Accessibility in Quality Learning and Teaching

The Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) Rubric has been updated for 2026 and one of the most significant changes has to do with accessibility.

Section 8 of the Quality Learning and Teaching (QLT) Rubric sets out four objectives around Accessibility and Universal Design.

In past versions, one of the objectives gave us a benchmark accessibility goal of 85%. While that is not the legal standard, it served as a useful milestone for faculty working towards full accessibility. A Course Accessibility Report score of 85%, or the knowledge that all instructional materials for the current semester have scores of 85% or higher, is a good start.

Version 4, newly published, no longer includes the 85% benchmark. The revised objective reads:

• “Course materials, media, and instructional resources are fully accessible to learners using assistive technologies and conform to recognized accessibility standards. Accessibility requirements apply equally to instructor-created, externally sourced, as well as AI-generated materials.”

What does this mean for CSUN? The true measure of accessibility is the student experience — do all students have equitable, timely access to their course materials? QLT version 4 puts the emphasis back on our students. 

The changes to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) coming in April 2027 are all about those “recognized accessibility standards.” Think of the changes to the ADA like a checklist, helping you validate ahead of time how likely a student is to have equitable access.

The score from your Course Accessibility Report in Canvas can similarly help you measure your progress towards equitable access. Even a score of 100% doesn’t guarantee that a student will have the same experience as their peers, but it raises the likelihood.  

Benchmarks still have their place. Knowing that the ultimate goal is “course materials… are fully accessible to learners … and conform to recognized accessibility standards,” and that a 100% score in your Course Accessibility Report demonstrates commitment in pursuit of that goal, we can set milestones on the way. 

To borrow from our marathoners, can you set a new “personal record” (PR) this semester? Can you achieve your highest accessibility score to date? The Universal Design Center (UDC) offers training in a variety of modalities — and custom trainings for your department — plus consultations to help you achieve your accessibility PR.