Imagine this scenario: a student in your class is reviewing lecture materials late at night while their roommates sleep. They rely on closed captions because headphones are unavailable. Meanwhile, another student, who is hard of hearing, uses the same captions to follow along. This is accessibility in action—not just a necessity for students with disabilities but an indispensable tool that benefits everyone in the classroom. As the ADA Title II web accessibility compliance deadline approaches in 2026, instructors and administrators face a pivotal moment to turn a compliance challenge into an opportunity for innovation and equity. Accessibility isn’t just about making materials accessible to a specific group of students. It’s about creating a culture of flexibility, innovation, and inclusivity that elevates everyone's learning experience. By integrating accessibility into teaching practices, educators can not only meet legal requirements but also create an environment where all students thrive. From clearer communication and streamlined workflows to more engaging and usable course materials, accessibility has far-reaching benefits that can transform education for the better. To learn more we spoke with Bryan Libbin, Associate Chief Information Officer, at the University of Illinois Chicago and Ann Fredricksen, Coordinator of Accessible Media Services, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign about how to turn compliance challenges into opportunities. The Big Picture: Accessibility Matters for All Students The ADA Title II regulation measures compliance against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). It is easy to get overwhelmed when scrolling through those guidelines, so it is important to take a step back to understand the “why” behind this essential directive. According to Libbin, “Accessibility is not just about accessible content and screen readers… It is about the flexibility to meet all students’ needs regardless of the specific issue.”  While WCAG was released to primarily support people with disabilities in order to make web content more accessible, the benefits extend to all students. Some accessibility features, like closed captions, transcripts, text-to-speech, adjustable font sizes, adjustable playback speeds, and screen magnification, are used by many students. At this pivotal moment, you have the opportunity to redefine the culture around accessibility on your campus for your colleagues and students. By inviting accessibility best practices into your current workflows and course design processes, you will help create more equitable learning experiences.  Start Small & Build Momentum It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when scrolling through the WCAG guidelines, but accessibility doesn’t have to happen all at once. Keeping the big picture in mind can help you to break accessibility best practices into manageable chunks. Fredricksen explains “You don’t eat an elephant in one bite. Start with new content you are creating, and make that accessible.”  Fredricksen shared that you can begin by remediating new or frequently used materials. This could mean checking your syllabi and lecture slides to ensure that they meet accessibility standards. Over time, this practice can expand to older materials, prioritizing those that students use most. A good place to start is by asking yourself what your current students need to be successful and how you can provide a learning environment that accounts for those needs. You may find that some of the building blocks are already in place. If you need support with getting started, consult the accessibility experts at your institution or check out this recent blog post that provides some ideas about where to start when designing an accessible course. By gradually incorporating accessibility best practices into your materials, you will overcome the trickiest part of accessibility: getting started.  Tools & Trainings In order to meet the April 2026 deadline, colleges and universities across the United States will need to prioritize. Accessibility is a shared responsibility that thrives on continuous education and collaboration. Proper training and awareness of accessible tools are critical to success. Fredricksen shared, “Programs have built-in functions that will allow [instructors] to meet their needs as well as be accessible. [Instructors] just need the time and opportunity to learn.” There are a number of accessibility trainings to help you get started:  Texthelp webinars feature insights from industry experts and cover various topics relevant to educators aiming to enhance accessibility in their teaching practices. Level Access webinars focus on digital accessibility compliance and best practices.  Deque offers an extensive curriculum of self-guided online courses. If you have a disability, you qualify for free access to the full curriculum courses. Additionally, fostering a culture of curiosity can amplify efforts. According to Libbin: “I work hard to inspire [my team] to go out and research… and challenge what they bring back until we find the right fit for our university.” Training works best when supported by accessibility professionals like those on Fredricksen and Libbin’s teams. Partnering with experts and following up-to-date accessibility protocols are key to driving meaningful, lasting change.  Building an Accessible Future Accessibility improvements today can create lasting, systemic change in education. Fredricksen shares an optimistic and hopeful outlook for the future of accessibility: “If professors learn how to make things accessible in response to Title II changes, they might get into a habit of making other things accessible… This can trickle down to their students.” Incorporating accessibility best practices into materials and actively teaching and encouraging your students to utilize those techniques fosters a culture of inclusivity for future generations.  By viewing accessibility as an evolving journey rather than a daunting tickbox, instructors can create more inclusive learning environments. With the right tools, training, and mindset, educators can turn compliance challenges into opportunities for innovation and equity, benefiting not just their students, but the broader educational community. Ann Fredricksen is the Coordinator of Accessible Media Services in the Disability Resources and Educational Services at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She ensures course content is accessible for students registered with Disability Resources and Educational Services as well as advises the University of Illinois at large on accessibility best practices. Bryan Libbin is the Associate Chief Information Officer of Academic Technology and Learning Innovation at the University of Illinois Chicago. Bryan’s team oversees the integration of LTIs and applications into their LMS and Teaching and Learning Ecosystem. His team vets applications for WCAG compliance and works with vendors on application remediation.  ... View more

Big changes are happening in the accessibility world, and with it comes big benefits to students. The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently finalized a groundbreaking rule that sets clear and actionable standards for making web content and mobile apps more inclusive for all students. This is a welcome change, and we at Macmillan Learning have been preparing for it for quite some time. In practical terms, these changes mean that all public colleges and universities, along with other state and local government entities, must now ensure their online platforms are fully accessible to individuals with disabilities. By aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, this new rule offers a clear roadmap for creating digital spaces that welcome and empower everyone.  These updates signal a strong commitment to equity, ensuring that all students, faculty, and community members can engage with public programs and services online. This is a pivotal step forward in building a more inclusive digital future. It’s more than a legal requirement—it’s an opportunity for instructors and colleges to lead with equity and innovation. What are the new changes under Title II of the ADA? Under the updated rule, all state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities, are required to make their web content and mobile applications accessible to people with disabilities. In practical terms, this means complying with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA standards. Why are there concerns about the new guidelines? While the changes aim to enhance accessibility and inclusivity, the implementation process poses concerns and challenges for colleges, particularly in terms of resource allocation and the tight compliance timelines of 2-3 years, depending on population size. Some colleges are worried about the logistical and financial challenges of updating vast amounts of content hosted on a variety of platforms to meet these standards. Also, the new regulations require significant technical expertise and resources, which may be challenging for institutions to allocate, especially smaller colleges.  What does WCAG 2.1, Level AA compliance entail? WCAG 2.1, Level AA compliance includes (but isn’t limited to) the following criteria: Text alternatives: Provide descriptions for non-text content like images or charts. Multimedia Accessibility: Include captions and audio descriptions for videos. Adaptability: Content should be presented / displayed in multiple formats without losing information, structure or meaning. Ease of Use: Enhance readability to make it easier for users to see and hear content, including good contrast and separating foreground from background. Keyboard Navigation: All functionality should be available from a keyboard and other assistive technology. User-Friendly Navigation: There should be clear labels, headings and navigation aids as well as different ways to help users find content, and determine where they are. What specific web content needs to be updated? There are very limited exceptions within the Title II update. Colleges will need to update the following web content to meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards: Institutional Websites: All public-facing web pages, including admissions, course catalogs, and student services. Learning Management Systems (LMS): Platforms like Blackboard, Canvas, or Moodle must be fully accessible. Course Materials: Syllabi, lecture notes, assignments, and any other materials should be uploaded to the LMS. Multimedia Content: Videos must include captions and audio descriptions. Interactive Tools: Online forms, surveys, and other interactive tools must be accessible. Are Macmillan Learning’s products WCAG, 2.1, Level AA compliant? Our digital textbooks are accessible. They provide text-to-speech functionality, are compatible with screen readers, include text alternatives, have good contrast, and more. While printed materials themselves are not subject to digital accessibility standards, we work closely with colleges to provide accessible alternatives upon request, such as digital versions that comply with WCAG standards and are compatible with Braille devices. Achieve and iClicker meet WCAG 2.1 standards with some exceptions. We outline these exceptions in our VPAT and are happy to meet with schools to discuss how these exceptions will impact the student experience, the accommodations we can provide, and our roadmap for making fixes.  Is Macmillan Learning ready for the Title II update? Yes. Accessibility is not new to us. Macmillan Learning was the first higher education company to become Global Certified Accessible by Benetech -- a standard we renew every year -- to ensure that all students are able to use our eBooks. In 2020, our commitment to accessibility resulted in winning the Accessible Book Consortium’s International Excellence Award for Accessible Publishing. We’re staying ahead of the curve with materials that are not only compliant with current standards but also designed to adapt to future accessibility requirements. Our platforms and content are improving every day. How long do colleges have to implement Title II changes? The compliance timeline varies based on the size of the governing jurisdiction. Large public entities must comply within two years, while smaller entities have three years. The Macmillan Learning accessibility team is happy to meet with schools to discuss how our product roadmaps fit within these timelines and our continued efforts to support students.  What are the best practices for conducting internal audits to ensure ongoing compliance? Conducting regular audits can ensure ongoing compliance. Here are a few tips: Use accessibility tools to scan websites and flag issues. Partner with IT and instructional design teams to review LMS content. Regularly update VPATs (Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates) for third-party tools. Gather feedback from users with disabilities to identify barriers. Does this impact OER? OER materials, like digital textbooks, videos, and interactive tools, will need to meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards to comply with Title II. Institutions using OER must ensure the resources are accessible to all students, including those with disabilities. In practical terms, this means providing text alternatives for images, graphs, and other non-text elements. It also means adding captions and transcripts to multimedia content like videos and audio files. OER platforms should also support keyboard navigation and assistive technologies like screen readers. Non-compliance with accessibility standards could unintentionally exclude students with disabilities. To avoid this, instructors may want to learn accessibility best practices for creating new resources and use accessibility checkers or tools to audit materials before publishing them. How does Title II address the use of emerging technologies like AI? The updated guidelines don’t explicitly address AI, but compliance applies to any technology that facilitates learning or public services. Institutions using AI tools must ensure features like auto-captioning, predictive text, and adaptive learning platforms meet accessibility standards. Where can I find more information and resources on these changes? DOJ Guidance: The Department of Justice website provides detailed guidance on the new rule and compliance requirements. WCAG Standards: Detailed information on WCAG 2.1 standards can be found on the W3C website. ADA.gov Fact Sheet on Web Content and Mobile Apps: A great starting point for understanding the broad requirements and specific compliance details. Accessible.org’s Guide on the New ADA Title II Rule: This highlights specific standards that need to be met and the exceptions for certain types of content. It offers practical advice on conducting accessibility audits and preparing for compliance. ... View more

For many students, accessibility is not a nice-to-have, but a need-to-have for their learning journey. And that shouldn’t be a journey students have to embark on alone. Macmillan Learning has long invested in tools and services that make learning more accessible for all learners, regularly sharing best practices, including with publicly available checklists and guidelines. The upcoming “Accessibility in Action” panel on March 7 at SXSW EDU brings together industry leaders for an important conversation on the accessibility journey including Macmillan Learning Senior Director of Accessibility Outreach and Communication, Rachel Comerford; Anaya Jones, Elearning Librarian & Assistant Professor at Southern New Hampshire University; Southeastern Oklahoma State University student Madison Saunders; and Benete ch Account Manager Ashley Wells Ajinkya. Ahead of the panel, our team spoke with Rachel Comerford about her role, what accessibility means in education, and important advancements that are being made. What does it mean to have "accessible" learning materials? There are two sides to making something accessible - meeting the requirements outlined by standards like WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and meeting the needs of users.  Guidelines are important for establishing a consistent experience for students and in making materials work across the many platforms that students use. Assistive technology does a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to introducing variation in how educational content is displayed on a screen or delivered, but it can only do that work if the appropriate accessibility standards are met. The user experience, however, is more nuanced. Learning scientists discover more every day about how students learn and how unique the learning experience is. This goes for all students - checking off the accessibility to-do list is a great starting point, but every student is different and may need materials in different formats or styles. This is where flexibility plays a part in educational design. Making accessible learning materials also means being willing to re-make them according to user need. It’s in this spirit that Macmillan Learning offers alternative formats for all of its learning materials for students with disabilities. Macmillan Learning became the first publishing firm to be "global certified accessible" in 2019. What, in practical terms, does that mean? For Macmillan Learning, as it will be for most publishers participating in the certification program, this meant revisiting our eBook publishing workflow from the ground up. The first step was enormous; we made a format switch from PDF to EPUB3, which is widely considered to be a more accessible eBook format. From there, we made incremental improvements from adding alternative text to every image, to establishing accessible design templates, to tweaking our code until it reflected the best practices in the industry. We were supported on the journey by our partners at Benetech, who went through countless reviews with us to highlight challenges. We also worked with Tech for All, who trained employees and authored support documentation throughout the process, along with various industry organizations who have helped us create, maintain, and communicate these standards. We are very proud of the accomplishments we have made, but we also recognize that this is a journey that is ongoing. What do you consider to be some of the most important advancements in moving forward accessibility? People are the driving force behind accessibility. We are at a time where there's unprecedented awareness of the need for accessibility worldwide, which has led to widespread knowledge of the techniques necessary to make content accessible. Standards like WCAG and EPUB A11Y, certification programs, and an infrastructure of organizations, documentation, and training makes it easier than ever before to find out what still needs to be accomplished. How has the pandemic-induced shift to digital and remote learning impacted students that need accomodations? There were pros and cons to the sudden switch to remote learning. In a sense, the change was incredibly helpful to students in need of accommodations. Suddenly, students with chronic illness, pain, fatigue, and mobility issues had access to their ‘classroom’ when and where they needed it. And for many of these students, it worked. There was a downside as well though. When digital materials weren’t born accessible, students faced long waits from understaffed disability services offices for alternative formats. As the pandemic wore on, we saw an increased investment from procurement offices at universities in adopting accessible materials, which in turn led to students with disabilities getting the materials they needed at the same time as their peers and relief for accessibility offices.    What's something that would be surprising about accessibility in education? It’s disappointing that we still hear from some professors that students with disabilities are not “their” students. Educators need to understand that there are students with disabilities in their classrooms, either in-person or virtual. Refusing to consider these students when choosing educational materials, however, will delay or halt these students’ studies. This cannot be a chicken or egg argument: if we create an inaccessible environment for all students, then some students will be unable to complete their studies, and in the long run, society misses out on the valuable contributions these students might make in their fields. Every educator has the chance to make a difference for every student. It starts with them. The SXSW EDU Accessibility in Action panel  is scheduled for Monday, March 7, 2022 from 3:30pm-4:30pm CT. It will provide context from various stakeholders about what goes into making an eBook, a textbook, or other course materials fully accessible.  ... View more

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 11% of undergraduate students reported having a learning disability. As a company whose mission is to improve lives through learning for all students, that data is hard to ignore. So today, on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), we celebrate the many accomplishments on our products and within our company framework that have taken place over the past year. Here are a few: For the third consecutive year we were recognized as Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. This means that we provide “born accessible” digital learning options that ensure that all students, no matter their ability, have the same access to information. Benetech re-evaluated Macmillan Learning’s workflow for creating accessible books, as well as many samples of content across disciplines, and certified our conformance to the accessible EPUB creation guidelines, which are based on WCAG 2.0 AA+ standards put in place by the international standards organizations and the publishing community. We had some big wins for accessibility on our new digital learning platform, Achieve, including adding audio descriptions to all videos. This allows students with visual impairments better understand what’s happening in the video. Similar to how closed captioning helps students to understand what’s happening on the audio in a video program, an audio description is essential to understanding visual information like charts, graphs, diagrams, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues. In addition to bringing our content more in line with WCAG, it reflects the accessible environment students have become used to on sites like Netflix. Lab simulations also became significantly more accessible for chemistry; biology; and general, organic, and biochemistry classes. Our third party auditors, Tech for All, described the labs as fun to use for assistive technology users. They include an accessible ebook, an easily navigable lab environment We continue to share best practices about our work in accessibility. Our Content Standards and Accessibility team, led by Rachel Comerford, has presented on more than a half dozen panels over the past year sharing what we have learned about accessible ebooks, incorporating accessibility into workflows, and alt text best practices. Macmillan Learning’s accessibility website is also regularly updated with best practices as well as an open source library of materials that were created in partnership with Tech For All. “We continue to share best practices about our work in accessibility because we want to advance the industry, not just ourselves,” said Macmillan Learning President Susan Winslow. We’ve changed the way we hire employees with disabilities by making it even easier for them to request an accommodation. When you click on “view current job openings” on our careers page, we have an accessibility note at the top of the page offering contact information to request an appropriate accommodation. In addition, we’ve taken some extra steps to make sure that our candidates are aware of their accommodation options by adding in a note in all of our scheduling emails and email confirmations. Susan Winslow explains, “These are the kinds of advances we can make when we put our collective minds to approaching accessibility not just as a series of requirements to meet, but rather as interesting and important problems to solve.” For more information about our accessibility, visit the dedicated page on our website. ... View more

People watching has become my favorite pastime during the pandemic. I watch out my window while a woman does yoga on her rooftop. Down below on the street there are bike riders, street cleaners, essential workers commuting, and morning runners. From my perch, I can make stories for each of them based on what I see. But what about what I can’t see? Does the woman doing yoga have a new heart? Does that runner have Crohn’s Disease? Is that nurse headed to work dyslexic? Too often, when people think about disabilities, they imagine individuals in wheelchairs, or a person with a guide dog … and while some disabilities are visible, many are not. These are invisible disabilities, which the Invisible Disabilities Association defines as “a physical, mental or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside, yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities.” And if we are not careful, they can limit a person’s educational opportunities. According to the National Service And Inclusion Project, among all people with disabilities of working age (29.4 million), 52% are employed. An accessible education is not the only change needed but it’s one important step in helping to increase that number. Because disabilities are not always visible, it can be a challenge to create assignments and workloads that support all students. It’s an especially challenging time during COVID, where much of learning is taking place remotely. We put together some tips to help instructors support accessibility and all student learning, including those with disabilities they may not be able to see. Tip One: Sometimes, students with invisible disabilities are perceived as lacking in intelligence, not paying attention, or even lazy. While some students will choose to disclose a disability to instructors, many will not. And, even if your student does share that they have a disability, they are not required to give you the details. Assuming that a student that isn’t achieving with the existing course structure is anything but doing their best is a dangerous path to go down. Work with these students to identify the points where they are struggling. It’s possible that being easily distracted or frequent bathroom trips might mean that they need extra time on tests. Chronic pain or fatigue may mean that a student needs extra time to turn over assignments or opportunities to use alternative formats. In Macmillan Learning’s course platform, Achieve, instructors can create student exceptions for assignment deadlines. Tip Two: Find course materials that all students can use. For example, Macmillan Learning produces e-books in EPUB3 format and include accessibility metadata, short and long alt text, clear structure and organization, and a variety of navigation methods including page and heading navigation. The e-books reflow and respond to magnification, so the text is readable at 200% magnification. We also prioritize keyboard navigation and reading order in our e-book development. Macmillan Learning has a policy that allows 10 pages to be printed at a time and the copy/pasting of 2 pages at a time. And of course, beginning in 2019, all our e-books are Global Certified Accessible by Benetech. Bringing products that are already accessible to your class gives students the chance to be successful from the onset and allows them to make the personalizations they need to be successful. Tip Three: If you’re creating materials and documents for your class or sourcing open educational resources, make sure they are accessible before you post them. Here’s a checklist to help you make accessible documents. We also have free checklists for .pdfs and slides on our Accessibility page on our website. Remember that accessibility is about more than passing the automated checkers that you can find in these tools. Try to limit the quantity of information you provide on slides - packing a single slide with information can be overwhelming for students. Could that pdf be a word document? Students can resize text, change the amount of information on each page, and resize images in a word doc in ways they can’t without an expensive editor in pdf. Tip Four: Are your students no longer in your classroom? Consider how Universal Design could help enable teaching and learning. Reading from the text is a helpful learning experience for some students but can you present the information in the textbook in additional, alternative formats? Consider integrating an online lab experience so students can have a more hands on interaction with the materials or integrating interactives that focus on important concepts.  Recently, I was sent the definition of disability used by We Need Diverse Books: “We subscribe to a broad definition of disability, which includes but is not limited to physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities, chronic conditions, and mental illnesses (this may also include addiction). Furthermore, we subscribe to a social model of disability, which presents disability as created by barriers in the social environment, due to lack of equal access, stereotyping, and other forms of marginalization.” The reason this definition resonates with me is because it includes not only what disability is but also how we can, unintentionally, create an ableist environment. Building, buying, and implementing accessible environments for students is important to their future whether they are continuing to more schooling or entering the workforce. At Macmillan Learning, we take our commitment to providing accessible materials seriously. If you’d like to learn more about accessibility visit the Accessibility page on our website. We also encourage feedback from students and instructors on what we can do to improve and welcome any feedback about our resources or suggestions about future resources at webaccessibility@macmillan.com. ... View more