How to Build Inclusive Learning Experiences for All Learners

When you design a course or a learning app, do you assume everyone learns the same way? If you’ve ever watched a student struggle to follow a video because there’s no caption, or a learner with shaky hands skip past a tiny button on a mobile screen, you know that’s not true. Inclusive learning isn’t about making exceptions-it’s about designing for the full range of human difference from the start. And in 2025, with more people learning on phones than ever before, it’s not just nice to do-it’s necessary.

Start with the Real People You’re Teaching

Forget the word "disabled." Think about real people. Maria, a single mom in Phoenix, uses voice commands to navigate her phone because she has carpal tunnel from years of data entry. Jamal, a college student in Detroit, has dyslexia and needs text-to-speech to understand readings. Aisha, a retiree in Tucson, has macular degeneration and needs high-contrast text to see her screen. These aren’t edge cases. They’re your learners.

According to the World Health Organization, over 1.3 billion people live with some form of disability. That’s 1 in 6 people globally. In the U.S., 26% of adults have a disability, and nearly 70% of them use smartphones daily. If your learning content doesn’t work for them, you’re leaving out a huge part of your audience-and you’re missing out on better engagement for everyone.

Build for Movement, Not Just Vision

Most accessibility guides focus on color contrast and screen readers. That’s important, but it’s only half the story. What about learners who can’t use a touchscreen precisely? Or those who need to use a switch device, a head pointer, or just one finger because of tremors or paralysis?

Here’s what works: Make every interactive element at least 48x48 pixels. That’s the minimum size recommended by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.2). Smaller buttons? They’re unusable for people with motor control challenges. Too many taps in a row? That’s a barrier. If your quiz requires five quick taps to submit an answer, someone with Parkinson’s might never finish it.

Also, avoid time limits. If your course says, "Complete this quiz in 90 seconds," you’re excluding people who process information slower-whether due to ADHD, brain injury, or just being tired after a long day. Let learners go at their own pace. Always.

Design for All Senses, Not Just Sight

Video lectures without captions? That’s a wall for Deaf and hard-of-hearing learners. But captions aren’t enough. You need accurate, synchronized text that includes speaker names, sound cues like "door slams" or "music swells," and clear punctuation so it’s readable on small screens.

Audio-only content? That’s a problem for Deaf learners. But it’s also a problem for learners in noisy places-like a crowded bus, a daycare center, or a factory floor. Always provide a transcript. Not a summary. A full, word-for-word transcript. People with cognitive disabilities, non-native speakers, and those learning in low-bandwidth areas rely on this.

And don’t forget tactile feedback. On mobile apps, haptic pulses can signal when an answer is correct or when a section is complete. For learners with visual impairments, this is often the only way they know they’ve moved forward. Test your app with a blind user. If they can’t tell when they’ve submitted a response, you’ve failed.

Use Universal Design from Day One

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) isn’t a buzzword. It’s a framework with three core principles: multiple means of representation, multiple means of action and expression, and multiple means of engagement.

Representation means giving learners the same content in different formats. A lesson on photosynthesis? Offer a video with captions, an illustrated diagram, an audio summary, and a plain-text version. Don’t assume one format works for all.

Action and expression means letting learners show what they know in different ways. Instead of forcing everyone to write an essay, let them record a voice memo, draw a diagram, or record a 60-second video. A learner with dysgraphia might ace the content but fail a written test. That’s not their fault-it’s your design.

Engagement is about motivation. Some learners thrive on competition. Others need quiet, self-paced tasks. Offer choices. Let them pick their project topic. Let them choose between a quiz, a journal entry, or a group discussion. Autonomy increases retention by up to 40%, according to a 2024 study from Stanford’s Center for Learning Sciences.

Test with Real Users, Not Just Tools

Automated tools like WAVE or Lighthouse can find color contrast errors or missing alt text. But they can’t tell you if a learner with aphasia can understand your instructions. Or if someone with anxiety feels overwhelmed by flashing animations.

Here’s how to fix that: Recruit real people. Reach out to local disability organizations. Offer a $25 gift card. Ask them to use your course on their own phone. Watch what they do. Listen to what they say. You’ll learn things no checklist can teach you.

One developer in Portland redesigned their app after a user with cerebral palsy said, "I can’t tap the "Next" button because it moves when I hold my hand still." The button was animating slightly to draw attention. To most people, that’s cute. To her, it was impossible. She didn’t need a bigger button. She needed it to stay still.

Fix the Little Things That Break the Experience

Small oversights create big barriers. Here are the most common ones I see in mobile learning apps:

• Text that’s too small to read on a phone without zooming (use relative units like "em," not fixed pixels)
• Links that look like regular text (make them underlined or colored, not just blue)
• Forms with no labels, or labels that disappear when you start typing
• Auto-playing audio or video that starts without warning
• Menus that require swiping left-right to navigate (use vertical lists instead)
• Color-only indicators ("Correct answers are green," but what if you’re colorblind?)

These aren’t "nice-to-haves." They’re deal-breakers. A 2023 report from the National Federation of the Blind found that 83% of learners with visual impairments abandoned an online course because of poor mobile design.

It’s Not Just About Compliance-It’s About Belonging

Legal requirements like the ADA or Section 508 matter. But if your only goal is to avoid lawsuits, you’re missing the point. Inclusive design doesn’t just make learning possible-it makes learners feel seen.

Think about how a student feels when they finally understand a concept because the video had accurate captions. Or when they submit an answer using voice input and the system recognizes them without judgment. That’s not accessibility. That’s dignity.

When you design for the edges, you improve the middle. Captions help ESL learners. Clear navigation helps people multitasking with kids in the background. Flexible pacing helps working adults. Inclusive learning isn’t a special accommodation. It’s better learning-for everyone.

Start Small. Start Now.

You don’t need a big budget or a team of experts to begin. Here’s your 5-minute action plan:

1. Turn on captions on your next video and check if they’re accurate.
2. Enlarge your buttons to 48x48 pixels on your mobile course.
3. Add a transcript to your longest audio lesson.
4. Remove any auto-playing media.
5. Ask one learner with a disability for feedback-just one.

That’s it. You’ve just made your course more inclusive. No certification needed. No software to buy. Just human-centered thinking.

Learning isn’t a one-size-fits-all experience. And the sooner you stop pretending it is, the better your content will be-for everyone.