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In recent years, public educational institutions have moved at a rapid clip into the digital era. As learning, services, and engagement are increasingly delivered online, these institutions have often expanded their digital footprint while neglecting overall digital accessibility. Recent updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act means digital accessibility for public educational institutions can not be ignored. It will become a legal mandate.
A fast-approaching deadline
In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a landmark update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), establishing clear and enforceable requirements for digital accessibility. Public educational institutions that serve populations of 50,000 or more will be legally required to be compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level A and AA, a globally recognized technical standard for digital accessibility, across web and mobile content. Although the updated rule is currently in review, noncompliance could still mean these institutions face increased risk of litigation or fines.
For many public education officials and administrators who are infamously short on resources and time, this impending deadline leaves them with perhaps more than a bit of anxiety. However, addressing these digital concerns now will make life easier in the long run, beyond mitigating litigation risk. Think of it as setting your educational institution up for a brighter digital future that ensures better community engagement and retention. Accessibility compliance is far more than simply satisfying the requirements of a deadline–it’s necessary to ensure students, parents, and community members with disabilities are able to properly and effectively access content. In short, this makes accessibility a fundamental equity issue, not just a technical requirement.
With accessible digital content having proven to directly impact learning effectiveness as well as being tied to increased academic success and retention, an educational institution’s commitment to improving digital accessibility positively impacts its reputation and accountability. Think of this current digital accessibility sprint as a program, not a project. A mindset shift to elevate and prioritize your institution’s digital existence and elevate your institution’s digital reputation.
To many in the educational field, digital accessibility still remains something of a foreign concept. But there are clear steps, and questions one must ask themselves to address any current and pressing accessibility issues as well as to alleviate any future concerns about your institution’s overall digital presence and set it up for long-term success.
Start with an assessment of your accessibility posture
Educational institutions must first assess where they currently sit from a digital accessibility perspective through a full-scale audit using a combination of automated and manual testing methodologies. Identify and map out what parts of your digital presence need to become immediately accessible, where those assets currently sit within your digital ecosystem, and who owns them.
When third-party content or technology is in scope, working with the existing third-party technology partners is key. Very few educational institutions build their tech stack from the ground up, so clear communication with outside technology partners must be prioritized to ensure they are onboard and able to support your accessibility implementation and maintenance plan. Ask current or prospective technology partners whether they have an Accessibility Conformance Report using a VPAT (voluntary product accessibility template) format or if accessibility requirements can be added to procurement vetting and contract language. Many technology partners claim to be committed to accessibility, but you must ensure they have the capabilities to actually help you accomplish your goals in this arena.
It’s essential to leverage technology partners–both existing third-party vendors and emerging technologies–in establishing a baseline and addressing accessibility issues that may be uncovered. A natural inclination may be to task an internal administrative employee to oversee this process, but not only does this require intensive and time-consuming staff training, such tasks often exist outside of that respective employee’s scope. Deploying technology to streamline and enable employee work in the digital accessibility area is necessary for sustained progress.
Make an accessibility action plan according to priority
The next step is a matter of prioritization. One must ask themselves: What are the key digital touchpoints that need to be first addressed in terms of accessibility to avoid any potential legal risks? High-priority web pages are a natural first step for many, but PDF documents, for example, must also be considered. Set clear goals and group issues into themed sprints instead of fixing randomly across your digital platforms. Prioritize which digital assets are most important for your users and your organization to most efficiently use time and resources.
As you begin working toward compliance, it’s wise to set measurable, time-based goals that enable you and your leadership to track progress toward accessibility compliance. This is where the initial accessibility audit comes back into play. Understand the work that needs to be done so you can quantify it, plan for it, and map against it while monitoring progress with smaller-scale rapid-testing initiatives to validate ongoing work.
Embracing and maintaining a digitally accessible future
Lastly, it’s essential to assess whether your institution could benefit from the growing array of AI tools now available to automate much of this process and pair with manual testing and user feedback from people with disabilities. If you as an institution find yourselves currently unable–or unqualified–to do a full-scale digital accessibility audit, agentic technologies are now available to help perform accessibility audits across an institution’s digital ecosystem, recommend action and measure results. AI remediation and code-fix tools are able to fix or generate accessible code and content across digital platforms. This is particularly helpful for schools tight on personnel. Agentic technology can empower schools to achieve accessibility, content compliance and performance, and improve visibility in Answer Engine Optimization (AEO) and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) as new content is created and published.
While the upcoming deadline and Title II requirements are approaching, we must remember that accessibility and overall digital governance is an ongoing process and one that takes time. So while you may be working towards the short-term goal of compliance with the April Title II deadline, don’t lose sight of the big picture. It’s about looking ahead and placing increasing value on your institution’s overall digital presence.
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