Pathway 5 of 6
Choose an online accessibility course that is right for you.
Also available as: PDF of No-Cost Courses (4 pages, 171 KB) Google Doc of No-Cost Courses (opens in a new tab)
Accessibility is bigger than most people realise when they first encounter it. It touches buildings, transport, technology, communication, employment, and just about every part of our lives. These course hubs do not cover every part of accessibility. Each one is a good place to start.
Digital Accessibility Foundations is a self-paced course for both technical and non-technical learners, including developers, designers, writers, managers, and advocates. An optional paid certificate is available. The hub also brings together courses from providers worldwide. It is a broad and practical first stop for almost anyone.
Short link bit.ly/4mj5KUi (opens in a new tab)
Teach Access offers self-paced courses on disability and accessible design for educators across all disciplines. It is one of the few hubs here that also offers courses designed specifically for students, making it a strong choice for bringing accessibility directly into the classroom at any level.
Teach Access also invites young people and lifelong learners of any age to take part in the Teach Access Student Academy, a no-cost learning series for students typically held each February. Register and access the 2026 Student Academy recordings on the Teach Access Student Programs page.
Short link bit.ly/4mw6ndh (opens in a new tab)
The Accessibility Resource Kit offers short, role-based courses on topics including an introduction to digital accessibility for educators, a whole institution approach, developing web accessibility statements, designing accessible course layouts, and disability awareness and inclusion. It is particularly well suited to further and higher education institutions, especially those in Ireland and Europe.
Short link bit.ly/4sugvVo (opens in a new tab)
NCADEMI (pronounced “n-cademy”) offers self-paced courses on creating accessible digital course materials for instructors and course designers in post-secondary education. Topics include document accessibility, multimedia, and learning management systems. If you are based outside the US, the enrolment form asks for a state. Just pick any one. I chose Wyoming because it was the first state to grant women the right to vote.
Short link bit.ly/4mhmfA8 (opens in a new tab)
A self-paced 3.5-hour course by Frank Elavsky on the Open Visualization Academy, with content updated in September 2025. The course opens with frameworks, concepts, and ethics around disability and accessibility in visualisation, then moves into practical methods for making charts, graphs, and data experiences accessible. Topics include the Chartability standard, the four categories of barriers (perceivable, operable, understandable, robust), and a closing chapter on hardware, physicalisation, and embodied data. A useful next step for anyone whose work touches data visualisation in instruction, research, journalism, or design. No cost; an optional certificate is available with sign-in. Licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
Short link bit.ly/4dtfK9n (opens in a new tab)
A 22-module course from the World Health Organization's Global Cooperation on Assistive Technology (GATE), built around a Select, Fit, Use, Follow-up framework. Modules span cognition, communication, vision, hearing, self care, mobility, and emergencies, with an introduction module for each area and product-specific modules underneath. It gives a wide introduction to assistive products across many settings. Useful for AT specialists broadening their picture, for disability services and allied health colleagues wanting a shared frame, and for educators who collaborate across roles. No cost; available in 18+ languages; registration required.
Short link bit.ly/3RhLx5Q (opens in a new tab)
This entry is a guide to inclusive research. It sits with the courses for any learning community where research is happening.
A 20-video series from UCL's Global Disability Innovation Hub offering practical guidance to early-career researchers and innovators on conducting inclusive research, with insights from disabled lived-experience experts and fellow researchers. It is framed for emerging researchers. The principles also apply in any learning community where research happens: graduate programmes, doctoral cohorts, capstone projects, design studios, action research in schools and universities, and undergraduate research experiences. The series shows how to centre lived experience and build trust before asking people to take part. It treats disabled contributors as co-authors of the work. A written companion document is also available on the project page.
Short link bit.ly/4nHtXEE (opens in a new tab)
Use this quick guide to find the best starting point for your context and goals.
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| New to accessibility? | Start with W3C WAI to learn the basics of web accessibility standards. |
| Working in higher education? | AHEAD ARK is designed for further and higher education. It is practical and especially useful for institutions in Ireland and Europe. |
| Teaching students about accessibility? | Teach Access is the only hub here that offers courses designed specifically for students as well as educators, so you can use it in classrooms at any level. |
| Looking for a no-cost student academy open to all ages? | The Teach Access Student Academy welcomes young people and lifelong learners of any age. It is a no-cost learning series for students typically held each February. Recordings from the 2026 Student Academy are available on the Teach Access Student Programs page. |
| Building accessible digital content? | W3C WAI and Teach Access offer courses on accessible design and development. NCADEMI is ideal for building accessible digital course materials. |
| Working with data, charts, or visualisation? | Open Visualization Academy is the strongest option, especially for instructors, researchers, journalists, and designers who use visualisation regularly. |
| Want a wider introduction to assistive products? | GATE Learning on TAP offers a wide picture across cognition, communication, vision, hearing, self care, mobility, and emergencies. |
| Holding or supporting research in a learning community? | Inclusive Research Video Guidance (adjacent resource, not a course) offers practical guidance on doing research with disabled lived-experience contributors. |
All course hubs can be accessed at no cost. Some may require account registration.
Ask LUDIA