Systematic Review (2000 to 2021) of Online Accessibility Research in Higher Education
Abstract
As online learning has been constantly increasing in higher education institutions for the past two decades, it is important to advocate for all students to have equal access to a high-quality education. Therefore, an important aspect of online learning in higher education is the need for accessibility for all students with disability of any kind. As such, this systematic review analyzed 95 existing research studies from the past two decades, focusing on the use of different accessible strategies for design, facilitation, and assessment in online learning. Four research themes including, accessibility standards, assistive technology, Universal Design for Learning, and need for training and development on online accessibility emerged from the systematic review. The findings from this systematic literature review include implications for higher education institutions, so they can further support students with disabilities in an online setting.
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The TOE framework was first proposed by [53] and has since been applied extensively as a model for analyzing institutional readiness and adoption of technological innovations.
“This framework was first proposed by [53] and has since been applied extensively as a model for analyzing institutional readiness and adoption of technological innovations [47-49, 54, 55, 56].”
From Toward universal access to information: an analysis of digital accessibility policy readiness in U.S. public universities (2026) · cites this paper as [47]
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- Authors
- She, L., & Martin, F.
- Affiliations
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte (US)
- Corresponding author
- She, Liane
- Venue
- American Journal of Distance Education
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2022-06-08
- Volume
- 36
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 327-346
- ISSN
- 0892-3647 (ISSN-L)
- 1538-9286
- OpenAlex
- W4281654250
- Cited by
- 14
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1
- FWCI
- 0.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- American Journal of Distance Education (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Digital Accessibility for Disabilities
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Education and Employment
- Social Sciences › Education › Online and Blended Learning
- Keywords
- web accessibility, higher education, students with disabilities, online learning, Universal Design for Learning, assistive technology, accessibility standards, online assessment, faculty training, equal access to education
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