A student may arrive on campus ready to learn, only to find that a classroom, website, or course material is harder to access than expected. Those barriers are not rare. Around 94.8% of college homepages fail to meet WCAG 2.0 standards, showing that accessibility often falls short before students even enter the classroom. Strengthening accessible education can help campuses reduce these gaps and create a more consistent experience for every student.
Defining and Delivering an Accessible Education
Accessible education gives every student a fair chance to learn and succeed. Colleges treat it as a commitment to equity and inclusion. The goal is to remove barriers in classrooms, digital platforms, and physical spaces so all students can participate. Several models guide this work:
- Medical Model: Views disability as an individual condition needing support.
- Social Model: Highlights barriers in society and learning environments.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Promotes flexible teaching methods.
- Universal Instructional Design (UID): Creates more accessible course structure.
These models shape daily practice. Curriculum accessibility makes course content adaptable. Digital accessibility ensures platforms work with screen readers and alt text. Physical accessibility keeps campuses open to students with mobility challenges. Assistive technologies add support where needed.
However, keep in mind that accessible education is not a one-time fix. Ongoing processes help align teaching, technology, and campus life to create a more inclusive environment.
Why Accessibility Matters for Everyone on Campus
Accessibility often starts with meeting the needs of students with disabilities, but the benefits reach further. Captioned videos support students with hearing impairments, while also assisting non-native speakers. Flexible timelines help students with health challenges, and they also support those balancing school, work, or family responsibilities. For staff, accessibility also brings tools that make it easier to guide students with unique needs.
Accessibility also gives staff clearer tools. Centralized portals provide one place to share updates and track progress. Device inventory management tracks assistive equipment and helps departments determine what’s available. And reporting dashboards can use data to spot trends and address needs more quickly. These tools show how accessibility efforts improve the campus experience for students and staff alike.
The Most Common Barriers to Accessible Education
Many students still face barriers to learning. Older buildings without ramps or adjustable desks limit mobility. Digital platforms without alt text, captions, or screen reader support restrict access for students with visual or auditory impairments. These gaps make it harder for students with visual or auditory impairments to engage with content.
Barriers also appear in the delivery of materials. Students with reading or comprehension challenges often struggle when information is only offered in one form. Large print, digital text, and text-to-speech tools help, but are not always provided. Remote learning adds another layer of difficulty when platforms are not designed with accessibility in mind.
Technology can both create and solve these problems. Outdated systems and poor design make access harder. While assistive technologies can bridge the gap, adoption can still lag behind. Lasting progress requires attention to accessibility in course design, technology, infrastructure, and accommodation management.
From WCAG to Section 508: Why Compliance Matters
Many barriers remain when accessibility standards are not followed. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) outlines principles for digital content that works with captions, screen readers, and other assistive tools. And section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act requires schools to keep technology accessible. Ignoring these standards leaves students facing the same challenges across platforms.
Compliance sets a clear baseline for equal access. Meeting WCAG and Section 508 lowers risk and shows a commitment to inclusion. Schools that meet or exceed these standards build accessibility from the start.
Practical Strategies for Building an Inclusive Campus
Building an inclusive campus takes more than checking boxes. Colleges can start with steps that make learning materials, technology, and communication easier for all students to use.
Design Learning With Flexibility: UDL and UID support a wide range of learners. Offer content in text, audio, and captioned video so students can choose what works best.
Create Accessible Course Materials: Clear headings, readable fonts, and proper alt text make content easier to follow. Large-print and digital text options help students with visual or reading challenges keep pace.
Use Tools That Improve Access: Screen readers, text-to-speech software, and captioning tools support specific needs and benefit many others. Platforms like the Recite Me toolbar give students more control over how they engage with materials.
Offer Flexible Assessments: Give students more than one way to show what they know. Oral presentations, extended timelines, and digital submissions support different needs and create fairer opportunities. Test and Improve Accessibility Standards
Regularly test websites, platforms, and course resources. Student feedback helps find issues tools may miss. Ongoing reviews raise the accessibility standard.
Centralized Tools and Communication Make Processes Easier
Managing accommodations often involves several departments. Scattered emails or paper forms often cause details to get overlooked. Centralized tools give staff one place to share updates, track progress, and manage tasks. This reduces delays, prevents lost requests, and helps students receive support on time.
Platforms like Orchestrate AMS integrate a message center and case management. Staff no longer switch between emails, forms, and separate tools. With communication and tasks in one place, the process is easier for staff and students.
The Role of Accommodation Management in Accessibility
Accommodation requests touch every part of campus life, from classrooms to housing and testing centers. As demand increases, manual systems often lead to delays and missed steps. Students may wait for support, even when the request is approved.
Clear management gives staff a reliable process and lowers errors. Without structure, good intentions are not enough to remove barriers. A centralized system adds value through:
- Automated updates and reminders that keep requests moving
- Shared visibility so everyone works from the same information
- Reusable templates and bulk messaging for consistent communication
- Secure documentation and message logs for compliance and follow-up
- Reporting dashboards to spot trends and adjust resources
These tools make accessibility clearer. Students get smoother experiences, staff face less stress, and colleges gain a stronger foundation to expand support.
Making Education More Accessible With Orchestrate AMS
Accessible education relies on transparent processes, reliable tools, and strong coordination. Orchestrate AMS brings these together in one platform to make that easier. It includes automated workflows, centralized communication, device tracking, reporting, and more. By centralizing accommodations, AMS helps colleges turn the promise of accessible education into consistent access for every student.
