Case Study: University of Staffordshire achieves major accessibility improvements with Anthology Ally

Using Anthology Ally to Make Accessibility Second Nature at University of Staffordshire

University of Staffordshire, a 100+ year institution with 24,000+ students across three campuses, faced a digital accessibility challenge: Anthology Ally was already available but underused, with average Ally scores only around 30–50% and a broad knowledge gap about digital accessibility. The university set a clear goal to make accessible content the default and ensure learning is available to all students from the start, using Anthology Ally alongside its Blackboard VLE.

To drive change, the university integrated Anthology Ally into Blackboard training, ran workshops, created guides and drop-in support, and set a policy requiring an 80% Ally score for Blackboard content; they also engaged in Anthology’s Fix Your Content Day. The results were measurable: 7,282 fixes (most in the Europe & Middle East region, fifth globally), 18,747 unique Ally downloads in 2024 (up 22% year-over-year), fewer student access requests, and clear increases in Ally adoption and accessibility awareness.

University of Staffordshire

Rowan Walker

Student Digital Engagement Officer