HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model for Universities and Colleges
Assess how effectively accessibility is embedded across your university or college. The HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model helps higher and further education institutions identify risks, benchmark progress and prioritise accessibility improvements.
Key benefits
- Benchmark digital accessibility maturity
- Identify compliance and student experience risks
- Prioritise accessibility improvements
- Build an accessibility roadmap
- Support organisational decision-making
Download your free HE and FE maturity model
What is the HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model?
Created by AbilityNet and Alistair McNaught Consultancy, the Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) Accessibility Maturity Model helps organisations assess how effectively accessibility is embedded across leadership, policy, culture, systems and processes.
The model helps you:
- Understand your current level of accessibility maturity
- Identify gaps and risks
- Improve accessibility governance
- Support Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations compliance
- Create a prioritised improvement plan
What does the HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model assess?
The HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model helps universities and colleges evaluate how well accessibility is embedded across their organisation. The model goes beyond compliance checks to explore the people, processes, governance and practices that contribute to accessible and inclusive learning experiences.
The assessment supports institutions in identifying strengths, highlighting areas for improvement and developing a practical roadmap for progress.
The model explores:
- Strategy, leadership and organisational structure
- Disabled student voice and representation
- Staff training and accessibility guidance
- Course-level accessibility and inclusive learning design
- Student information and support
- Compliance checking and reporting
- Governance, quality assurance and accessibility toolkits
By assessing these areas, institutions can gain a clearer understanding of their accessibility maturity and identify priorities for future improvement.
What makes the model different?
Many accessibility assessments focus only on technical compliance. The HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model takes a broader view, helping institutions understand how accessibility is embedded across leadership, teaching and learning, staff development, student support and organisational processes.
This provides a more complete picture of accessibility maturity and helps create meaningful, sustainable improvements rather than isolated compliance activities.
Who should use the model?
- Accessibility leads
- Digital and IT teams
- Learning technology teams
- Equality, diversity and inclusion teams
- Student support services
- Teaching and learning leaders
- Governance and quality assurance teams
- Senior leaders responsible for digital strategy and compliance
The model can be used across an entire institution or focused on a specific faculty, department or course.
How it works
The HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model is designed to help universities and colleges assess their current approach to digital accessibility and identify practical next steps.
- Complete the assessment - Work through a series of questions covering key areas of accessibility maturity across your institution, department or course.
- Review your current position - The model helps you evaluate areas such as strategy and structure, staff training, disabled student voice, course accessibility, student support, compliance processes and governance.
- Identify strengths and gaps - Use the assessment to highlight areas of good practice, uncover potential risks and identify opportunities for improvement.
- Plan your next steps - Create a shared understanding of accessibility priorities and use the results to inform action plans, accessibility roadmaps and future investment decisions.
You can use the model across your whole institution or focus on a specific faculty, department or course.
Amy Low from AbilityNet and Alistair McNaught Consultancy discuss the HEMM:
Want help turning insight into action?
Our experts can support your accessibility strategy, governance and compliance planning through our digital accessibility services.
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Frequently asked questions
We've answered some of the questions we receive about our HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model (click to expand).
The Higher Education (HE) and Further Education (FE) Accessibility Maturity Model is a self-assessment framework that helps institutions understand how effectively accessibility is embedded across their organisation.
The model explores areas including strategy and structure, disabled student voice and representation, staff training and guidance, course-level accessibility, student support, compliance checking and governance.
The model can be completed by accessibility leads, digital teams, learning technology teams, student support services, quality teams and senior leaders. It is often most effective when completed collaboratively.
Yes. The model can be used at institution level or focused on a specific faculty, department or area of responsibility.
An accessibility audit typically assesses the accessibility of websites, systems or digital content. The HE and FE Accessibility Maturity Model takes a broader view, helping organisations evaluate their strategy, governance, training, support and accessibility culture.
No. The model is designed to support discussion and self-assessment across different teams and stakeholders. If you need any help with the model at all, AbilityNet offers expert support to help you conduct the model, review results and plan your next steps.
AbilityNet can help institutions understand the findings, prioritise actions and develop plans for improving digital accessibility.
Get your free maturity model
Used across higher and further education to support clearer decisions and better accessibility outcomes. Fill in the short form below to download the model and start using it straight away.
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