Accessible Digital Learning

Sterling Oberlin

accessible online learning tools
Feature What is supported Planning use
Closed captions Auto-captioning tools are listed for YuJa, VoiceThread, Webex and Google Meet at UMBC. Machine-generated captions may need to be revised and edited. Find out which platform your class uses, then check the caption quality yourself before relying on it.
Transcripts Microsoft Word and OneNote include built-in transcription. Otter.ai is recommended as a free captioning and transcription support tool. Use for audio-only material and for reviewing a lecture after class.
Full video access Course videos should be available with closed captioning, for use with screen readers, and as transcripts. Ask for the whole set of formats, not just one.
Legal basis Under the ADA, transcription or captioning is necessary for audio and audiovisual media. A Department of Justice rule sets standards for web content and mobile apps that schools must meet by April 2026. Cite this when a request for captions is met with hesitation.
Course audit Audits check that all videos have captions, all images have alt text, and all hyperlinks are unique. Use as a quick checklist when you open a new course site.

The table draws on UMBC disability services guidance on captioning and transcription and an AACSB article on making online learning accessible.

Accessible online learning tools work best when each feature is matched to a specific barrier: captions and transcripts for audio, screen readers for on-screen text, adjustable e-books for reading, and formal accommodations when a course itself blocks access.

This guide is organised by barrier rather than by product, so you can jump to the section that fits your situation. Each section ends with a pointer to a more detailed guide on this site.

Where to start

The right first move depends on what is getting in the way, and most students need only one or two of the tools below at the start. Pick the barrier that costs you the most effort today and fix that first.

  • Audio is hard to follow: start with captions on live classes and recorded video, then add transcripts for anything you want to review.
  • Screen text is hard to see or read: look at a screen reader if you want content read aloud, or at magnification and display settings if you prefer to read visually.
  • Reading long texts is tiring: try an e-book format with adjustable text and a read-aloud option before asking for alternatives.
  • Writing or note-taking is the bottleneck: consider dictation and a note-taking app that suits how you work.
  • The course platform itself is the obstacle: move quickly to a formal accommodation request, because no personal tool can fix content that was built inaccessibly.

A study of online course design described a stark possibility: the very technology intended to provide increased access and flexibility can instead prevent access, according to a 2022 exploratory survey of educational technologists and disability access staff. That is why this guide pairs personal tools with advice on asking the institution to fix the course.

Captions and transcripts

Captions and transcripts serve different moments. Captions keep pace with speech during a lesson, while a transcript is something you can search, skim and re-read afterwards. Most students benefit from having both.

Closed captions in live classes and recorded video

Captioning is not a favour. UMBC’s disability services office states that, under the ADA, transcription or captioning is necessary to make audio and audiovisual media content accessible. That puts the burden on the institution to provide them, not on the student to justify wanting them.

The practical question is which platform delivers them. The same UMBC page lists several that offer automatic captions: YuJa can provide auto-captioning for videos, VoiceThread has auto-captioning enabled, the Webex assistant can be used for auto-captions in instructor or group meetings, and Google Meet also has auto-captioning tools. These are the platforms named at one university, so your own course may use others. The takeaway is that automatic captioning is common enough that a request for it is reasonable on almost any major platform.

Automatic captions are a starting point rather than a finished product. UMBC notes that machine-generated, automatic speech recognition captions may need to be revised and edited. If you notice names, technical terms or whole sentences going wrong, tell the instructor or disability services so the recording can be corrected rather than quietly working around the errors yourself.

For a step-by-step look at how to turn on captions in zoom class and how transcripts fit around them, see the guide on how to turn on captions in zoom class.

Turning on captions in an online class

Because every platform places its caption controls differently, the reliable approach is the same wherever you are:

  1. Identify the platform. Check whether the class runs in a meeting tool, a video library or a course discussion tool, since each handles captions on its own.
  2. Look in the meeting or video controls. Captions are normally a switch you can turn on during a live session or while playing a recording.
  3. Check the result. Watch a minute of the lesson to see whether the captions are readable and reasonably accurate.
  4. Ask if the option is missing. If you cannot find captions, contact the instructor or the disability services office, because the session may need to be set up for captioning.

If you are not sure whether you need captions or subtitles, the comparison in Subtitles vs Closed Captions: How To Choose The Right On‑Screen Text In 2026 – Internetbuttons explains how to choose between them.

Transcripts

A transcript turns a lecture into text you can search and annotate. UMBC points students and instructors to Microsoft Word and Microsoft OneNote, which include built-in transcription features, as well as the free tool Otter.ai. If you already use Word or OneNote for coursework, the built-in route avoids adding another account.

Transcripts also matter for people who use assistive software. AACSB’s article says course videos need to be available with closed captioning, for use with screen readers, and as transcripts. The reason to ask for all of them is that different learners rely on different formats, and a video that offers only one leaves some people out.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing students

For students who are deaf or hard of hearing, captions and transcripts are the foundation, but they are not the whole picture. Course design, discussion formats and live sessions all matter. The guide on online classes for deaf students accommodations covers the adjustments worth asking for beyond captions.

Screen readers and low vision settings

Screen reading software reads the contents of the screen aloud for users who are blind or visually impaired, according to the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). In online learning it works only as well as the course content underneath it, which is why alt text on images and unique link names, both items on the AACSB audit list, matter so much.

What a survey of assistive technology users shows

AFB published findings from a survey on distance learning in which nearly 100 individuals voluntarily completed an informal online questionnaire. It was not a controlled sample, so treat the results as a signal about experience rather than a ranking of platforms. Even so, the AFB survey on technology and distance learning contains several useful findings:

  • Blackboard dominated the comments: approximately 70% of respondents commented on Blackboard, either exclusively or in combination with other tools, making it the most commonly discussed online educational tool.
  • Reliability was a real problem: nearly one third of respondents using assistive technology described their experiences as unreliable or inconsistent, or reported no successful use or access.
  • Magnifier users fared worse: 30% of those who used screen reading software reported unreliable or unsuccessful access, compared with 63% of those who used screen magnification.

The practical lesson is to test early. Open a course site in the first days, try your own setup on a lesson page, a quiz and a discussion area, and report problems immediately rather than assuming they will resolve themselves. The comparison between screen reading and magnification suggests that magnifier users in particular should not assume a course will work with their setup.

Screen readers across learning platforms

Students often use the same screen reader across several course systems, and each system arranges menus, assignments and discussions differently. The walk-through on screen reader online learning platforms looks at how to move around three common ones.

Magnification and display settings

If you read visually, build a setup you can keep across courses: larger text, strong contrast and a magnifier that follows the pointer or keyboard focus. Because the survey above links magnification with more frequent reliability problems, keep a fallback such as a downloadable version of the material, or a read-aloud option, for the moments when the platform will not enlarge cleanly. The guide to a screen magnifier for online classes goes through the settings in detail.

E-books and text-to-speech

Digital textbooks can be a real accessibility gain when the format lets you change how the text appears and lets software read it aloud. The Accessible Digital Learning Portal, developed by UNICEF with funding from the Global Partnership for Education, has an initiative aimed at making digital textbooks affordable, available and accessible to all learners, including students with disabilities.

A tablet screen showing lines of body text on a light background; a reading device like this lets a student read at a comfortable position, and the display settings determine how readable the page is.

Choosing an e-book format

Before you commit to a reading app or a publisher’s format, check three things: whether the text can be enlarged and the spacing changed, whether the content is real text rather than a scanned picture of a page, and whether a read-aloud feature or your screen reader can work with it. These are checks you can make in a few minutes with a sample chapter, and they save a great deal of frustration over a term. If a required title fails them, ask your disability services office for an alternative format rather than struggling through it.

Text-to-speech

Text-to-speech turns written words into spoken audio, which helps students who read more easily by ear or who tire quickly when reading on screen. A full screen reader, as the AFB describes, reads the contents of the screen aloud and is the heavier-duty choice for blind and low-vision users. Lighter read-aloud options suit students who want audio support for long passages without changing how they navigate the whole computer. The portal also reviews free and low-cost software that can improve learning, which makes it a sensible place to compare options before paying for anything.

Writing, notes and focus

Output tools matter as much as input tools. A student who can receive material accessibly but cannot easily produce work will still struggle, so plan both sides.

Dictation for assignments

Dictation suits students for whom typing is slow, painful or tiring, and it also helps people who think best aloud. It works best when you plan to speak a rough draft and then edit by keyboard, rather than expecting a flawless first pass. The comparison of the best dictation software for students walks through the practical differences.

Note-taking

Good notes in an online course often combine several sources: your own typing, a transcript, and the slides. Transcription built into Word or OneNote, as UMBC describes, makes it possible to keep the recording, the words and your annotations in one place. Choose a note-taking app that works with your screen reader or magnifier, and test it before the first assessed week. The guide to the best note taking apps for students with disabilities compares options built around that need.

An open notebook, pen and sticky notes beside the laptop: a paper backup keeps notes possible when a platform or app fails mid-lesson.

Focus and pacing

Online courses ask for a lot of self-direction, and attention is a real access issue. Short sessions, a fixed study place and tools that reduce distractions help many students, and the details differ from person to person. The guide to online learning tips for adhd covers tools and routines aimed at focus.

Short lessons can help when long videos are hard to sit through, though they only help if the app itself is accessible. Check the apps in Top Microlearning Apps In 2026: Fast, Effective Learning On-The-Go – Internetbuttons against the same checks you would use for any course tool: captions, keyboard use and compatibility with your assistive software.

Everyday digital skills that support access

Accessibility tools assume a baseline of comfort with the computer. Gaps in basic skills can look like access problems and the other way round, so it helps to separate them.

Keyboard fluency is especially useful if you use a screen reader or dictation, because both rely on the keyboard for correction and navigation. It is also worth practising before a course starts rather than during it.

Requesting accommodations for online courses

Personal tools carry you only so far. When the course itself is the barrier, such as uncaptioned video, images without alt text or a quiz that does not work with a screen reader, you need the institution to act.

Starting the request

Contact your institution’s disability services office as early as you can, ideally before the term begins. Describe the barrier in practical terms: what you could not do, in which part of the course, and what would fix it. A request for captions on all course videos is easier to act on than a general statement that the course is hard to follow.

What the process may involve

The 2022 survey of educational technologists and disability access staff describes a process in which students must present medical documentation to prove a disability. Procedures differ between institutions, so check what yours requires at the start rather than finding out when a deadline is near. The same study reports that only 20–40% of students with disabilities choose to disclose, which suggests many students go without formal support. If you are uncertain whether to disclose, the office can explain what it will and will not share with instructors.

Using the legal background

Two points from the evidence are worth keeping in mind. UMBC states that under the ADA, transcription or captioning is necessary for audio and audiovisual media. And according to AACSB, a Department of Justice ruling outlines standards that schools must meet by April 2026 for web content and mobile apps. You do not need to argue law in your request, but knowing that captioning is expected helps you ask confidently.

Checking a course before you commit

You can often spot accessibility problems before enrolling or in the first days of class. AACSB describes course audits that look at whether all videos have captions, all images have alt text and all hyperlinks are unique. Borrow that list: play a video and look for captions, open a page with images and check whether a screen reader announces a description, and scan the links to see whether each one makes sense out of context.

The Accessible Digital Learning Portal also offers guidance on video conferencing accessibility techniques and digital communication tools for remote learning. It is useful if your course relies on live sessions and messaging, and it gives you vocabulary for conversations with instructors.

If you are choosing between free courses, apply the same checks before investing time. Top Free Online Courses With Free Certificates: How To Learn Marketable Skills For Free In 2026 – Internetbuttons lists options, and a quick caption and keyboard test on a sample lesson will tell you whether a course will work for you.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free tool for captioning and transcription?

UMBC recommends Otter.ai as a free tool for students and instructors who need captioning and transcription support.

What should I do if automatic captions are inaccurate?

Report the errors to your instructor or disability services office so the recording can be edited. UMBC notes that machine-generated captions may need to be revised before they are reliable.

What is the Accessible Digital Learning Portal?

It is a resource developed by UNICEF with funding from the Global Partnership for Education. It includes guidance on free and low-cost learning software, video conferencing accessibility and accessible digital textbooks.

Can I use software I already have to transcribe a lecture?

Yes, if you use Microsoft Word or OneNote, both of which include built-in transcription features that UMBC recommends.

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