Webinar: Why Digital Accessibility is Essential in Higher Education

George Heake, Accessible Web’s Director of Accessibility and Outreach, will be speaking at a Campus Consortiums Edtalk on Tuesday, April 27th, at 2:00 PM EST. This webinar segment will focus on why accessibility matters in higher education. Online learning has become prevalent during the pandemic and institutions have been under fire for not ensuring the same access for all students. Moving forward as the landscape of digital education evolves accessibility must be a key feature. 

Universities have faced backlash for not having accessible online platforms for students previously. However, as the Covid-19 pandemic had forced many universities to move online, accessibility lawsuits have ramped up. Around a fifth of all college-aged students have a disability that may require accessible online platforms. Under Section 504, all students must have access to the same educational experience if a university receives federal funding. 
Institutions receiving federal funding without accessible digital platforms may receive an OCR demand and face lawsuits. While left unchecked in previous years, these demands are increasing in frequency. It is beneficial for institutions to act proactively and focus on becoming accessible before finding themselves facing one of these letters. Not only will institutions acting proactively find themselves avoiding lawsuit settlement costs, but able to plan their route to accessibility in a sustainable manner.

Join Accessible Web’s George Heake as he dives into this and more in the Campus Consortium Edtalk. Visit the Campus Consortium website to register for the Edtalk and learn more about accessibility in higher education.