The University of Akron

The University of Akron (UA) set out to address the challenge of scaling digital accessibility across an entire institution. Faced with new requirements and a diverse community of content creators, the university needed an approach that would go beyond compliance and drive meaningful change—and fast. By developing a gamified learning experience grounded in a proactive design framework, UA empowered faculty and staff to build accessibility skills in real time using D2L Brightspace™. The result is a measurable shift in behavior and culture, positioning accessibility as a shared responsibility and a core part of quality teaching and learning. 

The University of Akron is a recipient of the 2026 D2L Excellence Award.

Challenge

Scaling Accessibility Across an Entire Institution Under Urgent Timelines

When new federal accessibility requirements clarified that all digital instructional and operational materials must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, the University of Akron (UA)—a large, multimodal institution serving a diverse population of learners—faced a challenge of unprecedented scale. Everyone who created or shared digital content, from faculty and instructional designers to administrative staff and student employees, was now responsible for making that content accessible. That meant revisiting large volumes of existing materials across many formats, systems and tools while also changing how future content would be created and delivered. For many, this was entirely new territory; very few had experience identifying accessibility issues, let alone fixing them. 

The timeline made the challenge even more complex. With less than a year to prepare and comply before the deadline, there was no time for traditional planning or phased training. In addition, the stakes were clear: support equitable access for learners while meeting critical compliance expectations. 

But this wasn’t just a compliance issue. Accessibility had often been treated as something to address later or only when barriers appeared. UA needed to shift that mindset. “Our goal was to help people across the institution understand not just what to do, but why accessibility matters – and how to make it part of everyday work,” said Wendy Lampner, director, online continuing and professional education. That meant building awareness, confidence and momentum at scale and turning a complex requirement into a shared responsibility—quickly. 

For learners, those barriers were not theoretical. They directly shaped how fully students could participate in course activities, follow key content and demonstrate what they knew. As a student in UA’s Department of Music described after gaining access to audio descriptions for a class film:  

“I was so happy [to have audio descriptions] because [my professor] talked about the video in class before and I’d heard a lot about it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to get the full experience of watching it until now. We also needed to answer questions while we were watching the movie, and I would have gotten over half the questions wrong if I didn’t have audio description[s]. I would not have known the visual information I was missing.” 

Solution

Turning Accessibility Into a Team-Based, Gamified Learning Experience

To meet the urgency and scale of the challenge, UA took a different approach. “Instead of relying on traditional training, we reimagined accessibility learning as something more engaging, collaborative and approachable,” said Lampner.  

At the foundation of this work was the C.A.L.M. (Choosing Accessible Learning Materials) framework, a proactive approach to course design grounded in Universal Design for Learning (UDL). “Rather than asking faculty and staff to fix accessibility issues after they appear, the C.A.L.M. framework encourages people to make better decisions from the start,” said Jessica DeFago, director, office of accessibility. By helping faculty and staff proactively select accessible formats, structure content for screen readers and design materials that support a wide range of learner needs, the framework shifted accessibility from reactive remediation to intentional course design. Just as importantly, it gave the institution a shared language and practical foundation for connecting accessibility standards to meaningful teaching and learning outcomes. 

UA built on that foundation to create the UDX Accessibility Bowl, a campus-wide, football-themed competition that brought the framework to life. Faculty and staff joined teams, moved through themed “drives,” earned badges and points, and tracked progress on a shared scoreboard. Along the way, they applied what they were learning by completing real-world accessibility tasks tied directly to their daily work. What could have felt overwhelming became something interactive, social and energizing. 

The C.A.L.M. framework itself builds on openly licensed materials originally developed by Virginia Tech, which UA adapted to support this broader initiative. By pairing a clear, principle-based framework with a gamified learning experience, UA created a model that was both structured and flexible—giving participants guidance while allowing them to learn through practice, collaboration and reflection. 

Using D2L Brightspace™, UA created an environment where people could learn by doing. Assignments, discussions, awards and interactive activities helped guide participants through the experience while giving them space to practice, share ideas and build confidence. The structure made it possible to support large numbers of participants without relying on one-on-one support. 

Just as important, the model gave departments a practical way to turn learning into action. Mary Cooke, assistant director, Career Services & Student Employment, described how her team used the training to organize and share the work of remediation: 

“The strategy our team [used was] for all of us to complete this training course, use an overall document we created as a team to list everything that need[ed] to be re-created in compliance and then … divid[e] up the work and go[] over things as a team to ensure everything [would] be good for everyone, regardless of their need.” 

By combining gamification with hands-on learning, UA reduced the intimidation often associated with accessibility work and created space for experimentation and growth. Just as important, the model was designed to evolve. Future phases include peer review and deeper integration with accessibility tools, supporting continuous improvement rather than one-time training. 

Because it relies on thoughtful design and tools already in place, the approach is also highly transferable. Other institutions can adapt the model by pairing a clear accessibility framework with engaging, applied learning experiences that fit their needs. 

Result

Driving Measurable Impact and Lasting Cultural Change

UA’s approach to accessibility is delivering measurable results across the institution, transforming both day-to-day practices and long-term capacity. Since launching the UDX Accessibility Bowl in September 2025, the university has accelerated accessibility improvements at scale. Using YuJa Panorama, more than 1.4 million files have been analyzed and 29,848 improved, contributing to an overall accessibility score of 85%, which is continuing to rise. In addition, 1,957 alternative formats have been downloaded, showing that learners are actively using accessible options. 

Improving Practice at Scale

The rate of improvement increased dramatically following the launch of the UDX Accessibility Bowl. Accessibility improvements rose by 419.3% in a single month, increasing from 891 improvements in July to 4,627 in September. That momentum continued, with improvements increasing by 78.58% in October and 56.82% in November. These sustained gains point to a lasting shift in behavior, not a one-time spike. 

At the same time, the initiative has expanded how faculty and staff use Brightspace to support inclusive learning. Participants actively engage with assignments, discussions, awards, checklists and H5P interactive content—not only as learners but also as models they can bring into their own courses. This has led to broader adoption of tools that support formative feedback, engagement and accessible course design while helping faculty translate what they learn into their own teaching practice [image 1]. 

The impact has been felt across the institution. Since September 2025, the UDX Accessibility Bowl has engaged hundreds of faculty and staff across academic and administrative units, demonstrating broad institutional buy-in and sustained participation. As of early January, the experience recorded 404 unique participants, more than 6,000 page views and more than 4,000 access events, with engagement averaging more than 20 access events per day. More than 50 teams formed organically, generating over 200 discussion posts that reflect active peer-to-peer learning, collaboration and knowledge sharing. Notably, participation continued even during academic breaks, reinforcing that faculty and staff viewed the work as meaningful, relevant and directly connected to their day-to-day responsibilities. 

“What stood out most was the level of sustained engagement,” said Patrick Tabatcher, assistant director, online learning services. “People continued participating, sharing ideas and improving content well beyond the initial launch, which showed us this was becoming part of the institution’s culture—not just a short-term compliance effort.” 

That growing culture of shared responsibility is improving both efficiency and effectiveness across the university. Faculty and staff are now able to independently identify and address accessibility issues, reducing reliance on centralized support while allowing accessibility expertise to scale across departments. Teams responsible for high volumes of student-facing content are applying what they’ve learned to update materials more consistently and proactively, streamlining workflows and significantly reducing the time and effort required for remediation. Rather than treating accessibility as a separate task, departments are increasingly embedding inclusive design practices into their everyday processes and decision-making. 

Changing the Learning Experience 

For learners, the impact is immediate and meaningful. As accessibility becomes part of everyday course design, students experience fewer barriers, reduced cognitive load and greater confidence navigating their learning environments. Faculty report stronger engagement, more effective discussions and improved assessment outcomes when accessibility features are built in from the start. 

In the classroom, those changes make a visible difference. One lecturer in the Department of Geosciences shared how a simple adjustment transformed a student’s experience: “I didn’t mind describing what was happening [for my student], but I wanted my student to have the whole experience. … When I told them I was able to turn on audio descriptions, they were so happy, they were actually jumping up and down. … In the end, that student was the most engaged in our discussion about what we had watched.” 

That shift is also reflected in how teams work together. As one staff member explained: “We are in the process of archiving old materials and re-creating all our guides and presentations based on the WCAG principles we are learning. … [W]e are dividing up the work and going over things as a team to ensure everything will be good for everyone, regardless of their need.” 

For learners, the impact is deeply personal. One music student described what it felt like to finally have access to the full experience: “[I]t’s honestly a breath of relief. … I feel like it’s 10 times easier going into that class because I know I will have the resources [that I need] provided to me.”  

Today, accessibility at UA is no longer treated as a one-time task—it’s part of how the university supports learning every day. By embedding accessibility into everyday practices and empowering individuals across the institution, UA has built a model that continues to grow over time—delivering meaningful, measurable improvements for both educators and learners.