Digital accessibility in studies and teaching

Digital accessibility is a key element in enabling students with disabilities to participate in an inclusive study environment. Universities, in particular, are obligated to establish accessible structures or, at a minimum, to ensure equal access to higher education through reasonable accommodations.
Digital accessibility is essential for people who are blind, deaf, or have other sensory or reading impairments (due to motor impairments, physical illnesses, or mental health conditions) to participate on an equal basis. In addition, digital accessibility is beneficial when using mobile devices, with limited internet connections, in poor lighting conditions, in noisy environments, and for people with a different mother tongue.

Overall, accessible resources are characterized by a logical layout and thus a clear structure, so that ultimately everyone benefits from accessible systems. It is significantly easier to incorporate accessibility directly during the creation of digital content than to retrofit non-accessible content afterward.

But what does this mean in the context of teaching and learning? In addition to the university’s website, the most relevant elements are e-learning platforms, exam software, course and exam materials, and the student management system. Furthermore, accessible access to course materials is essential.

The “HessenHub” digital higher education teaching network publishes short posts on implementing digital accessibility in higher education under the title Think Accessible!.

You can also get a short overview about digital accessibility in our explanatory video.