Online Course Accessibilty at WIU

Above all else, the need for accessible online courses is crucial in ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their abilities, have equal opportunities to pursue education and professional growth. Accessible courses not only benefit students with disabilities by providing structured content and accessible media, but they also promote inclusivity, diversity, and social equity.

In addition to the human benefits, offering accessible online education is essential for compliance with federal and state laws. The  Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act, IITAA 2.1   establishes specific accessibility standards based on the  United States Section 508 Standards   (last updated (4/24) by a new ruling which requires accessibility of all public facing web content, mobile applications, courses and content within Learning Management Systems ( WesternOnline ), and required compliance with the World Wide Web Consortium's Level  A/AA standards of  WCAG 2.1  

At WIU, we must ensure that our websites, information systems, information technologies, and all courses and content within Western Online are accessible to people with disabilities by 4/24/2026. 

The resource provided on this page is self-guided.  If you need further assistance with Accessibility needs, please visit and/or contact these resources:

Accessibility at Western Website | The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (309) 298-1977 or  EOA-Office@wiu.edu .

Accessible Online Courses at WIU - Self-Guided Online Resource Course

To assist faculty and instructors designing and teaching online courses at WIU we have devleoped the Online Course Accessiblity Self-Guided Repository in Western Online. This self-guided resource was designed to help you enhance your online courses, making them accessible to all learners while complying with federal and state regulations. We expect to see the resources within the repository to evolve as we move forward. 

Repository Content

This repository currently consists of the following modules: 

  • Online Course Accessibility at WIU - Let's Get Started!
  • How Am I Going to Do This? 
  • 8 Best Practices Tip Sheets
  • Microsoft Tutorials
  • Western Online Tutorials
  • YouTube Tutorials
  • More Training and Resources

Self-Register to Access the Repository in Western Online

  1. From the Western Online My Courses Page, select Tools > Self-Registration from the navigaton bar. 
  2. You will be taken to the Self-Registration Course Offerings page.
  3. Click on the Online Course Accessiblity at WIU  link.
  4. Confirm that you are enrolling into the correct Course. 
    • When the Description  window appears, ensure that the Course Accessibility at WIU course is listed under the Course Offering Name  and the Course Offering Code. 
    • Click the Register button. 
    • When the  Registraton Form window appears, confirm that the information listed is correct. 
    • Click the Submit  button. 
    • When the Confirmation  window appears, ensure that your information is correct, then click the Finish  button. 
  5. You will find your course located under your My Courses widget under the Faculty Staff/PD tab.