Summary
This Townhall highlighted UT Austin’s approach to digital content accessibility, from piloting Ally to creating a campus-wide strategy that supports students, faculty, and staff.
At the Spring 2025 Townhall, the National Disability Center brought together researchers, administrators, and technologists for a focused conversation on improving digital accessibility in higher education.
The session spotlighted a major digital content accessibility effort at the University of Texas at Austin. What began as a pilot project evolved into a campus-wide strategy that continue to shape the student experience.
From a Single Tool to a Campus-Wide Shift
The panel featured Mario Guerra, Director of Enterprise Learning Technology, and Jeff Freels, PhD, Director of Assessment, Research, and Evaluation in Academic Affairs at UT Austin. They shared how the university launched a pilot of the Ally Accessibility Platform to address inaccessible learning content uploaded to its learning management system. What began as a targeted solution for PDFs and course materials quickly revealed deeper gaps and opportunities.
“We started with course content,” Guerra said. “But we quickly realized accessibility had to apply everywhere. Not just to students, but to staff and faculty too.”
The initiative expanded beyond PDFs and documents to include websites, videos, academic applications, and remediation services that was received well by the university. That recognition led to the creation of a full Digital Accessibility Center, expanding support across websites, video content, applications, and remediation services.
Eight months into the rollout, the U.S. Department of Justice launched an audit of the university’s digital accessibility. Because this work had already begun, the audit closed with commendation.
It’s Not Just About Tools. It’s About People.
Throughout the panel discussion, speakers emphasized that accessibility work succeeds when it’s rooted in collaboration. Students, faculty, administrators, and staff were all engaged in the process, from piloting new tools to analyzing feedback to shaping communications.
Jeff Freels, PhD, explained how accessibility scores from Ally are now integrated into reporting systems across the university.
“This isn’t about pushing compliance,” he said. “It’s about building a culture where accessibility is part of the conversation. It’s expected, not exceptional.”
Measuring What Matters
Quantitative data now shows steady improvements in accessibility scores across thousands of courses. But panelists also stressed the importance of student experience.
Alternative format downloads through Ally have increased by more than 70% in under two years, even without direct promotion. Students are seeking out accessible formats and using them not because they are told to, but because they work.
As Stephanie W. Cawthon, PhD shared, “Our students know these tools exist. They use them because they’re effective. That tells us everything we need to know about impact.”
Moving Forward Together
The Center also shared updates from its national research projects, including Access Leads to Achievement: A National Report on Disabled College Student Experiences and the Campus Accessibility Spotlight Series. A new Spotlight on STEM is in development, and a practical teaching webcast will be live in June.
Attendees ended the session by reflecting on what they still need. A live poll showed that balancing time, using the right tools, and understanding accessibility standards remain the biggest challenges across institutions. These insights will help guide the Center’s future resources and outreach.
A Final Reminder: Progress Is Built on Patience
As the discussion closed, Freels offered a final reflection:
“There’s no overnight fix for digital content accessibility. But small improvements, made consistently, can change the student experience in real ways.”
That is exactly what the Center aims to support through progress that is persistent, practical, and rooted in the real-world needs of disabled students.
