The Thesis:
Online education infrastructure in the United States is uneven in ways most people outside of education policy rarely see. A well-resourced district can build a coherent digital learning program with trained instructors, accessible platforms, and a clear evaluation framework. A rural district serving a few hundred students may carry the same federal mandate, a fraction of the budget, and no dedicated staff to translate compliance requirements into classroom practice. The Online Education Support Project exists to close that gap.
What the OESP Is:
Operated through Center on Online Learning Solutions and grounded in more than a decade of federally supported research on K-12 online learning, the OESP provides direct technical assistance, training, and resource development for schools, districts, and higher education institutions building or improving their online learning environments. The project operates from a single premise: equitable digital education is not a feature available only to well-funded institutions. It is a baseline expectation that every institution serving students has a responsibility to meet.
Key Strategic Focus Areas:
- Accessibility Infrastructure: Evaluating the platforms and tools institutions currently use, identifying gaps across course content and delivery systems, and providing the frameworks needed to bring those systems into alignment with Section 508, WCAG 2.1, and universal design principles. Schools that have relied on informal accommodation processes rather than built-in accessible design need structured support to make that transition. The OESP provides it in a form that works for institutions without dedicated accessibility staff.
- Faculty and Instructor Development: The most accessible platform in the world will not produce accessible learning if the instructors building courses on it do not understand how to apply accessible design principles. The OESP develops training resources and direct support programs for faculty and instructional designers focused on the practical skills that produce effective, accessible courses at the content level.
- Policy and Procurement Guidance: Institutions make technology choices that shape the learning environment for years. The OESP helps schools build accessibility into procurement criteria, understand what a meaningful vendor accessibility disclosure actually looks like, and write contract language that creates real accountability rather than the appearance of it.
Who It Serves:
The OESP is designed for K-12 students with disabilities and their families, higher education students in online programs with inadequate accommodation infrastructure, instructors who want to teach well online but lack the training to do it accessibly, and administrators who are trying to build something better but do not know where to start.
The Access Point:
If your institution is building a digital learning environment and needs direct support, connect with the Online Education Support Project through centerononlinelearning.org.
