WCAG: Accessibility is the Next Big EdTech Trend

Now that National Disability Awareness Month has passed and holiday season will soon be approaching, educators will continue to think about better ways to serve all types of stakeholders in their community. The term “all” has come to include those of different socioeconomic backgrounds, racial histories, gender differences, and, increasingly, those with different developmental realities. With a heightened focus on increasing access to education for the disabled population, educators can hope to achieve better educational equity and outcomes.

Whether it be for students, teachers, or otherwise, accessibility as it relates to technology has become important for many different stakeholders. In particular, the federal government (in the form of the Office of Civil Rights, or OCR) has signaled that it would enforce accessibility compliance in technology throughout all schools. This is where the comprehensive set of guidelines known as WCAG comes into play. Education technologists and administrators must be hyper aware of these guidelines in order to ensure equitable access and compliance in their technology initiatives going forward.

What is WCAG?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, is a standard of technical guidelines that was created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in order to foster an open, more accessible internet. The federal government has since adopted these guidelines as its standard for all federal agency websites.

Now, the Department of Education and the Department of Justice will adopt WGAC for public and private school websites as well. The latest WCAG that was published in June 2018 is made of four foundational principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each of these principles are mutually exclusive and are also informed by additional guidelines. The details and guidelines are as follows:

1. Perceivable. Content is made available to the senses (sight, hearing, and/or touch).

• Text alternatives, like audio and video capabilities
• Captions and other alternatives for audio and visual components
• Diverse content presentation within a web or product page
• Features that allow users to see and hear content more easily

2. Operable. User interface components (such as forms, controls, and navigation) do not require actions that a user cannot perform.

• All content is functional via a keyboard
• Users are given enough time within a product to read and use content
• No seizure-inducing content or content provoking physical reactions
• Alternative inputs other than a keyboard, like voice-initiated commands

3. Understandable. Web content and user interface is easy to comprehend.

• Text is readable and understandable
• Content appears and is operated in predictable ways
• Users are supported in such a way to avoid and correct mistakes as they navigate through the technology

4. Robust. Content can be used through a large diversity of entry points to accommodate technological advances.

• Optimize compatibility with current and future use tools, like incorporating assistive technologies for the disabled into the product

For each of the twelve guidelines above, there is a three-level rating system: A, AA, and AAA. Level A means the technology has met the minimum level of success criteria, while AA and AAA are additional levels above for enhancements for disabled users. More specifics on this rating system can be found here.

Why does it matter?

There is a great deal to keep track of with the new updates to WCAG. More importantly, the Department of Education’s adoption of these guidelines signals a serious effort to push districts and schools to have better accessibility practices for hearing- and seeing-impaired students, teachers, and administrators.

The Department’s WCAG adoption also means a follow-through enforcement in the coming months and years. They will make sure that schools and districts comply, thus determining that all of the technology solutions purchased on a one-time or recurring basis must also clearly fit within the accessibility standards detailed within WCAG. It will be even more imperative that all school-related technology, especially student-facing tools and services, are compliant with the accessibility guidelines detailed above. In a potential future, compliance could affect federal and state funding in the form of technology grants and budget approvals.

Beyond meeting compliance standards for the reasons detailed, the simple heightened awareness of WCAG will increase the access to educational technology across all types of student, teacher, and administrative populations. The true aspiration of WCAG is to make all technology more accessible on a global scale, which is a worthwhile end-state to pursue on any level.

How can one tell if a solution is actually WCAG-compliant?

It is admittedly not easy to figure out whether certain technologies are WCAG compliant unless otherwise stated within the product or website. It has become increasingly important for technology companies, not just education-related ones, to be clear about the accessibility features in their products. Established companies like Google, Apple, and Facebook have won several design awards and distinct recognition regarding their tried-and-true efforts to make their products accessible to all. They have all had to invest considerable time, energy, and resources to developing world-class accessibility features as well. It will take a similar effort to provide equitable access to technology in all education settings.

Accessibility in technology is broadly an equity and access issue from an educational reform perspective. However, the implementation of accessibility has become a key technological imperative in educational technology products. It will be important to see how access to education continues to increase as the implementation of technology touches the lives of more and more diverse populations of stakeholders.

Have feedback or thoughts on this article? As a former educator turned technologist, I am passionate about managing products for technology organizations that seek to empower their users to achieve more. Feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or leave a comment below to continue the discussion.