Case Study: Stephen F. Austin State University achieves accessible, user-friendly online learning and reduced support calls with D2L Brightspace

A university with a good reputation for accessibility discovers that it’s missing the mark online—dramatic change ensues

Stephen F. Austin State University (SFASU), a public university serving nearly 13,000 learners, had a strong reputation for accessibility but faced recurring online-accessibility failures—especially for visually impaired students using screen readers—which generated frequent faculty and student complaints and threatened that reputation. With their old platform contract ending, SFASU committed to finding a more accessible learning environment and involved students and faculty with disabilities in the selection process.

They adopted Brightspace after user testing, created a dedicated Brightspace support team, partnered with the Office of Disability Studies, and launched faculty training and multi-channel help resources. The change cut accessibility support calls from weekly/monthly to only one or two per semester, saved staff and faculty time, freed resources for new projects, and helped SFASU re-establish leadership in online accessibility (winning the 2014 Desire2EXCEL Award).

Stephen F. Austin State University

Janet Kamps

Coordinator, Distance Education