Step 3 of the system · Free with an account · Self-paced · Completion certificate
WCAG 2.2 for Higher Ed.
A free, plain-English accessibility course for faculty, not web developers.
In 6–8 hours, faculty learn how to build accessible syllabi, slides, quizzes, and course materials. No crash course in HTML or ARIA. Real examples from actual college classrooms, and a completion certificate you can use for professional development records. If you need the basics fast, a shorter version, WCAG 2.2 Teaching Essentials (2–3 hours), is also live for adjuncts and instructional designers. Both are free with an account at courses.esdesigns.org.
Who this course is for
Every role in higher ed that touches a document, a slide deck, or a quiz has a stake in Title II compliance. This course meets each of them where they are.
Faculty & instructors
Tenure-track, adjunct, or clinical: anyone whose name is on a syllabus. Learn to build materials your students can actually use, without a technical background.
Instructional designers
The people building courses alongside faculty. Get a shared vocabulary and concrete checklists for reviewing accessibility before a course goes live.
CTL & faculty development
Teaching & Learning Center staff leading accessibility training. Use this course as the backbone of your institution's rollout. It's free, so you can send faculty the link without a purchase order.
What's inside
Eight modules across 6–8 hours, each self-paced with listen-and-speak lessons, AI-guided support, concrete examples, and a practical checklist you'll use the next week.
Why accessibility matters in higher ed
Title II in plain English. What the deadline actually means for you. Real student stories that stick.
WCAG 2.2 without the jargon
The nine success criteria added in 2.2, what they mean for faculty work, and how to spot the ones that apply to your materials.
Accessible documents (Word, PDF, PowerPoint)
Headings, reading order, alt text, tables, links. The five things that fix 80% of document accessibility problems.
Accessible course materials
Syllabi, handouts, slides, readings, infographics. Examples from real college courses in STEM, humanities, and social sciences.
Accessible multimedia
Captions, transcripts, audio descriptions, and when each one is required vs. recommended. Tools faculty can actually use.
Accessible assessments and quizzes
Building quizzes that work with screen readers, extended-time accommodations, and keyboard-only navigation. Includes Canvas and Blackboard specifics.
Working with Disability Services
How to respond to accommodation letters, build proactive relationships with your DS office, and avoid the most common accessibility-related grievances.
Tools and workflows
Microsoft Accessibility Checker, Canvas Ally, Document Ally Pro, and free tools. A personal workflow you can adopt this semester.
By the end of the course, you will
- Audit your own syllabus against WCAG 2.2 AA in under ten minutes
- Fix the five most common document accessibility issues without technical help
- Build quizzes and assessments that work for every student on day one
- Explain Title II compliance to a colleague in one minute flat
- Know when to escalate to Disability Services vs. handle a request yourself
- Earn a completion certificate suitable for professional development records
Two WCAG 2.2 courses, two depths
Different roles need different depths. The full course covers everything. Teaching Essentials gives anyone who teaches the core in two to three hours. Both are free with an account.
WCAG 2.2 for Higher Ed
The full course on this page. For instructional designers, web editors, IT staff, and anyone who wants comprehensive depth on the nine new WCAG 2.2 success criteria, multimedia, captions, and Disability Services workflows.
Start the full course →WCAG 2.2 Teaching Essentials
The short accessibility course for anyone who teaches. Adjuncts, lecturers, and instructional designers learn documents, LMS quizzes, accommodation letters, and free tools they can run today, with no HTML or ARIA required. Includes an AI tutor, text-to-speech, and a real audit assignment for a course you teach.
Start Teaching Essentials →Planning training across a campus? Chapter 5 of the free Title II Compliance Roadmap Tool works out which roles need which course.
Free for you and everyone you work with
Create an account at courses.esdesigns.org and start. To train a department, send colleagues the link. There are no seats to buy.
All eight modules, the checklists, and the completion certificate are included. When you're ready to fix the documents themselves, Document Ally Pro is free to start: free credits at signup, then low-priced credit packs by card if you need more.
Workshops and done-for-you help are available on request: email bwinchell@esdesigns.org.