With the DoJ’s April 24, 2026 deadline approaching mandating all digital instruments be accessible, each educator throughout the US (and Canada) is dashing to make their course supplies accessible.
An Incomplete Information to Accessibility (for Educators) is for instructors, professors, or TAs that need assistance approaching digital accessibility. In plain language, we’ll exhibit how you can replace studying supplies to satisfy compliance—with out treading throughout your painstakingly-planned pedagogy. It’s essential to emphasise that accessibility is in the end about breaking obstacles for individuals with disabilities, and this information will try to maintain that in thoughts.
Accessibility isn’t straightforward
It’s essential to not downplay the work wanted to make sure digital supplies are well-designed for everybody, with out discrimination.
However… accessibility actually isn’t that tough, both.
Whereas extra complicated options will be tougher to implement, the fundamentals of accessibility are pretty straightforward to grasp and motion on. Begin there, and develop over time.
It’s a ability. It takes observe. But it surely’s not rocket science, or evaluating 100 scholar essays on the diction of Shakespeare, both. Each week, educators share concepts and ideas with college students, which, with a bit of luck, germinate into vital pondering abilities. Instructing is a a lot tougher factor; accessibility is easy by comparability.
As a digital product designer with over 20 years expertise, I do know the trouble it takes to push accessibility ahead. In 2020, Prime Hat’s product and engineering workforce labored to make our platform extra accessible for any scholar.
The purpose of this information is that will help you navigate this work, too.
This information is evolving
The “incomplete” title of this information is intentional. Members of the Prime Hat workforce will add to this information over time, however accessibility requirements change. In software program, compliance drift can occur as firms make updates to their little nook of the online. The very browser you’re utilizing to learn these phrases has probably been up to date dozens or a whole lot of occasions since this information was written.
Compulsory authorized be aware (sorry): Please don’t mistake this information as authorized recommendation or counsel. Think about this work an incomplete and imperfect checklist of options from our expertise, nothing extra.
We admire suggestions
Each good and constructive suggestions (what my cat’s therapist calls “unhealthy” suggestions) are inspired. In the event you spot any gaps or errors within the information, please tell us and we’ll remediate. Simply ship us an electronic mail to accessibility@tophat.com.
Chapter 1: Making Sense of Compliance
Consciousness of the legislation is essential, however don’t get misplaced
It’s straightforward to get overwhelmed by all of the accessibility legal guidelines flying about. Federal, DOJ, State. How do they measure up towards one another? What do you must care about?
TLDR: WCAG 2.1 Degree AA
WCAG 2.1 Degree AA is the usual to observe. If you already know what that alphabet salad means, you’ll be able to most likely skip this chapter.
It’s the W3C customary this information (and Prime Hat) makes use of.
A wave of laws
Here’s a checklist of accessibility insurance policies from the US. I like to recommend glossing over it, until you get pleasure from sifting by way of rats nests of legalese for causes I gained’t ask about:
People with Disabilities Act (ADA), Part 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. Arizona (digital accessibility requirements in statewide IT coverage), Arkansas (Act 1227 of 1999), California (a number of authorities code sections), Colorado (Home Invoice 21-1110), Connecticut (Common Web site Accessibility Coverage), Delaware (State digital Accessibility Coverage), Georgia (digital properties accessibility), Idaho (Internet Publishing Tips), Illinois (Illinois Data Expertise Accessibility Act), Indiana (Code 4-13.1-3), Iowa (Web site Accessibility Normal), Kansas (Data Expertise Govt Council Coverage), Maine (digital Accessibility and Usability Coverage), Maryland (Data Expertise Nonvisual Entry Regulatory Requirements), Massachusetts (Enterprise Data Expertise Accessibility Coverage), Michigan (digital Accessibility Normal), Minnesota (digital Accessibility Normal), Missouri (RSMo. 161.935), Montana (state code 18-5-605), Nebraska (Accessibility Coverage), Nevada (ADA Expertise Accessibility Tips), New Hampshire (Internet and Cellular Software Accessibility Requirements), New Jersey (NJ A4856), New York (NYS-P08-005 and Senate Invoice S3114A), Ohio (Administrative Coverage, Web site Means), Oklahoma (Digital and Data Expertise Accessibility Legislation), Pennsylvania (Data Expertise Coverage), Rhode Island (World Broad Internet Consortium Precedence 1 Checkpoints), Texas (Internet Accessibility Requirements and Administrative Code), Utah (accessibility requirements for govt department businesses), Virginia (Data Expertise Entry Act and Accessibility Normal), and Washington (USER-01 Accessibility Coverage).
You may need observed not all states are listed. Some states determined to spare us the headache of including extra to this checklist. People with Disabilities Act (ADA)—the large kahuna of federal laws—nonetheless applies.
Actual threat
In case your authorized division puckers up on the phrase accessibility, it is best to comprehend it’s as a result of the danger to your faculty is actual. The ADA publishes “settlements” on its web site, which is a public checklist the place complainant(s) have filed discrimination swimsuit(s) towards an organization and settled. chunk of them are towards instructional establishments (Okay-12, neighborhood schools, and large establishments alike).
State and federal coverage isn’t written for you
Its job is to supply the judicial system the proper to pursue motion towards anybody caught discriminating, and to make you conscious that they will (and may) try this. Much less discrimination is nice for everybody. We like that concept.
However realizing there are arcane phrases hanging above each slide deck and doc you determine to share together with your scholar physique is frightening. There’s strain right here to Do The Proper Factor.™
Excellent news: There’s a easy technique to meet state and federal laws: WCAG. Protip: It’s pronounced wug-ka-guh.
WCAG: One Normal to Rule them All
Dangerous information: WCAG is written by engineers, however don’t maintain that towards it.
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It’s managed by the World Broad Internet Consortium, in any other case generally known as “W3C,” which is a wizardly-sounding title, if you happen to ask me. Most insurance policies throughout the US and Canada checklist it as a regular to satisfy for digital accessibility (the one motive I’m not saying ALL insurance policies is as a result of I haven’t learn all of them, however I’m pretty sure everyone seems to be simply copying one another’s homework right here).
Understanding the WCAG Alphabet Salad: Variations and Ranges
There are ranges to the WCAG customary, but it surely’s quite simple to unpack.
Which WCAG model?
As a result of virtually all laws focuses on WCAG 2.1 Degree AA, we’ve centered this guideline on that.
Why not WCAG 2.2?
WCAG 2.2 provides extra consideration to its framework for cell units and kind components. Prime Hat follows 2.2, as a result of our product helps cell apps.
This isn’t as relevant for educators, so we’re specializing in 2.1 for this information.
What are WCAG ranges?
Inside every model of WCAG there are “ranges” of compliance denoted by A, AA, and AAA. Degree AA is the place most software program distributors and digital providers will hang around.
There’s no further credit score for assembly AAA. Usually talking, AA can be a more sensible choice for delivering nice studying supplies to college students. The scuttlebutt on the road (the youth are all aflutter about this) is that AAA is for banks and authorities establishments.
Be aware for Canadians
Canadians can be anticipated to stick to the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). Ontario, British Columbia, and Newfoundland and Labrador have their very own legal guidelines, too.
Normally WCAG 2.1 Degree AA will meet the letter of those legal guidelines, too.
This information follows: WCAG 2.1, Degree AA
This information follows WCAG 2.1, Degree AA customary, and so does Prime Hat’s content material and platform.
In case your establishment makes use of one other stage, or one thing apart from WCAG, this guideline will not be helpful to you.
It’s useful to consider content material and software program collectively, however separate
Along with guaranteeing the kind and match of the software program you utilize is as much as customary, educators have an obligation to verify the content material and supplies of a course are compliant, too.
- If the software program presenting your slides can’t be navigated by a person utilizing assistive expertise? That’s a violation.
- If the studying order of your slides isn’t appropriate? Violation.
- In the event you use a picture to convey info that doesn’t have alt-text or an extended description? Violation (each physics teacher can be hit particularly exhausting by that final one).
All of it wants to satisfy WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.
On your personal sanity, it will likely be useful to maintain each software program and content material in thoughts when navigating accessibility.
Full disclosure: This text is printed by Prime Hat
The purpose of this text isn’t to woo you into utilizing Prime Hat. Prime Hat is an ed tech platform that has options to assist make instructional content material accessible, but it surely’s essential to us that this information can be helpful for as many educators as potential.
All through the chapters, the place potential, we’ll present accessible issues for content material each with and with out use of the Prime Hat platform. As you’ll see on this information: the place content material is authored and shared with learners alters the alternatives you must make to make sure your stuff works.
Let’s go!
Now that the requirements are out of the way in which let’s get into the enjoyable stuff: making your course and supplies accessible.
Subsequent Chapter: Textual content Options for Academic Pictures and Visible Aids
