Short-Term Wins, Long-Term Change: A Real-World Accessibility Roadmap

[Deanna_Ferrante]

Accessibility remediation can instill a rollercoaster of emotions. How can you get from a place of fear and uncertainty to one of support and inclusion? 

Macmillan Learning has the opportunity to learn directly from disability services and accessibility staff on our accessibility advisory board. These advisors help to shape the future of accessibility at their institutions. Stacy Ybarra Evans, Ed.D., Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Our Lady of the Lake University, and Jeff Toorongian, Director of the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning and the Campus ICT Accessibility Coordinator at Michigan Technological University, were excited to share strategies their institutions have been employing to advance accessibility on campus.

The key to accessibility is tackling it in smaller, more manageable chunks. It’s more of a marathon than a sprint. Here are six tips to help you create a more accessible environment both in the short and long term, keeping in mind that the most critical part of the journey is getting started.

Short-Term Goals

While accessibility may seem overwhelming at first, progress happens in steps. No one expects you to overhaul your course overnight, but small, intentional actions can make a significant difference. That’s where short-term goals come in: 

1. Just Get Started.

A common phrase in the accessibility field is “progress over perfection.” In other words, being perfect isn’t a realistic goal. No matter how inconsequential an accessibility improvement may feel to someone who doesn’t need it, the impact can be enormous for the person who does. Whether you currently have students with disabilities in your classroom or not, design your course with accessibility at the forefront for all students. 

2. Don’t Reinvent the Wheel. 

You are not the first person to tackle accessibility remediation, and you will not be the last. Uncover the resources at your disposal, whether they are resources offered by your institution or found online. Ybarra Evans has several recommendations including following relevant hashtags on social media like #a11y and #UDL, subscribing to accessibility-focused blogs and podcasts, like AXSChat or Equal Entry, and attending conferences and webinars, like Accessing Higher Ground (AHG) or the California State University at Northridge Assistive Technology Conference (CSUN-ATC). 

3. Teach Your Students About Inclusive Design. 

Accessibility isn’t just for educators. While modeling accessibility skills in your course, teach your students how to implement inclusive design strategies into their work, whether they are formatting an essay or recording a podcast. Accessibility is the responsibility of each and every one of us. By empowering students with the tools and resources that they need to design with accessibility in mind, you are setting them up for a more inclusive future. For free resources that support instructors to teach their students about accessibility, check out Teach Access. 

Long-Term Goals

4. Learn More About Accessibility Tools.

Testing the accessibility of your materials should incorporate both automated and manual testing. Toorongian explains the development of their team’s technology: “Over the years we have organized a suite of tools to help identify and remediate digital accessibility errors.” 

They use built-in LMS checkers and a third-party accessibility vendor to crawl courses and public web pages. The tools often include reporting features such as tracking the institution’s progress against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). 

5. Make Accessibility a Habit.

True accessibility is not a one-time fix but an ongoing commitment. As you integrate accessibility into your teaching, it should become a natural part of course development rather than an afterthought. Regularly review your materials, update them as needed, and seek feedback from students and colleagues to ensure continuous improvement.

Ybarra Evans emphasizes that accessibility is a continuous process, not a destination: "Accessibility is not just a technical requirement, but an ongoing process that requires continuous learning, collaboration, and readily available support."

By embedding accessibility into your everyday workflow, you help build a more inclusive learning environment for all students.

6. Advocate for Institutional Change

While individual efforts are essential, lasting change requires institutional support. Faculty, staff, and administrators must work together to push for policies that prioritize accessibility in course design, technology procurement, and campus-wide initiatives.

Toorongian highlights the importance of administrative buy-in and structured support:

"Getting support from upper administration and appropriate resources is one of the biggest challenges in meeting accessibility compliance requirements."

Advocating for dedicated accessibility training, better resources, and stronger institutional policies will not only make compliance easier but will also foster a more inclusive campus culture. And every step you make towards that goal is one worth celebrating. 

To read more about how you can improve the accessibility of your course, check out our blogs: Where to Start When Designing an Accessible Course and From Challenges to Solutions: Advice for Enhancing Accessibility in the Classroom. 

Jeff Toorongian is the Director of the Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning and the Campus ICT Accessibility Coordinator at Michigan Technological University. As ICT Coordinator, he leads a small team of staff that works diligently to address digital accessibility issues across the campus. This includes continuously monitoring the college’s public web and the thousands of documents posted there as well as the accessibility of content in their Canvas learning management system. He provides training and consultation to staff and instructors on how to remove digital barriers from their content. 

Stacy Ybarra Evans, Ed.D., is the Director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Our Lady of the Lake University. She collaborates with faculty to design accessible course materials and provides professional development on incorporating Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles into their teaching practices.