3.1 Accessibility as a strategic and legal requirement
Explore why accessibility is a core leadership responsibility in higher education and how it shapes student rights, institutional quality, and legal compliance. This unit examines how accessibility must be embedded at system level—through governance, procurement, and quality assurance—particularly in student-facing digital services, and how recognised standards such as WCAG and EN 301 549 guide institutions in meeting European accessibility obligations.
👉 Start with the video for a quick overview.
👉 Now, read the document to explore the topic in more depth.
Download PDF👉 Finish with the task to reflect and apply what you’ve learned.
Select one high impact digital service that shapes the student journey at your institution, for example the learning platform, a student portal, an online assessment environment, or a central website that students depend on. Describe who is accountable for accessibility outcomes for this service at leadership level and how accessibility is currently addressed in procurement, quality assurance, and user support. Then identify one gap that could create legal or reputational risk, such as unclear requirements for vendors, weak testing, limited accessibility reporting, or lack of staff capability. Propose one realistic leadership action that could be implemented within the next three months to reduce that risk and improve student experience. Write 200 to 300 words.
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