📚 Chapter 2: Current Challenges in Education Accessibility

"The technology exists to make education accessible to everyone. The challenge is that we haven't agreed on how to work together."

— WIA Standards Initiative

2.1 The Fragmented Landscape

The education technology industry has grown rapidly over the past two decades, with thousands of Learning Management Systems (LMS), content platforms, and assessment tools entering the market. While this growth has brought innovation, it has also created a deeply fragmented accessibility landscape.

2.1.1 LMS Market Fragmentation

Platform Market Share Accessibility Approach Profile Portability
Canvas ~35% WCAG 2.1 AA compliant Proprietary
Moodle ~22% WCAG 2.1 AA targeted Proprietary plugins
Blackboard ~18% WCAG 2.1 AA compliant Proprietary
D2L Brightspace ~10% WCAG 2.1 AA compliant Proprietary
Others ~15% Varies widely None

Key Problem: Each platform implements accessibility differently. A learner's preferences set on Canvas don't transfer to Moodle. Accommodations documented in Blackboard must be reconfigured in D2L.

2.1.2 Content Platform Silos

Beyond LMS platforms, educational content comes from various sources, each with different accessibility standards:

2.2 Technical Barriers

2.2.1 Inconsistent API Implementations

While standards like LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) exist for connecting tools, accessibility-specific data lacks standardization:

// Current state: Each platform defines accessibility differently

// Platform A
{
  "user_preferences": {
    "large_text": true,
    "screen_reader": "JAWS"
  }
}

// Platform B
{
  "accessibility": {
    "font_size": "150%",
    "at_device": "jaws_2024"
  }
}

// Platform C
{
  "a11y_settings": {
    "textScale": 1.5,
    "assistiveTech": ["screen_reader"]
  }
}

// Result: No interoperability between platforms

2.2.2 Assistive Technology Integration Challenges

Assistive technology devices face significant integration hurdles:

AT Type Integration Challenge Impact
Screen Readers Dynamic content often inaccessible Important updates missed
Eye Trackers No standard calibration transfer Recalibrate for each platform
Switch Access Keyboard shortcuts vary by platform Relearn navigation each time
Voice Control Commands not standardized Different vocabulary per platform
BCI Devices Almost no educational platform support Unusable for severely disabled

2.2.3 Mobile Accessibility Gaps

As education increasingly moves to mobile devices, new challenges emerge:

2.3 Administrative Burden

2.3.1 The Accommodation Request Process

Current accommodation processes are manual, slow, and error-prone:

Typical Accommodation Timeline:

Week 1: Student submits documentation
  └── Medical documentation
  └── Previous IEP/504 plans
  └── Self-identification forms

Week 2-3: Review and verification
  └── Disability services reviews documentation
  └── May request additional information
  └── Committee meets to determine accommodations

Week 4: Notification to instructors
  └── Letters sent to each instructor individually
  └── Student must ensure each instructor receives letter
  └── Some instructors never check email

Week 5+: Implementation
  └── Testing center arrangements made per exam
  └── Content alternatives requested (if needed)
  └── Technology accommodations configured

EVERY SEMESTER: Repeat significant portions of this process
EVERY COURSE: Individual coordination required

2.3.2 Disability Services Office Burden

Crisis Point: Many disability services offices are understaffed and overwhelmed. A typical office may serve 1,000+ students with 3-5 staff members, each processing hundreds of accommodation requests per semester.

Common challenges faced by disability services:

2.3.3 Instructor Burden

Instructors face their own challenges:

2.4 Economic Impact

2.4.1 Costs of Inaccessibility

Stakeholder Annual Cost Source
US Higher Education Institutions $250 million+ Manual accommodation processes
Content Remediation $50-200 per hour Making documents accessible
Legal Settlements $500K-$10M Accessibility lawsuits
Lost Enrollment Unquantified Students who don't enroll due to barriers

2.4.2 Legal Landscape

Accessibility lawsuits against educational institutions have increased dramatically:

Notable education settlements:

2.5 Human Impact

2.5.1 Student Experiences

"I spend more time fighting for accommodations than I do studying. By the time my access is sorted out, I'm already behind."

— Graduate student with visual impairment

"Every semester, I have to explain my disability to new instructors. Some are understanding, others act like I'm asking for special treatment."

— Undergraduate with learning disability

2.5.2 Retention and Graduation Rates

Students with disabilities face significantly lower completion rates:

Metric Students with Disabilities All Students Gap
4-year graduation rate 34% 45% -11%
6-year graduation rate 41% 62% -21%
First-year retention 71% 81% -10%

2.5.3 Mental Health Impact

The constant advocacy required takes a toll:

2.6 The Need for WIA EDU

The challenges outlined in this chapter demonstrate the urgent need for a unified approach to education accessibility. The WIA EDU Standard addresses these issues by:

2.6.1 Technical Solutions

2.6.2 Administrative Solutions

2.6.3 Human-Centered Solutions

2.7 Chapter Summary

Key Takeaways:

  1. Fragmentation: Multiple LMS platforms with proprietary accessibility implementations
  2. Technical Barriers: Inconsistent APIs, poor AT integration, mobile gaps
  3. Administrative Burden: Manual processes overwhelm disability services
  4. Economic Impact: Billions in costs, increasing legal liability
  5. Human Impact: Lower retention, mental health effects, advocacy fatigue
  6. Solution Needed: Unified standard for education accessibility

2.8 Looking Ahead

In Chapter 3, we will introduce the WIA EDU Standard architecture in detail, exploring how its four-schema approach addresses the challenges outlined here. We'll examine the design principles that guide the standard and how it integrates with existing accessibility frameworks.