Why Accessibility Compliance (ADA, WCAG) is Non-Negotiable for K12 Digital Content and How to Achieve?

The impact of technology in education has been immense, and digital content is integral to the K12 educational ecosystem. Schools have predominantly used eBooks, interactive videos, online assignments, and digital tools, especially after the pandemic. As blended and remote learning models assume significance, educators increasingly rely on digital resources for an engaging learning experience. 

Research studies have demonstrated that 60% of students felt digital technologies improved their grades. While digital tools improve learning, they can inadvertently exclude students with disabilities if not designed with digital accessibility.  

As K12 education evolves, ensuring accessibility compliance is a moral and legal requirement for inclusive education. A WCAG 2.1-compliant comprehensive digital textbook platform like KITABOO helps this cause. 

In this post, we learn more about the importance of ADA compliance, WCAG standards, and strategies for achieving accessibility in education.

Table of Contents

I. What is Accessibility Compliance?

1. What is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Compliance?
2. What are WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) Standards?

II. Benefits of Achieving Digital Accessibility

1. Enhanced Learning Outcomes 
2. Supports Educators and StakeHolders 

III. Strategies to Achieve Accessibility Compliance

1. Build an Accessibility Roadmap
2. Regular Audits
3. Training Faculty and Staff
4. Work with Accessibility Experts

IV. Conclusion

Accessibility compliance involves designing digital content and platforms that allow all people and those with disabilities easy access. According to WHO, an estimated 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, are disabled, making accessibility compliance crucial. When websites are inaccessible, the web content does not effectively reach people with disabilities. 

Digital accessibility should be mandatory for all students, irrespective of their physical, sensory, or cognitive potential. Educational institutions strive hard to ensure ADA and WCAG standard-compliant accessible educational materials.  

The ADA is a civil rights law enacted in 1990 to prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities in all government and private sector organizations, including K12 and higher education. 

Title II of the ADA, issued on April 24, 2024, established that no disabled qualified person should be excluded from participating or benefiting from the public activities provided. According to the rule, all web content and mobile app service providers should comply with WCAG standards. KITABOO, a high-scale digital textbook platform offers WCAG-compliant material and ensures accessibility in education. 

The World Wide Web Consortium is responsible for developing, updating, and maintaining WCAG to ensure that guidelines remain relevant and effective in response to evolving technologies and user needs. WCAG 2.2, an extension of WCAG 2.0 and 2.1 provides web content accessibility guidelines for organizations and individuals.

WCAG has four basic principles-

• Perceivable: Ensuring data can be sensed through sight, sound, or touch.
• Operable: Ensuring that assistive technologies and devices can be used to navigate the online platform.
• Understandable-Content should be presented in a clear and easy-to-read manner
• Robust: Compliance with existing and future assistive technologies

Compliance with WCAG standards can be measured using three levels. 

• A: The basic accessibility level
• AA: The recommended level for most websites.
• AAA: The highest standard for inclusivity.

Read on to learn more about the differences between ADA and WCGA standards.

Accessibility compliance guarantees that all students, including those with disabilities, learn, engage, and succeed. With digital accessibility, schools can unlock numerous advantages.

• Non-compliance with digital accessibility can result in significant legal consequences, costly lawsuits, and reputational damage. 
• Accessibility compliance reflects a school’s commitment to inclusivity and educational accessibility.
• Schools with accessibility compliance can integrate emerging technologies and comply with future regulatory updates.

Accessible educational materials in K12 education enable disabled students to have equal access to academic resources in various formats.

For instance, students with visual impairments can use screen readers, while those with hearing issues benefit from video transcripts. This flexibility improves learning outcomes, engagement, and comprehension, which boosts academic achievement.

Accessible educational materials include well-structured, intuitive interfaces facilitating easy lesson delivery and student progress monitoring. It equips staff with the knowledge and skills to establish inclusive academic environments. This includes developing compassion and practical strategies for supporting diverse learners. 

KITABOO’s digital textbook platforms ensure seamless tools to monitor and analyze student performance with comprehensive analytics. The cloud-based digital textbook platform can generate instant assessments and integrate with popular Learning Management Systems (LMS) for streamlined course delivery.

Ensuring accessibility compliance for K12 digital content involves implementing proactive strategies, ongoing maintenance, and collaboration with key stakeholders. Here are some effective approaches.

Educational institutions can create a structured accessibility roadmap to ensure equal accessibility in education for students with disabilities. Establishing clear accessibility goals involving stakeholders is essential for building the roadmap.

An accessibility audit determines the digital accessibility levels of your website, learning management system, and instructional materials. The audit provides a comprehensive report addressing the accessibility issues and the changes to be implemented for accessibility compliance. 

Disability Support Services can provide ongoing faculty training to achieve accessibility compliance. Educators are equipped with knowledge and tools to understand the diverse needs of students with disabilities.  

Increased sensitivity to accessibility compliance and building support networks for faculty/students create an inclusive environment and ensure legal compliance.

Collaborate with a specialist in accessibility testing and audits if you are unclear about achieving digital accessibility in your educational institutions. The experts ensure your website, learning materials, and learning management systems are accessibility compliant. 

Schools are realizing that accessibility compliance is a vital tool for better inclusive learning. As technology continues to shape the educational landscape, accessibility compliance is a top priority. 

Creating accessible digital content that is ADA and WCAG-standard-compliant in educational institutions will ensure that disabled students have equal opportunities to excel and achieve their potential. 

KITABOO is specifically designed for K12 education and is used in 30+ countries. Our digital textbook platform eases the educational institution’s onboarding process and aids the effective distribution of digital textbooks to teachers and students. Give us a call to learn more.

Also Check:

1. K12 Publishers
2. Associations & Societies
3. Trade Publishers
4. Training Companies
5. Content Aggregators