From the Editor: The following press release was issued by the National Federation of the Blind and Oregon State University. It is followed by the text of an FAQ document that further explains the agreement.
Corvallis, Oregon (April 7, 2026): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB) and Oregon State University (OSU) announced today that they have agreed to a settlement involving accessibility enhancements to university services, programs, and activities.
Oregon State will pay $475,000 to resolve claims brought by the nationwide membership and advocacy organization and by one of its members, who is a blind student at the university, involving concerns about the speed and accuracy with which course materials—particularly those needed for STEM courses—were made accessible by the university’s disability access services office in partnership with academic units.
The National Federation of the Blind made recommendations for additional staff positions to support accessibility work and OSU proactively established these positions. Additionally, in consultation with the NFB, OSU leaders have begun implementing changes including procuring tools to support the creation of accessible materials, expanding assistive technology and services that provide access to blind people, rewriting policies, and developing new procedures to ensure that accessibility will be better addressed in the future.
Moving forward, Oregon State faculty and staff will participate in additional training and be provided with information pertaining to accessible design and inclusive practices specific to blind and low-vision students, which will be included in new faculty orientations and departmental meetings.
“We are pleased to resolve this matter and collaborate with OSU to improve its services to blind students,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind.
“We appreciate the accountability and leadership that OSU is demonstrating by entering into this landmark agreement, recognizing that the experience and expertise of blind people are critical to advancing true accessibility,” he said. “It is long overdue for other institutions of higher education to follow OSU’s example and provide innovative approaches to equality and accessibility.”
OSU provides course materials through its disability access services (DAS) department as an important part of its land-grant mission to serve students, but in this case, the complex technical materials required for some science courses exceeded the capacity of DAS to act in a timely manner.
“OSU is dedicated to a mission where every student succeeds, and we fell short of living up to those values in this instance,” said GL Estes Wallace, Oregon State’s new Assistant Dean and director for DAS, who joined the university in January.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with the National Federation of the Blind to redesign our practices. OSU embraces the concept that accessibility is a shared responsibility institution-wide and is committed to creating an accessible experience that offers equal opportunity for all learners. Settlements such as this one drive the university to advance its practices, engage in the exploration of creative solutions and cultivate a culture of belonging where all have equal access to be able to participate independently and with dignity,” Estes Wallace said.
Oregon State University has agreed to a $475,000 settlement with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), a membership organization of blind people, which presented claims on behalf of a student, in response to concerns that OSU did not consistently provide on-time and accurate accessible course materials. OSU and the Federation have worked together to implement guidance for how the school can better meet the needs of blind and low-vision students in the future.
Speed and accuracy can be challenging when making coursework for complex materials and images accessible. OSU’s Disability Access Services staff works diligently to meet every student’s needs, but the depth and complexity of the materials that needed to be adapted exceeded DAS capabilities at the time. Those capabilities are being improved, thanks to the student who raised concerns.
OSU will communicate its efforts to address accessibility needs with the National Federation of the Blind, which will use that information as it provides leadership to other institutions seeking to improve their accessibility for blind and low-vision community members.