility features and providing contact information for accessibility-related feedback or assistance.

Consider implementing a real-time accessibility feedback system where users can immediately report accessibility barriers they encounter.

Institutional Policy Framework

Comprehensive web accessibility policies provide the framework necessary for consistent implementation. Such policies serve multiple functions: establishing standards, guiding development, measuring progress, and demonstrating institutional commitment to accessibility in schools.

Inclusivity in Action: The University of Wisconsin-Madison has developed an exemplary web accessibility policy requiring all new web resources to meet accessibility standards while making “reasonable efforts” to bring legacy content into compliance.

Beyond Compliance: The Universal Benefits of Accessibility

While accessibility measures are essential for students with disabilities, they enhance the learning experience for all students. Captions aid comprehension in noisy environments, transcripts facilitate note-taking and review, and clear navigation benefits everyone in the educational ecosystem. Additionally, captioning and transcription providers like Verbit offer helpful generative AI tools for faculty and students to use on top. Gen AI technologies like Verbit’s Gen.V can be used by students to study more effectively, create automatic summaries of their lecture transcripts and notes, pull out key words of focus, offer titles and create quizzes to help them prepare for exams.

The most effective accessibility measures are those implemented at the design stage rather than retrofitted afterward. This “universal design” approach recognizes accessibility not as an add-on feature but as a fundamental aspect of quality educational content. With concepts like Campus Complete, institutional leaders can start to implement Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approaches more easily, scale accessibility efforts across campus and online environments and do so all within one clear budget.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Digital Accessibility

As digital learning environments continue to evolve, accessibility standards in education must evolve with them. Emerging technologies like virtual reality, artificial intelligence, and immersive simulations present both new challenges and opportunities for inclusion.

The institutions that will thrive in this landscape are those that view accessibility not as a compliance burden but as an ongoing commitment to educational equity. By implementing these seven key components and continually refining their approach, colleges and universities can create digital environments where all students have the opportunity to succeed.

Implementing Accessibility in Your Institution

Creating accessible digital environments in higher education requires commitment, resources, and expertise. Verbit’s educational solutions and education team members provide comprehensive support for institutions seeking to enhance their technology accessibility and meet disability compliance for higher education standards. This educational expertise and human support is something most automatic speech recognition technology and ed-tech providers don’t offer.

From captioning services to audio description, our tools are made to be customized for the higher-ed sector. Institutional leaders can even benefit from an archive captioning solution to help quickly caption libraries of content in bulk. Our ed-tech tools and automatic speech recognition technologies, like Verbit Captivate, can be deeply customized to help educational institutions build inclusive digital environments that serve all learners and work for the unique needs of the sector. Discover how our specialized higher-ed solutions can help your institution achieve its accessibility goals and enhance the learning experience for all students.

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