Key takeaways
- Implement accessibility-first procurement: Avoid the innovation trap by vetting AI tools for accessibility before signing contracts. Always request a VPAT and conduct pilot testing with students who use assistive technology.
- Use AI to protect productive friction: Protect critical thinking by designing process-oriented assignments. Leverage AI for tiered logic and foundational support while leaning into its weaknesses in multi-step reasoning.
- Build cross-functional teams: Establish a collaboration between Disability Services, IT, faculty, and students to ensure AI tools are pedagogically sound and technically accessible.
- Prioritize high-impact quick wins: Use AI to automate labor-intensive accessibility tasks like generating alt text for images and closed captioning for videos to meet immediate compliance goals.
Higher education is currently navigating a dual-track challenge: The rapid integration of artificial intelligence and the looming deadline for WCAG 2.1 AA digital accessibility mandates.
While institutions are racing to adopt AI, they must ensure these tools do not create new barriers for students with disabilities.
In a recent Genio webinar, we were joined by two leading accessibility experts:
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Heather Moore, Associate Director of Educational Support and Disability Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore
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Jaafar Al-Azzawi, Access Coordinator at the University of Memphis.
Together, we explored a dual-track strategy that aims at using AI to reach compliance while ensuring the AI tools themselves remain accessible and pedagogically sound.
How can colleges avoid the technology-first trap?
Adopting technology first and addressing accessibility later is a costly mistake. Once a contract is signed, fixing digital barriers becomes significantly more difficult and expensive.
Jaafar Al-Azzawi noted that schools often become so enamored with a tool's effectiveness that accessibility becomes an afterthought.
Heather Moore added that while an AI copilot might write a kinder email, institutions must identify the specific learning barriers they are trying to solve before procurement.
Here’s exactly how colleges can avoid the technology-first trap:
- Identify problems before procurement: Focus on the specific learning barriers you need to solve rather than the hype of a new AI tool.
- Require a VPAT: Demand a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template from every vendor to assess their compliance with WCAG standards.
- Conduct real-user testing: Ensure students who use screen readers or other assistive technologies test the software during the pilot phase.
View Genio’s approach to accessibility, VPAT and remediation plan here.
How does AI scaffolding protect a student's critical thinking?
There is a valid fear that AI dependency will replace student logic. However, the panel argued that AI, when used correctly, acts as powerful scaffolding.
To prevent dependency, Jaafar Al-Azzawi suggests leaning into AI’s inherent weaknesses:
- Multi-step reasoning: AI struggles with complex, tiered logic.
- Real-time context: It cannot access live classroom discussions or specific lecture nuances.
- Process-oriented assignments: Professors should ask students to describe how they arrived at a conclusion step-by-step, a task AI cannot easily replicate for a personal journey.
Heather Moore compared the current state of AI to the early days of Zoom in 2019:
"We are flying the plane as it is being built. We need to teach students how to work with AI reasonably rather than letting it write the entire paper."
How can colleges build a cross-functional accessibility team?
According to both the experts, a successful cross-functional accessibility team requires four key pillars:
- Disability Service Specialists
They understand the specific barriers created by different disabilities.
- IT & Instructional Designers
They ensure the tool integrates safely with the Learning Management System (LMS).
- Faculty
They are the primary users who understand the pedagogical impact.
- Students with disabilities
Critically, students who use assistive technology can catch issues that administrators might overlook.
How can colleges meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards with limited resources?
With the compliance deadline approaching, institutions must focus on progress over perfection. Both the experts agreed that while there is no magic pill, there are high-impact wins that don't require an institutional overhaul:
- Triage your content: Prioritize the main institutional website, the LMS, and core General Education course documents first.
- Automate accessibility tasks: Use AI to generate closed captions for videos and alt text for image-heavy slides.
- Shift institutional culture: Move from a mindset of legal compliance to one of institutional agility, where accessibility is a sustained, campus-wide priority.
Conclusion: Future-proofing accessibility in the age of AI
Structuring AI strategy around accessibility is not just a legal necessity for colleges now, but a commitment to inclusive excellence.
Whether it's through a friendly competition between departments or by centralizing ownership in a dedicated office, the goal remains the same: unlocking better learning for everyone.
Start by auditing your top 10 digital tools for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance today. By mastering a structured, extractable approach to content now, universities can future-proof their campus for the next evolution of learning technology.
