1 Accessibility in Higher Education
Overview
This module provides an overview of disability, accessibility, and accommodations, with a focus on digital accessibility in higher education.
Disability Statistics in Higher Ed
Around 27% of U.S. adults, or 1 in 4 people, identify as having a disability. In undergraduate higher education, this number remains substantial at about 21%. Crucially, only about 8% of these students register with their university’s disability office. At the graduate level, only 11% identify as having a disability. This suggests a significant gap in students seeking support.
Implications of Disability Statistics
Students are not legally obligated to register their disability. However, federal and state laws guarantee them the same course access as every other student. Reasons for not registering include stigma, a belief they don’t need support, lack of awareness of their disability, or inability to afford documentation fees.
Even with accommodations, students aren’t required to use them, potentially to their detriment. They may also fear unfair treatment or reprisal upon disclosure. The implication is that we may never know if a student has a disability, and they are not obligated to disclose. Knowing this, we should proactively design courses with accessibility in mind to minimize potential barriers.
General aspects of accessibility
In higher education, accessibility means designing and delivering content so all students, including those with disabilities, can equally access and participate in courses. Accessible materials ensure equal access to information, removing barriers to learning and participation. When accessibility is built in from the start, it creates an equal playing field for all students.
Accessibility is a pillar of universal design. Accessible courses from the outset reduce the need for remediation, which can delay learning and discourage participation. Accessible content is a facet of inclusive learning, ensuring students with disabilities feel welcome, valued, and empowered.
Digital/Physical Accessibility
Accessibility has two main categories: digital and physical. Physical examples include ramps and automatic door openers. A physical barrier might be stairs without a ramp.
In the digital realm, users access content in various ways. For people with disabilities, this often involves assistive technology (AT) – any device, equipment, or system that helps individuals increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities. A key part of digital accessibility is ensuring content functions properly with AT.
Digital accessibility, the focus of this guide, applies to any electronically published media: Word documents, PDFs, videos, websites, etc. A standard scanned PDF is a flat image, like a piece of paper, inaccessible to AT. An accessible PDF, however, has highlightable, interactive text that AT can recognize, acting as a “digital ramp” for equal access.
Various assistive technologies perform different functions. Some users rely on screen readers (software that reads screen content aloud), magnification (to enlarge/reduce screen items), or speech-to-text (controlling computers with voice). For some, content must be accessible to interact with it at all. This includes websites, PDFs, PowerPoints, Word documents, videos, and podcasts.
Who benefits from digital accessibility?
While crucial for some, accessibility benefits all students. It enhances usability in various scenarios. For example, anyone preferring an audio version or transcript benefits from these options. English language learners gain from both audio and accurate transcripts. Proper headings create easily navigable structures. High-contrast text (e.g., black background with white text) is often easier to read, and the ability to search key terms benefits everyone.
Listening to a document might be preferred while driving or on a bus; accessible text provides this option. Toggling video captions helps in quiet places like a library or crowded areas without headphones.
Accessibility and Accommodations
While related, accessibility and accommodations serve different purposes. Accessibility establishes a foundational level of usability for a wide audience. Accommodations are personalized adjustments based on a disability.
Accessibility provides a proactive approach to diminish course barriers from the outset. Examples include ramps, captions, and generally accessible course materials. The basic idea is that everyone should be able to use what we create from day one.
Accommodations provide individualized adjustments to support specific needs. They are reactive, going beyond base accessibility to target a student’s specific support goal. Examples include ASL interpreters, extended exam time, or flexible attendance. An accommodation can make a course facet more accessible for a specific student, but accommodations are not substitutes for accessibility, nor does an accessible course negate the need for accommodations.
Common misconceptions about accessibility
Regarding accessibility in higher education, specifically at CSU, some common misconceptions exist:
“I don’t have a student with a disability, so I don’t need to make my content accessible.”
As discussed, students are not obligated to disclose disabilities but must still have course access. Legal mandates, including the Americans with Disabilities Act, Colorado House Bill 21-1110, and CSU’s Electronic Information Technology Policy, require accessible content for all students.
“I don’t have time for accessibility; I’m swamped.”
Learning and implementing new skills takes effort, but neglecting accessibility means missing a fundamental part of our work: ensuring content is available to all students. As these skills are integrated, accessibility becomes less work over time. Case-by-case remediation creates more labor for instructors and can delay student access to content.
“SDC or ATRC will make my content accessible if there’s an accommodation.”
CSU’s EIT policy states all employees are responsible for accessible content. SDC and ATRC do not provide accessible course content services; all CSU employees are expected to create it.
“My videos or documents aren’t accessible, but it’s okay; they are optional materials.”
Optional or supplemental content is not exempt. If provided in the course, all students require the same level of access.
Accessibility Requirements at CSU
At CSU, the Electronic Information Technology Policy requires instructors to meet the “Universal Design” level of the CSU Accessibility Rubric. Each piece of digital content must have this base level of accessibility. Instructors should incorporate Universal Design while developing their accessibility skills, working towards full accessibility.
The rubric helps prioritize improvements for specific content types. While not exhaustive, many best practices (e.g., headings, alt text) are transferable. The Universal Design level covers common barriers in frequently used document types. While this is a starting point, the long-term goal is fully accessible documents.
Next steps
This module has unpacked accessibility’s purpose and its meaning for higher education, specifically at CSU. The following guides will cover fundamental digital accessibility concepts and practical application.