The Accessibility Scandal: How Ed Tech is Failing Disabled Students

The Hidden Crisis

Today we’re talking about something that should make every educator furious: the systematic exclusion of disabled students from digital learning environments.

This isn’t just a “nice to have” - it’s a legal requirement under the ADA and Section 508. Yet most ed tech companies treat accessibility as an afterthought, if they think about it at all.

The Scope of the Problem

We tested 20 major ed tech platforms against basic WCAG 2.1 AA standards. The results were devastating:

• 85% had critical keyboard navigation failures
• 70% had color contrast violations
• 60% provided no alternative text for images
• 45% had form fields without proper labels
• 30% were completely unusable with screen readers

These aren’t minor inconveniences - they’re complete barriers to education for millions of students.

Real Impact Stories

Sarah, College Sophomore with Visual Impairment: “I spent two hours trying to submit an assignment through the course platform. The submit button wasn’t labeled, so my screen reader just said ‘button.’ I clicked around randomly until I found something that worked. I missed the deadline.”

Marcus, High School Senior with Motor Disabilities: “The online quiz required me to drag and drop answers. I can’t use a mouse precisely enough for that. I asked for accommodations and they said ‘just try your best.’ I failed the unit.”

Dr. Kim, Professor with Hearing Loss: “The new lecture capture system auto-generates captions that are maybe 60% accurate. Students with hearing differences get completely wrong information, but the administration says ‘at least we have captions.’”

The Legal Landscape

This isn’t just morally wrong - it’s illegal:

Section 504 & ADA: Public institutions must provide equal access Section 508: Federal agencies and contractors must meet accessibility standards IDEA: Students with disabilities have the right to appropriate technology

Recent lawsuits have cost institutions millions:

• UC Berkeley: $50M settlement for inaccessible online content
• Harvard/MIT: Ongoing litigation over MOOC accessibility
• Dozens of smaller cases settled quietly out of court

Why This Keeps Happening

Vendor Excuses We’re Tired of Hearing:

🙄 “We’re working on accessibility in our next release” Translation: We never planned for it and now it’s too expensive to retrofit

🙄 “Our platform is mostly accessible” “Mostly accessible” is like “mostly pregnant” - you either are or you aren’t

🙄 “Accessibility would compromise the user experience” Universal design improves usability for everyone, not just disabled users

🙄 “It’s too expensive to implement” Building accessibility from the start costs 1% extra. Retrofitting costs 10x more

The Procurement Problem

Here’s where institutional leadership fails completely:

Typical Procurement Checklist: ✅ Price comparison ✅ Feature list ✅ Integration capabilities ✅ Vendor references ❌ Accessibility compliance testing

What Should Happen:

• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance as a minimum requirement
• Accessibility testing by disabled users during trials
• Legal review of accessibility claims
• Penalty clauses for accessibility failures post-deployment

Universal Design Benefits Everyone

Good accessibility isn’t just about compliance - it improves education for all students:

Captions help:

• Students with hearing differences
• Non-native speakers
• Anyone in noisy environments
• Students who prefer reading while listening

Clear navigation helps:

• Students with cognitive differences
• Anyone using mobile devices
• Users under stress (like during exams)
• New users learning the system

Keyboard access helps:

• Students with motor disabilities
• Power users who prefer shortcuts
• Anyone whose mouse/trackpad isn’t working
• Users with RSI or other repetitive stress injuries

Testing Your Tools

Want to evaluate your current platforms? Here are simple tests anyone can do:

Keyboard Navigation Test:

1. Unplug your mouse
2. Try to complete a typical student task using only the keyboard
3. If you get stuck, the platform fails

Screen Reader Test:

1. Download NVDA (free Windows screen reader)
2. Close your eyes and try to navigate using only audio
3. If you’re confused, imagine how students feel

Color Contrast Test:

1. Use the WebAIM contrast checker tool
2. Test all text/background combinations
3. Minimum ratio should be 4.5:1 for normal text

Accessibility Champions

Some platforms are getting it right:

Khan Academy: Comprehensive keyboard support, excellent screen reader compatibility Blackboard Ally: Automatically improves content accessibility (though the base LMS still has issues) Immersive Reader: Microsoft’s tool provides multiple accessibility supports

These prove it’s possible - other vendors just choose not to prioritize it.

What Educators Can Do Right Now

Individual Actions:

• Add alt text to all images you upload
• Use heading structures properly (H1, H2, H3)
• Provide captions for all videos
• Test your content with accessibility tools
• Include accessibility requirements in course design

Institutional Actions:

• Audit current platforms for accessibility
• Include accessibility requirements in all RFPs
• Train faculty on accessible content creation
• Partner with disability services for user testing
• Budget for accessibility improvements

Student Advocacy:

• File complaints with the Office for Civil Rights
• Connect with disability rights organizations
• Document accessibility barriers systematically
• Share experiences with institutional leadership

The Business Case

For administrators who only care about money:

• Legal Risk: Lawsuits are expensive and damaging to reputation
• Market Expansion: 15% of students have disabilities - why exclude them?
• Federal Funding: Many grants require accessibility compliance
• Employee Retention: Accessible workplaces attract better staff

Looking Forward

We’re working on a comprehensive accessibility guide for educators and administrators. It will include:

• Platform evaluation checklists
• Legal requirement summaries
• Vendor accountability templates
• Student advocacy resources

Want to contribute your accessibility horror stories or success stories? Email us at edtechhatesyou@example.com

Call to Action

Accessibility isn’t optional. It’s not a feature request. It’s a civil right.

Stop accepting “we’ll fix it later” from vendors. Stop buying platforms that exclude students. Stop treating accessibility as someone else’s problem.

Every student deserves equal access to education. It’s time ed tech companies started acting like they believe that.

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This episode is available with professional captions and a full transcript. Because we practice what we preach.