Teaching Accessibility to the Masses
Greg Gay, Naza Djafarova, Leonora Zefi · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A) · doi:10.1145/3058555.3058563
Summary
This paper documents the development and delivery of "Professional Web Accessibility Auditing Made Easy," a free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) created by Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) and funded by the Government of Ontario. The course was designed to address a persistent gap: web developers are essential to creating an accessible web, yet few receive formal accessibility training in their computer science education. The four-week intensive course covered web accessibility fundamentals, WCAG 2.0, automated and manual testing, assistive technology testing, user testing, accessibility reporting, and international standards. The course design was grounded in adult learning and constructivist approaches emphasising engagement, experimentation, and community building. Key pedagogical elements included hands-on exercises in six of eight units, an ongoing storyline ("Lulu's Lollipops") providing authentic business scenarios, a cumulative accessibility auditing toolkit that participants assembled throughout the course, and peer-driven discussion forums. Particularly impactful was the "Experience Blindness" exercise where participants turned off their monitors and navigated with a screen reader — repeatedly cited as an emotional, eye-opening experience that permanently changed how they viewed accessibility. The course was guided by an advisory committee from Ontario's accessibility community and developed by a multidisciplinary team including a subject-matter expert with 20+ years of auditing experience, an instructional designer, web programmer, and video production staff.
Key findings
Across two cohorts (577 and 670 registrants respectively), completion rates were 8.5% and 11% of total registrants — consistent with typical MOOC retention of around 10%. However, less than half of registrants actually started the course (38% and 45%), making the effective completion rate 22-24.5% of active participants. When measured against stated intentions, 36% of those who intended to complete the course did so. The largest dropout occurred after week one, suggesting the initial WCAG-focused content may be too dry as a starting point. Participant satisfaction was high: 86% were very or somewhat satisfied, and 89% would recommend the course. The most valued feature was the accessibility auditing toolkit (88% found it useful), followed by quizzes (81%) and downloadable resources (81%). Discussion forums scored surprisingly low (24% found them most helpful) despite being central to the constructivist pedagogy — possibly due to the overwhelming volume of posts (approaching 1,000) and the split between active (52%) and passive (39%) learners. Cohort 1 feedback that content was "too technical" led to removing two manager-focused units and retargeting marketing exclusively at web developers for Cohort 2, which reduced workload complaints from 35% to 25%. More than half of participants joined from outside Ontario and outside Canada, demonstrating global demand for accessibility training.
Relevance
This research directly addresses one of the most significant barriers to web accessibility: the lack of trained developers. The paper's findings offer practical guidance for anyone developing accessibility training programs. The toolkit-building approach — where learners assemble practical resources they can use immediately in their work — proved more effective than traditional lecture-based instruction. The "Experience Blindness" activity demonstrates the power of empathy-building exercises in changing developer behaviour. The honest analysis of what didn't work (storyline engagement, forum overwhelm, WCAG as a starting point) is equally valuable for course designers. The broader contribution is to the discussion of pedagogical culture around accessibility: the authors pragmatically acknowledge that integrating accessibility into computer science curricula may take decades, and that MOOCs offer a near-term path to upskilling working professionals. The Creative Commons licensing of course materials through Canvas Network enables other institutions to adopt and adapt the content, potentially multiplying its impact.
Tags: accessibility education · MOOC · web development · accessibility auditing · curriculum · training · pedagogical culture
Standards referenced: WCAG 2.0 · WAI-ARIA · AODA