Accessible by Design

Accessibility has quietly undergone a transformation. Not long ago, conversations about accessibility in higher education focused largely on compliance, regulations, and specialist support. Today, accessibility is increasingly seen as a measure of the quality of the learner’s experience (Jisc, 2021; Mavrou et al., 2025).

As a UX designer working in education, this particularly resonated with me. Much of my work involves understanding the student journey and designing digital experiences that help students focus on learning rather than overcoming avoidable obstacles. In education, that journey begins long before students attend a class, post in a forum or submit an assessment. It includes finding information, navigating digital spaces, understanding expectations, accessing learning materials, and knowing where to get support (Jisc, 2021; CAST, n.d.).

These themes emerged during a recent conversation with John Seamons, a Learning Technologist working in the Technology Enhanced Learning Team (TELT), who believes one of the biggest challenges facing universities is moving away from seeing accessibility as an additional task.

"If we can have it built in from the very start of assessment and from the very start of creating materials, it just becomes part of our standard practice. It isn't an extra thing or a chore. It's something positive, productive and worthwhile."

That mindset shift is significant and has the potential to benefit everyone involved. By considering learners' needs from the outset, learning experiences can be designed more effectively, reducing the need for later adjustments or redesigns. Just as UX professionals aim to design for users from the outset rather than fix problems later, accessibility is increasingly being recognised as something that should be built into learning design rather than added retrospectively (Mavrou et al., 2025; CAST, n.d.).

Removing obstacles from the learner experience

When asked what an inclusive learning experience looks like from a student perspective, John’s answer was strikingly simple:

"Your focus is on the materials and learning. Your focus isn't getting access to the materials. You can explore the content without any additional challenges or barriers."

At its core, both UX and accessibility aim to remove unnecessary friction. Students should spend their time learning, not deciphering module structures, searching for resources, or navigating unnecessary obstacles (Jisc, 2021). John also highlighted a challenge common within inclusive design: many accessibility needs are invisible. Reflecting on his own experiences with ADHD and autism, he noted how learners often compensate for inaccessible experiences by investing additional time and effort.

This is where consistency becomes powerful. Initiatives such as the new QMplus templates are helping create more predictable learning environments, reducing the effort required to find information and understand expectations.  Success, as John describes it, is creating learning experiences that allow students to focus their time and energy on learning and learning materials rather than navigating barriers.

Designing with students, not just for them

The conversation also reinforced the value of involving students throughout the design process. While UX professionals talk about user testing and journey mapping, the principle is much the same in education.

"Students see things differently to us, and they have different ideas. When possible, we should try and involve students from the very start."

As educational institutions embrace co-creation, learners are increasingly helping to shape services, digital platforms, and learning experiences. The people using a system are often best placed to identify barriers that others may not see.

AI and Accessibility

From real-time captioning and transcription to reading support and note-taking tools, AI is already helping many students access learning in new ways (Nicholson-Benn, 2025; Attewell, 2025). Yet John offered some words of warning:

"One of the myths I'm hearing more and more is that AI will sort out all accessibility issues. We still need the knowledge and skills to understand what the issue is and how to fix it."

Rather than replacing expertise, he sees AI as a partner in the design process.

"I'm hoping AI will be almost like an assistant to the people designing courses and content. It can give advice and best practice, but people still need to apply that knowledge themselves."

This vision aligns closely with the direction of educational technology: AI not as a replacement for educators, designers, or accessibility specialists, but as a tool that helps them work more effectively (Nicholson-Benn, 2025; QAA, 2023).

Looking ahead, John believes accessibility will eventually stop being viewed as a specialist concern altogether. Perhaps that is the most exciting possibility: a future where accessibility is no longer a separate conversation, but simply part of good learning design.

Conclusion

The final insight from our discussion may be the most valuable:

"It's impossible to have the perfect learning experience the first time. The focus should be on constantly trying to improve it and adapt."

Perhaps that is the future of accessibility in education: not a checklist, a technology, or even a destination, but an ongoing commitment to creating learning experiences that work better for more people (CAST, n.d.; Mavrou et al., 2025). As AI, accessibility and learning design continue to evolve, one principle remains constant: the people experiencing those systems should help shape them.

In UX, we call that iteration. In learning design, we might simply call it listening.

References

 

Attewell, S. (2025) ‘AI, accessibility & inclusion: Insights from our roundtables’, Jisc National Centre for AI, 1 July. Available at: https://nationalcentreforai.jiscinvolve.org (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

CAST (2020) UDL tips for assessment. Available at: https://udloncampus.cast.org (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

CAST (n.d.) UDL and assessment in higher education. Available at: https://udloncampus.cast.org (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

Jisc (2021) Creating an inclusive learner journey. Available at: https://www.jisc.ac.uk/guides/creating-an-inclusive-learner-journey (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

Mavrou, K., Theodorou, E., Moukaa, M. and Liasidou, A. (2025) ‘Accessibility and universal design in higher education curricula: Implications for inclusion/exclusion’, Teaching in Higher Education.

Nicholson-Benn, H. (2025) ‘Navigating the intersection of AI, accessibility and education in 2025’, Jisc National Centre for AI, 6 March.

QAA ( 2023) Reconsidering assessment for the ChatGPT era. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.  Available at: https://www.qaa.ac.uk/docs/qaa/members/reconsidering-assessment-for-the-chat-gpt-era.pdf  (Accessed: 14 October 2026).

Seamons, J. (2026) Interview on accessibility, UX and assessment design. Interview conducted by A. Agbo, Queen Mary University of London, September 2026.