Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is one of the largest educational publishers in the U.S., producing digital textbooks, interactive lessons, and supplemental learning resources for districts nationwide. As more of their product line shifted to digital-first, the need for consistent, WCAG-aligned accessibility guidance became central to their product roadmap.

To support multiple internal teams building interactive learning content, HMH prioritized producing a unified accessibility framework that could guide development across new and legacy digital materials.

Learn how HMH strengthened accessibility alignment across teams creating next-generation educational content.

Challenge

Across large textbook publishers, digital product teams often work independently—each contributing components, interactive modules, and course content. Without a shared accessibility standard, inconsistencies emerge, increasing remediation time and creating friction for students with diverse needs. HMH needed a centralized set of guidelines that could be applied to all new e-learning materials while supporting phased updates to older content.

Solution

Comprehensive accessibility standards aligned with WCAG 2.1 AA—covering interaction patterns, keyboard behavior, color contrast, multimedia, assessments, and screen-reader compatibility. A system which included examples, do/don’t patterns, and developer notes so any team could implement accessible components without ambiguity.

Strategy

The guidelines were built to function as a living resource. HMH adopted them into internal product documentation, ensuring future e-learning products launched with consistent accessibility features from the start. The model also reduced dependency on individual accessibility specialists, enabling teams to work more independently with fewer blockers.