Accessible Education: WCAG 2.2 and BFSG for Universities and Learning Platforms
Universities, colleges, vocational schools and private education providers face unique accessibility challenges: learning management systems, recorded lectures, interactive tests, PDF handouts and exam portals must all be accessible to every student. We audit, consult and implement accessible learning environments so that no student is disadvantaged due to a disability.
50+
accessible projects
2.9M
students in Germany
WCAG2.2
conformance level AA
100/100
Lighthouse accessibility
Accessibility in education is not a voluntary service but a legal and ethical obligation. The Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG) and the WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines apply equally to digital learning environments, online courses and university websites. Students with visual, hearing or motor impairments must not be disadvantaged through poorly accessible learning platforms, uncaptioned video lectures or non-navigable exam portals. We guide educational institutions from a systematic audit through to accessible implementation.
Specific Challenges in the Education Sector
Educational institutions operate multiple digital systems simultaneously: learning management systems such as Moodle, ILIAS or Canvas, video conference platforms for lectures, exam portals, library catalogues, student portals and the main website. These systems are often grown IT landscapes in which accessibility was historically not a priority. At the same time, the user group is particularly heterogeneous: students with learning difficulties, motor impairments, visual disabilities or chronic conditions must be considered alongside international students who benefit from well-structured language quality.
The significance of exam situations adds another dimension: an inaccessible exam portal can prevent a student with impairments from sitting an exam under standard conditions. This is not merely a WCAG violation but can have legal consequences for the institution. The BFSG requirements for private education providers add to this obligation from 28 June 2025 onwards. We help institutions understand and address these legal requirements systematically.
Learning Management Systems
Moodle, ILIAS, Canvas and comparable LMS must be accessible to keyboards, screen readers and assistive technologies. Course navigation, assignment submission, forums and grade views are typical problem areas that we audit and optimise specifically.
Video Lectures and Webcasts
Recorded lectures and live streams must have correct captions and transcripts. We check caption quality, media player accessibility and integration into learning platforms against WCAG 1.2 (time-based media).
Learning Materials and Scripts
Lecture PDFs, presentations and scripts must be structured according to PDF/UA: correct tag structure for headings and tables, alt texts for graphics and formulae, logical reading order. Mathematical formulae in particular have specific requirements.
Exam Portals and E-Assessments
Online exams must be equally accessible to all candidates. Time-critical elements require pause functions (WCAG 2.2.1), multiple choice questions must be implemented as proper radio groups, and result feedback must be programmatically linked.
Student Portals and Administration
Enrolment, re-registration and exam registration portals must be accessible to all students. Form fields with labels, understandable error messages and clear process guidance are essential for administrative portals.
University Websites and Public Presence
The institutional website with programme information, application portals and event calendars is the first point of contact. Poor accessibility here deters potential students even before enrolment.
Making Video Lectures and Time-Based Media Accessible
Time-based media — recorded lectures, explainer videos, webinars and live streams — are especially critical in education because they carry the core content of learning. WCAG 1.2 is dedicated entirely to this category and sets clear requirements: captions for all pre-recorded videos (1.2.2), audio description for visual content that is essential to understanding (1.2.3 and 1.2.5), and transcripts for audio-only content (1.2.1). Level AA additionally requires synchronised audio descriptions.
In practice, we frequently encounter automatically generated captions that incorrectly transcribe technical jargon, proper names and mathematical expressions. These captions are worthless for deaf or hard-of-hearing students and must be manually corrected. We audit the caption quality of existing materials, advise on suitable captioning workflows and train your teaching staff in the creation of accessible video content. For the media player itself, we check keyboard accessibility, screen reader announcements and volume control by keyboard.
Accessible video lectures: what is concretely audited
Captions, transcript and audio description
An accessible video lecture goes beyond automatically generated captions. We check the quality, accuracy and synchronicity of captions as well as the accessibility of the media player itself and train teaching staff in creating WCAG-compliant video materials.
- Caption quality and technical term accuracy checked manually
- Transcripts for all recordings in an accessible format
- Media player fully operable by keyboard (play, pause, volume)
- Audio description for visual teaching content (formulae, graphics, demonstrations)
Learning Management Systems: Accessibility at the LMS Core
The LMS is the heart of digital teaching. Moodle, ILIAS and Canvas have different starting positions with regard to accessibility. Moodle has resolved many WCAG issues in recent versions but still suffers from structural accessibility gaps in complex activities such as glossaries, databases and H5P activities. ILIAS has a long road ahead, particularly for keyboard navigation in learning modules. Canvas is comparatively more accessible but frequently encounters issues with embedded external tools.
We carry out LMS audits that look beyond the surface to examine the complete learning path: course enrolment, navigation between lessons, assignment submission with file upload, forum interaction, quiz completion and grade viewing. Special attention is paid to dynamic content: when an assignment is submitted and a confirmation message appears, it must be programmatically announced (ARIA live region). When a quiz has a timer, there must be a pause option (WCAG 2.2.1). These requirements are frequently overlooked in standard LMS configurations.
Course Navigation and Structure
Course menus, lesson paths and page hierarchies must be keyboard-navigable and structurally understandable to screen readers. Breadcrumbs, skip links and a consistent heading hierarchy are essential.
Quizzes and Tests
Multiple choice questions as radio groups, time limits with extension options (WCAG 2.2.1), error feedback programmatically linked. Result views must be readable by screen readers and have sufficient contrast.
Assignment Submission and Feedback
File upload fields with correct labels and ARIA descriptions. Confirmation messages as ARIA live announcements. Instructor feedback in an accessible format, fully readable with assistive technologies.
Forums and Discussions
Discussion forums as a frequently used learning component must have correctly hierarchically structured reply threads and accessible notifications. New posts must be recognisable and readable without a mouse.
Grades and Learning Progress
Grade books and progress indicators in LMS must be implemented as tables with correct header markup or labelled lists. Bar charts and percentages need text alternatives.
Materials Library
Download areas for scripts, slides and materials must be accessible. Filenames must be meaningful, file types programmatically named and downloads triggerable without a mouse.
Exam Equality and Legal Risk
Making Mathematical Formulae and STEM Content Accessible
Mathematical and scientific content places specific demands on accessibility. Formulae embedded as images are completely inaccessible to screen readers. MathML is the W3C standard for accessible mathematics on the web and is supported by modern screen readers such as NVDA with MathPlayer. LaTeX-based systems can be switched to accessible MathML output via MathJax, which is configurable in Moodle and ILIAS.
We support STEM-focused departments in converting their digital materials: migrating formula images to MathML, configuring MathJax in LMS environments, training teaching staff in accessible mathematical typesetting, and auditing interactive simulations and graphics for accessibility. Chemical structural formulae and physical diagrams need qualitative text descriptions that make the content understandable for blind students. These descriptions require subject knowledge, which we pass on to teaching staff through training sessions.
Legal Framework for Educational Institutions
Educational institutions are subject to a tiered system of legal bases. Public universities in Germany are additionally bound by BITV 2.0 and the respective state law. Private education providers, online course operators and continuing education platforms that sell to consumers have been required to comply with the BFSG since 28 June 2025. The requirements cover not only the website but all digital products and services, including apps, e-learning modules and online exams.
- BFSG applies to all online course providers selling to consumers (from 28 June 2025)
- BITV 2.0 applies to state universities and publicly funded educational institutions
- BGG §3 obliges public bodies to actively establish accessibility
- Accessibility statement mandatory for public institutions under BITV 2.0
- WCAG 2.2 AA is the technical reference standard for all digital learning environments
- Reasonable accommodations for students do not absolve institutions of accessibility obligations
Our Audit Approach for Educational Institutions
Inventory and Scope Definition
Together we record all digital touchpoints of your institution: LMS, website, exam portal, library system, apps and e-learning materials. We prioritise by frequency of use and legal risk, so that exam-relevant systems are analysed first.
Accessibility as a Quality Standard in Teaching
Accessible learning environments benefit not only students with disabilities. Clear video structure with chapter markers helps everyone who cannot watch an entire lecture in one sitting. Transcripts enable more efficient learning and simplify exam preparation. Correct heading hierarchies in scripts improve navigation for everyone. Accessible exam portals reduce technical stress during examinations. These side effects argue for treating accessibility not as a special case but as a standard in didactic quality assurance.
Universities and educational institutions that invest early in accessibility also benefit from demographic trends: the proportion of students with disabilities or chronic conditions is rising (Deutsches Studentenwerk, 2023). Institutions that offer an accessible learning environment increase their attractiveness to this growing group while simultaneously fulfilling the legal framework. Our project experience shows that the effort for implementation is manageable when accessibility is integrated early in the development process.
For institutions wishing to develop a comprehensive accessibility strategy, we offer, in addition to technical implementation, strategic consulting: defining quality standards for new materials, establishing review processes in course development, building internal competencies for sustainable accessibility management and continuous monitoring of all digital access points. The goal is an educational institution that views accessibility not as an external obligation but as part of its pedagogical ethos.