
UND's Journey to Create a More Inclusive Learning Environment
Marking the most recent Global Accessibility Awareness Day, it’s important to remember the benefits of more accessible spaces often ripple out much further than originally imagined. Watch foot traffic for a moment next time you’re sitting at a coffee shop. Parents pushing strollers, workers delivering supplies on a hand truck, children riding scooters. They all are benefiting from safer and more usable spaces. The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibited discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, prompting municipalities to incorporate accessible design features. The same is true on campus and in digital classrooms.
More accessible content is more inclusive, empowering every learner to use content in a way that fits their preferences and helps them meet their own goals. The benefits of digital content designed to be inclusive are as clear as they are far-reaching. As those engaged in this work on campuses around the world do too, that it’s a journey. The team at the University of North Dakota has compiled a few key lessons learned to help other institutions.