Accessibility first: Inclusive design from the starting point

By Alice Chapman, Officer for the ALT Digital Accessibility SIG and ALTC25 Conference Committee member

Ahead of ALTC 2025, I’ve been thinking about what it truly means to design learning technology with empathy and inclusion at its heart. The conference will soon bring these conversations into focus, but the work starts now by putting accessibility first.

In today’s digital-first world, learning technology opens doors to education, opportunity, and connection. But even in this modern world, the doors are still closed for too many learners. Accessibility is too often treated as a checkbox when in reality, it should be seen as the foundation of inclusive and effective learning design.

As we look to the past, present, and future of digital education at the upcoming ALT Annual Conference (ALTC), accessibility must take centre stage. Not just because of legislation or compliance standards, but because learning should be for everyone.

Why accessibility matters

According to the World Health Organization, “An estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16% of the global population – currently experience significant disability.” In the language of further and higher education, that’s a substantial number of learners whose needs must be considered. More specifically in the realms of learning technology, digital platforms are now central to how we study, teach, and collaborate. If these tools aren’t accessible, entire communities of learners are left behind.

The most exciting innovations in learning technology are those that prioritise accessibility and inclusivity from the start. Think interactive captioning and transcription, immersive simulations that adapt to learners’ needs, and design frameworks that embed platforms to support diverse experiences. These tools help to close the gap, but only if accessibility is embedded from the beginning and not enacted as an afterthought.

Challenges we still face

Despite progress, challenges remain. Platforms don’t always work seamlessly with screen readers. Colour contrast, navigation, and interface design often exclude rather than empower. Text alternatives can be inaccurate or not even present. But when we dig into these, we can see that these issues aren’t just technical issues, they’re human. And the good news is, they’re solvable.

By embedding accessibility into the design stage, we can address these challenges early and create learning experiences that truly support everyone.

Let’s move from compliance to compassion

Accessibility is often framed in terms of compliance. “We must meet WCAG 2.2 standards by ticking boxes and satisfying legal requirements.” And while these are important, and can be supportive to implement change, the real transformation comes from compassion. 

It’s about designing with empathy by talking to the learner who can’t hear the audio, the learner who struggles with a cluttered screen, the learner who relies on a keyboard instead of a mouse. When institutions shift from compliance-driven to compassion-driven design, learning becomes more equitable, engaging, and empowering.

Join the conversation at the ALT conference

One of this year’s key themes at ALTC is Digital by Design: People, Empathy and Experience. It’s a chance to explore the future of learning technology together and to challenge ourselves to put accessibility and empathy at the heart of everything we create.

Whether you’re a learning technologist, educator, policymaker, or simply passionate about digital inclusion, this conference is an opportunity to connect, share ideas, and shape the future of learning.

Date: 23 and 24 October 
Location: Glasgow Marriott
Register here: ALT Annual Conference 2025 Registration | Association for Learning Technology

Accessibility happens when we design with, not for, our learners.

Whether you’re attending ALTC 2025 or championing accessibility in your own institution, take one action this month: talk to a learner about how they experience your learning platforms. Then bring that insight back to your team, and to Glasgow! 

ALT’s Annual Conference is one of the UK’s largest conferences for learning technology and digital education professionals. The conference provides a valuable and practical forum for practitioners, researchers, managers and policy-makers from education and industry to solve problems, explore, reflect, influence and learn.

ALTC25 will take place in Glasgow on 23 and 24 October 2025.  Register Here .