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Auditing Accessibility: A Step-by-Step Guide for Educational Publishing

  • Published on: January 24, 2025
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  • Updated on: January 27, 2025
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  • Reading Time: 6 mins
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Web accessibility is not a choice but a necessity now—for both public and private organizations. Harvard University learned this the hard way. Amongst one of the high-profile cases in web accessibility, the National Association of the Deaf sued MIT and Harvard for failing to provide proper captioning on online courses, violating U.S. accessibility laws.

The lawsuits were settled, with Harvard paying $1.575 million in legal fees, underscoring the high accessibility audit cost of non-compliance. Hence, with growing lawsuits and regulations, the financial risk of non-compliance is a gamble no organization should take.

That’s where auditing accessibility comes into the picture. An accessibility audit helps identify and fix issues that make your digital content hard to use. It checks for compliance with standards (and also saves you from hefty fines) like WCAG and improves the overall experience, making it easier for everyone to navigate.

For publishing, an accessibility audit is key to reaching more people and being more inclusive. By using an audit accessibility checker for your digital content, you can spot issues that might make it harder for users with disabilities to access and fix so they work smoothly on all devices. All of this might sound overwhelming, especially if you’ve never conducted one. So, this guide will help you learn how auditing accessibility on your website or application is a step-by-step process.

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Guide to Audit Accessibility for Your Website or Application

1. Defining Clear Objectives for the Audit with a Future Focus

When auditing accessibility, it’s important to think beyond just fixing immediate issues. Instead of treating accessibility as a one-time task, focus on creating an ongoing process that adapts as your digital content evolves. In fact, accessibility should not just meet compliance at a certain point but should be built into your everyday practices.

Keeping accessibility in mind must remain a constant effort, especially with interactive elements and AI-powered tools.  Speaking of AI, as it becomes more involved in content creation—like adaptive learning tools or gamified assessments—it’s crucial to consider how these technologies affect auditing accessibility. If not designed carefully, AI can unintentionally create barriers, so inclusivity needs to be a key part of how these tools are built.

2. The Shift from WCAG 2.1 to 2.2 and the Rise of AI Accessibility

As accessibility standards evolve, publishers need to be ready for the shift from WCAG 2.1 to the upcoming 2.2 guidelines. These new guidelines are designed to be more inclusive of cognitive disabilities, which will impact how digital content—especially in education—is created and structured. This change is already affecting the way educational materials are designed to ensure they’re more accessible to all users.

As AI tools are used more in education, it’s important to make sure they are accessible. AI tools should include features like alt-text and captions for users with disabilities. It’s also important to check AI systems for biases and auditing accessibility issues, as tools like text-to-speech and auto-generated captions don’t always work well, especially in areas like STEM. Fixing these problems early will help make education more inclusive for everyone.

3. Tools and Methodologies for the Next Generation of Accessibility Auditing

When it comes to auditing accessibility, advanced AI tools like Axe-Core and WAVE are great for identifying basic errors, but they can’t replace human expertise, especially when it comes to more complex content like interactive learning environments or immersive systems. These tools help spot simple issues but often miss deeper accessibility challenges, such as usability for people with cognitive disabilities.

Voice recognition and natural language processing (NLP) are transforming education platforms. These technologies are becoming key features. However, it’s crucial to address accessibility challenges. For instance, search tools may not work well for users with speech impairments. They may also fail those relying on screen readers. Auditing accessibility for these voice-based problems is a step forward.

Another area that often gets overlooked is mobile learning. With more students and educators using mobile devices, it’s crucial to audit mobile content for responsiveness and compatibility with screen readers for multiple device compatibility.

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4.  Identifying Accessibility Barriers in Emerging Digital Tools

As digital tools evolve, so do accessibility challenges. Traditionally, audits focused on static content like PDFs and websites. Now, the focus has shifted. Dynamic and interactive content, such as simulations, virtual labs, and gamified learning, brings new concerns. These complex interactions often struggle to work well with assistive technology. As a result, auditing accessibility must go beyond traditional methods.

Another area that needs attention is the rise of 3D learning environments and VR/AR-based education. These immersive platforms are becoming more common. However, they present new accessibility issues. There’s a growing gap in how they interact with assistive tools. Publishers should start including these platforms in their audits.

5. Adapting Accessibility Strategies to a Rapidly Changing Digital Landscape

Instead of just applying quick fixes to keep up with the fast-changing digital landscape, make accessibility a core part of your digital ecosystem. This ensures it evolves with new tools and technologies. With AI-driven adaptive learning platforms becoming more common, website accessibility audits need to evaluate how these systems deliver personalized learning. They must also ensure consistent accommodations, such as text-to-speech and cognitive support tools, across different methods.

Poorly calibrated AI systems can unintentionally worsen accessibility issues. This is especially true for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Many AI models lack diverse training data. For instance, AI-powered productivity tools may fail to meet the needs of users with disabilities if they aren’t tailored correctly. For complex multimedia content like interactive videos and animations, remediation now calls for advanced strategies. These include auto-generated captions, sign language avatars, and customizable user interfaces that address diverse accessibility needs.

6. Scaling Accessibility Audits with Advanced Tools and Teamwork

As digital learning platforms grow more advanced, auditing accessibility needs to be part of the entire content creation process, not an afterthought. This requires collaboration across teams—technology developers, UX/UI designers, and content strategists must work together to build accessibility into every stage.

Automated testing tools like accessibility audit tools are great for catching surface-level issues. But, they can’t replace the value of human user testing, which captures real-world scenarios and user needs. Balancing these approaches ensures auditing accessibility remains consistent, even as digital platforms become more complex.

7.  Ensuring Accessibility as a Competitive Advantage

By using data and analytics to track how accessible your content is over time, you can identify areas for improvement and see the benefits firsthand. Publishers who take a data-driven approach to auditing accessibility, report higher engagement from students with disabilities and stronger alignment with global standards. Beyond performance, auditing accessibility also enhances your brand’s reputation. In a world where education is shifting to digital-first models, prioritizing inclusivity positions your organization as a leader, earning trust, loyalty, and recognition as a champion for all learners.

Auditing accessibility goes beyond a one-time effort. It’s an ongoing responsibility that should be embedded in every publisher’s content strategy. Making accessibility a priority today will give you greater returns tomorrow. With technologies like AI, VR, and AR changing how we learn and interact, getting accessibility right from the start means your content will be flexible, inclusive, and ready for whatever comes next. When you commit to accessibility, you’re enhancing user experiences and positioning your organization as a leader in innovation and inclusivity—setting the stage for long-term success in a rapidly evolving digital world.

Magic EdTech is committed to helping organizations create inclusive digital learning experiences through expert accessibility solutions. Their team of CPACC and CPWA-certified professionals offers comprehensive web accessibility audit services, ADA compliance audits, design consulting, and remediation services tailored to educational platforms. Let’s work together to create solutions that open doors for every learner, everywhere.

 

FAQs

Blockchain and IoT present both opportunities and challenges for accessibility. Blockchain can provide personalized learning pathways and secure credential verification for students with disabilities. IoT devices can offer adaptive learning environments with real-time accommodations. However, these technologies also introduce new complexity in ensuring universal access and compatibility with assistive technologies.

Psychological accessibility goes beyond technical compliance. Designers must consider cognitive load, emotional engagement, and personalized learning experiences. This includes creating content that reduces anxiety for neurodivergent learners, provides clear cognitive scaffolding, and offers multiple engagement pathways that support different learning styles and cognitive processing capabilities.

Effective accessibility training requires a holistic approach. This involves comprehensive workshops covering technical standards, user experience design, and inclusive thinking. Certification programs like CPACC and CPWA are valuable, but ongoing education, user testing with diverse participants, and creating a culture of empathy are equally crucial for building truly accessible educational platforms.

Successful accessibility integration requires a shift from reactive compliance to proactive design. This involves embedding accessibility experts in product teams, conducting continuous user testing with diverse participants, implementing accessibility checkpoints in each development stage, and creating organizational cultures that prioritize inclusive design as a fundamental product requirement.

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