Accessibility

In the Office of Online Education, as among the entire Wake Forest community, we’re strongly committed to accessibility in every course, both because it’s a best practice that supports student learning, and, in the spirit of pro humanitate, is the fair and equitable thing to do. But did you know that it’s also a standard required of us by several governing or regulatory bodies?

Most of us are aware of the Americans With Disabilities Act, for example, and the kinds of obligations that accompany it, but the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 also prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs that receive federal financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Education. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), our accreditor, requires institutions to provide robust academic and disability support services, which includes accessibility and similar services. The Council of Recognized Accrediting Commissions (C-RAC), of which SACSCOC is in turn a member, has guidelines that instruct institutions to “provide […] support known to be effective in helping online learning students persist and succeed” and “[incorporate] tested good practices in online learning pedagogy”. Our participation in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA), which facilitates many parts of our institution’s distance learning, requires us both to maintain accreditation from a body like SACSCOC and to abide by the guidelines set forth by C-RAC. As is so often the case, our compliance responsibilities in this matter often reinforce, overlap, and intersect each other, each with the goal of protecting, improving, and enriching the learning experience.
Still, our commitment to accessibility acknowledges that it is no mere obligation, but rather another opportunity to serve our student learners, and our practice includes the understanding that it is not a checklist, not a single audit or snapshot, nor a static and perfected end state meant to be preserved in amber. Accessibility is, rather, a continuous process of assessment, revision, and refinement. It is a mindset and a journey–and if, along that path, you ever find yourself in need of encouragement or conversation, .