Feb 14, 2015 11:18 AM EST By Russell Westerholm, UniversityHerald Reporter

Two of the most prestigious schools in the country are being sued for discriminating against deaf students in lacking sufficient closed captioning in online courses.

According to the New York Times, a group of advocates for deaf students filed a federal complaint against Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Thursday. The suit covers multiple educational platforms used for their online courses and accuses the schools of violating antidiscrimination laws, the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 in particular.

Spokespeople for both schools said they could not comment on ongoing litigation, but that the institutions are ever conscious of all students with disabilities.

"Much of Harvard's online content is either not captioned or is inaccurately or unintelligibly captioned, making it inaccessible for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing," the complaint against Harvard reads. "Just as buildings without ramps bar people who use wheelchairs, online content without captions excludes individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing."

The complaint against MIT had similar "language" to the one against Harvard, the Times reported.

Harvard and MIT, the crown jewels of the state's impressive group of colleges and universities, partnered to create edX. The free online learning platform delivers podcasts via iTunesU, videos with YouTube and massive open online courses (MOOCs) with Harvard@Home and MIT OpenCourseWare.

Bill Lann Lee, an attorney representing the National Association of the Deaf (NAD), the lawsuit's filer, told the Times Harvard and MIT's actions always have the potential to affect schools across the nation. Lee also said the NAD is also going to see class-action status for their complaint.

"If you are a hearing person, you are welcomed into a world of lifelong learning," Arlene Mayerson, a lawyer for plaintiffs in the MIT case, told Reuters. "No captions is like no ramp for people in wheelchairs."

See Now: Covert Team Inside Newsweek Revealed as Key Players in False Human Trafficking Lawsuit