July 13, 2025

Accessibility in Online Learning

Online education has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility and accessibility, providing benefits to millions of students worldwide. This accessibility extends beyond meeting legal requirements, aiming to create a learning environment where all students can fully participate and succeed. Legislation such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guarantees equal access to online learning resources. Despite these legal provisions, many students still encounter obstacles in digital education.

The Importance of Digital Accessibility in Higher Education

With around 7 million students enrolled in distance learning courses in 2018, the shift to online education has intensified. The COVID-19 pandemic has made online education even more critical, making accessibility a top priority.

However, research highlights significant barriers to digital access, including:

• • Incompatible course materials for screen readers
• • Lack of captions or transcripts for video content
• • Complex navigation structures that hinder usability for students with mobility impairments
• • Limited accommodations for students with cognitive disabilities

These challenges highlight institutions' need to proactively design accessible online environments rather than react to legal complaints.

Benefits of Accessibility in Online Learning

Ensuring accessibility in online learning benefits not only students with disabilities but also the broader student population. Among the main benefits are:

1. Increased Enrollment and Retention

• For students with disabilities, online courses offer more flexibility, lowering logistical and physical barriers to study.

• According to research, 19% of American undergraduates have some disability (NCES, 2019). Making online education more accessible increases these students' chances of success.

2. Richer Learning Experience

• A study conducted by the Oregon State University's Ecampus Research Unit, showcased that 98.6% of students find captions helpful. Captioned videos support students with hearing impairments but also benefit non-native speakers and students in noisy environments.

• Screen-reader compatibility improves content organization for all users while guaranteeing that blind and VI students can access course content.

• • Self-paced learning alternatives and flexible deadlines boost interest and lessen stress.

3. Legal and Financial Protection for Institutions

• • • In 2023, plaintiffs filed over 4,600 ADA lawsuits. Adherence to accessibility and ADA regulations lowers the possibility of expensive litigation and harm to one's reputation.
    • By avoiding expensive retroactive modifications, institutions that proactively implement accessibility measures save money over time.

4. Promotes Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

• • • • A study from CAST (Center for Applied Special Technology), found that 92% of students in courses designed with UDL principles reported a more engaging and effective learning experience. UDL principles advocate for multiple means of engagement, representation, and action, which enhance learning for all students.

Overcoming Barriers: The Need for Faculty Training and Institutional Support

Despite the benefits, many institutions struggle to implement effective digital accessibility practices due to several challenges, including a lack of faculty training in accessible course design, inadequate policies for ensuring compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.0/2.1, and limited resources for captioning, transcription, and assistive technology integration.

To bridge this gap, institutions must invest in:

1. Comprehensive faculty training on accessible course design and instruction.
2. Stronger institutional policies to ensure compliance with accessibility laws.
3. Collaboration with disability service offices to proactively address student needs.
4. Implementation of assistive technologies such as screen readers, alternative text descriptions, and voice recognition software.

Conclusion

Accessibility must continue to be a primary concern as online education develops. For digital education to be inclusive and egalitarian, schools, colleges, and course designers must be proactive. By doing this, we can help students of all skill levels get the full benefits of online learning.

Upgrading Your Courses with EDUTECHLoft

To ensure every student has an equal chance to succeed, at EDUTECHLoft, we are dedicated to improving . In every one of our learning design experiences, we contribute to developing a smooth learning environment that meets a range of requirements by promoting inclusive practices. Contact us today to ensure your institution meets ADA accessibility standards and creates an inclusive online learning experience for all students. For more information on how we can help you visit https://www.edutechloft.com or contact us at info@edutechloft.com.

 

References

3Play Media. (n.d.). Student uses and perceptions of closed captions & transcripts. https://go.3playmedia.com/rs-student

Anderson, Reid. (2018). Universal Design Learning (UDL) in Higher Education. https://www.researchgate.net/

Disability and eLearning: Opportunities and Barriers | Disability Studies Quarterly. (n.d.). https://dsq-sds.org/index.php/dsq/article/view/3815/3830

Lomellini, A., Lowenthal, P. R., Snelson, C., & Trespalacios, J. H. (2025). Accessible and inclusive online learning in higher education: a review of the literature. Journal of Computing in Higher Education. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-024-09424-2

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) | IES. (n.d.). https://nces.ed.gov/

OLC RESEARCH CENTER FOR DIGITAL LEARNING & LEADERSHIP, McAlvage, K., & Rice, M. (2018). Access and accessibility in online learning. In OLC Outlook: An Environmental Scan of the Digital Learning Landscape. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED593920.pdf

Research Brief: Digital Access for Students in Higher Education and. (n.d.). https://adata.org/research_brief/research-brief-digital-access-students-higher-education-and-ada

Strategist, J. T. C. I. (2023, August 10). Web and App ADA lawsuits: 6 trends so far in 2023. UsableNet. https://blog.usablenet.com/web-and-app-ada-lawsuits-6-trends-so-far-in-2023