Bridging the Digital Accessibility Gap for Faculty
Stronger government regulations and evolving accessibility standards are reshaping higher education. But the real measure of inclusion and equity begins in the classroom. The choices faculty make about course materials, assignments, and digital learning environments determine whether students can participate easily and equitably.
Findings from Anthology’s (Blackboard) 2025 Faculty Survey of 2,508 actively teaching faculty across the United States reveal a clear disconnect between what faculty believe about accessibility and what they believe they are capable of doing. While the vast majority of faculty care deeply about equitable access, only 11% said they feel they have the right tools and training to create accessible course content.
Anthology’s white paper, The Accessibility Gap: Why Faculty Struggle and How Institutions Can Help, explores these challenges in depth and outlines practical steps institutions can take to close the accessibility gap.
The Barriers Faculty Face
Faculty overwhelmingly recognize the value of accessibility. In the survey, 76% agreed that accessible content improves outcomes, with 26% saying “yes, significantly” and 50% saying “yes, to some extent.” Yet many lack the knowledge or resources to apply accessibility best practices consistently.
That same understanding is mirrored by government action. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) updated Title II rule now requires that all digital content, services, and platforms used by public institutions meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards by April 2026. However, only 20% of faculty said they were aware of this deadline and what it means.
Confidence also remains low: just 18% of instructors said they felt “very confident” in creating accessible content, while another 52% said they were only “somewhat confident.”
When asked what prevents them from making their materials accessible, faculty identified four key barriers: insufficient training on best practices (29%), time constraints (28%), limited staffing support (25%), and low prioritization of accessibility at the institutional level (18%).
These findings highlight the disconnect between faculty intent, urgency, and institutional support. Instructors want to create equitable learning environments, but without the proper resources, the responsibility can feel unmanageable.
Anthology Ally: Innovation That Empowers
Anthology Ally is a digital accessibility tool designed to help California institutions meet Title II compliance and improve inclusivity. It integrates with learning management systems (LMS) platforms, such as Canvas, Blackboard, Brightspace, and Moodle, to audit content and facilitate remediation.
Ally promotes sustainable progress by combining automated scanning with instructor-led improvements. Features include:
- AI Alt Text Assistant: Suggests descriptions for images and STEM visuals to support faculty.
- Alternative Formats: Automatically converts course materials into audio, HTML, or tagged PDFs for student use.
- PDF Quick Fixes: Allows users to resolve accessibility issues directly within the interface.
- Handwriting Recognition: Uses OCR to identify and convert handwritten content in scanned documents.
- Reporting Dashboards: Tracks accessibility scores and progress at the course, department, and institutional levels.
From Compliance to Culture
Accessibility is not just about meeting federal standards. It is about creating equitable, engaging learning experiences for every student. Faculty care deeply about inclusion, yet many still face barriers, such as limited time, training, and institutional prioritization.
By treating accessibility as a shared cultural value and supporting faculty with the right training, policies, and technology, institutions can achieve lasting progress that benefits both educators and learners.
You can click here to request a demo of Anthology Ally. If you are interested in learning more about leveraging the Foundation of California Community Colleges’ agreement, please contact cbcontracts@foundationccc.org.
