Why Digital Accessibility Matters

Making digital content fully accessible helps every student fully take part in the academic experience.

Legal Requirements

The Department of Justice (DOJ) requires universities to make sure that digital services, programs, and activities work for people with disabilities. This means that it applies to the digital content our faculty and staff create, manage, or use. Universities must still meet disability nondiscrimination rules under ADA Title III, Section 504 (for schools that get federal financial assistance), and other accessibility requirements that give students with disabilities equal access.

The federal government extended the Title II web accessibility compliance dates to April 26, 2027, for larger public entities and April 26, 2028, for smaller public entities. Even so, colleges and universities should treat these dates as a benchmark for higher education accessibility, not a reason to wait. If a school isn’t in compliance by these dates, it could face civil penalties, private lawsuits, mandated remediation, loss of federal funding, vendor liability, and reputational damage.

Westminster will follow a timeline to meet the April 26, 2028 deadline.

How Accessibility and Accommodations Differ

Accessibility refers to designing courses and materials to be usable by as many people as possible from the start. Accommodations are individualized adjustments approved through Student Disability Services (SDS). Both accessibility and accommodations may be necessary to ensure equal access.

Examples of Accessibility

  • Captioned videos
  • Accessible documents
  • Proper heading structures
  • Alternative text

Examples of Accommodations

  • Extended testing time
  • Note-taking support
  • Reduced-distraction testing
  • Alternative format materials
  • Interpreting or captioning services

Faculty Expectations

Faculty should create course materials that align with WCAG principles:

  • Perceivable
  • Operable
  • Understandable
  • Robust

What Faculty Should Do

  • Use accessible Canvas/LMS content. Keep font size at the default setting; this works better with screen readers used by our students.
  • Upload searchable PDFs whenever possible.
  • Use meaningful headings and document structure.
  • Use descriptive hyperlinks rather than "click here."
  • Add alternative text to images, charts, and graphics.
  • Caption videos and multimedia.
  • Make sure color is not the only method of conveying information.
  • Use accessible PowerPoint, Word, and PDF documents.
  • Provide accommodation-related materials on time.
  • Reach out to the UDL faculty liaison, SDS staff, or other campus resources if accessibility questions come up.

What to Do When a Student Reports a Barrier

  • Respond promptly and supportively.
  • Do not request medical information from the student.
  • Refer accommodation concerns to SDS.
  • Work collaboratively with SDS to identify solutions.
  • Address accessibility barriers as quickly as possible.

Accessibility Tips

Use:

  • Accessibility Checker tools
  • OCR-searchable PDFs
  • Proper table headers

Avoid:

  • Scanned image PDFs
  • Poor color contrast
  • Missing heading structures
  • Complex tables without headers

make sure:

  • Captions are available
  • Auto-generated captions are reviewed for accuracy
  • Audio-only content includes transcripts when possible

provide alternative text for:

  • Images
  • Diagrams
  • Infographics
  • Charts
  • Graphs

Ask yourself, if a student could not see this image, would they still understand the information being conveyed? If not, you might need to provide an additional description.

Consider:

  • Can a screen reader access this material?
  • Can a student navigate this content using a keyboard?
  • Are instructions clear and organized?
  • Are documents readable on mobile devices and assistive technology?