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While the ADA has always required public entities to ensure accessibility, the new rule from the Department of Justice (DOJ) establishes specific technical standards for digital content.
Meeting these new requirements necessitates a fundamental culture shift, from a reactive approach, responding to individual accommodation requests, to proactively ensuring all digital content is accessible from the start, rather than addressing the accessibility of digital content after the fact through the provision of accommodation.
Previously, we could address accessibility on a case-by-case basis when a student requested an accommodation. Under the new rule, all digital content must meet accessibility guidelines proactively. No request should be needed.
Key changes:
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The Department of Justice states that "Total population, defined in § 35.104 and explained further in the section-by-section analysis, is generally determined by reference to the population estimate for a public entity (or the population estimate for a public entity of which an entity is an instrumentality) as calculated by the United States Census Bureau."
Public universities are considered to serve the entire population of their respective states, making our compliance date April 24, 2026.
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We must audit and update all our websites, course materials, and digital tools to meet accessibility standards by April 24. 2026.
Failing to comply could result in:
On a positive note, by meeting these standards, we ensure equal access for everyone, fostering a more equitable environment.
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Yes. The ruling applies to all digital content that people need to use to participate in the university. This includes website content, training guides, forms, social media posts, emails, and any applications such as Workday, Microsoft, Stellic, Brightspace, and more.
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No. ADA regulations apply to all digital content including the website, email, social media posts, files in Sharepoint, Onedrive, MS teams, and more. For example, files on MS Teams are not exempt as this is a browser-based service, and it is a contracted third party. The only exemption would be files that are clearly archived and not needed to participate in any university services. The term archived is narrowly defined.
Remember that this is an extension of Title II of the ADA. Title II of the ADA requires state and local governments to make sure that their services, programs, and activities are accessible to people with disabilities.
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The Department of Justice has created this fact sheet.
We will continue to expand the resources on the KEEP C.A.L.M. web page.
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Yes, there are 5 exceptions:
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There is a narrowly defined legal exemption for preexisting conventional electronic documents, unless such documents are currently used to apply for, gain access to, or participate in the public entity's services, programs, or activities.
If web content meets ALL FOUR of the following criteria, it is "archived web content" and is not required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
IMPORTANT Note: Even if content qualifies for the archived content exception, faculty and staff are still responsible for providing an accessible version, or an equally effective alternative, if someone with a disability requests it. This obligation applies to all digital content, regardless of where it appears, on a website, in a course, or in any other digital format used to deliver information to students, employees, or the public. See the DOJ rule on digital accessibility, paragraph 34.
Examples:
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Compliance is a shared responsibility. Faculty must ensure that their course materials meet accessibility standards. Web developers, instructional designers, and administrative staff must ensure that websites, apps, emails, and digital resources are accessible. The university will provide support and resources to help with this process.
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No, this rule is not connected to political agendas or state-specific legislation. It was announced by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on April 24, 2024, as a federal initiative to address ongoing accessibility challenges.
The DOJ determined that voluntary compliance and individual legal actions have not been sufficient to ensure equal access for individuals with disabilities. To address this gap, the DOJ established specific technical standards for web content and mobile app accessibility. These standards are intended to provide consistent and predictable access to digital resources offered by public entities, including educational institutions.
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Most accessibility enhancements increase usability for everyone, while they are essential for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities. For example, captioning a video will allow those who are deaf or hard of hearing to engage with your content. Similarly, formatting a website so that it can be read by a screen reader allows it to be navigated by an individual who is blind or vision impaired. Likewise, accessible websites allow individuals who may have mobility injuries to use only a keyboard or alternate input devices to use a website effectively.
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The new rule will require both enterprise-wide and local unit efforts to ensure that web content and mobile apps comply with the technical standards. All owners, managers and creators of web and mobile app content will need to understand how to comply with the technical standard. Staff and faculty will play a critical role in helping the University meet accessibility standards by taking steps to create and deliver accessible digital content.
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Digital course content is to be treated like any other web or mobile app content. This would include digital content such as syllabi, readings and textbooks, recorded lectures and videos, slide decks, Brightspace pages, assignments and handouts, images and diagrams, all websites students are required to review, and all third-party digital applications that students are required to use.
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No. The University of Akron is an institution whose services meet the needs of the public. Therefore, all academic content must meet the accessibility requirements. The instructor’s content will not be made publicly available.
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If web content meets all four of the following criteria, it is “archived web content” and is not required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
Note: You may still have to provide web content in an accessible format if an individual requests it. See the DOJ rule on digital accessibility, paragraph 34.
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Web content that is “kept only for reference, research, and recordkeeping” cannot be used to participate in a current UA service, program, or activity.
Examples:
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A dedicated area for archived content must have a clear, consistent label that identifies it as an archive. This can be a section of a site or a section of a page.
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If content meets all three of the follow criteria, it is an “individualized conventional electronic document” and not required to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA.
Examples
Note: You may still have to provide web content in an accessible format if an individual requests it. See the DOJ rule on digital accessibility, paragraph 34Q: Am I required to make my social media posts accessible?
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If a post was created on social media before April 24, 2026, it is not required to comply with WCAG 2.1 AA.
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Starting April 2026, all digital materials must meet digital accessibility standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA). The good news is you don’t have to do everything at once. Starting now makes the transition manageable.
Prioritize new materials. Make sure anything you create or update from this point forward meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines. As you prepare your Spring 2026 courses, please design or edit to meet these standards.
Use YuJa Panorama. Let the tool scan your content and guide you to the most important fixes.
Keep improving over time. Each step you take now reduces the workload later and ensures your students can fully engage.
Use this WCAG checklist to identify the standards you will need to meet. Note: In the UDX bowl, we will explain each checklist item in more detail with tips and examples.
Review these Accessibility FAQs.
Accessibility is not optional, but with steady progress, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start today, and you’ll be ready when the deadline arrives.
C.A.L.M.: Small steps, big impact in accessibility.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are an internationally recognized set of recommendations for making web content more accessible to people with disabilities. Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), these guidelines provide universal standards for creating websites, web apps, and digital content can be used by people with various disabilities.
WCAG helps people with:
WCAG is built around four core principles that form the acronym POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust.
Perceivable
Operable
Understandable
Robust
These guiding principles provide a foundation to ensure that content:
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Start by using accessible templates and tools provided by the university. Ensure that all documents, presentations, videos, and interactive content follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines. Register for training as it is announced.
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Start with content you know you will be using in the Spring. Within those courses, start with issues that YuJa Panorama categorizes as major. And within those, start with content that is critical to teaching. For example, is it a lecture, an assignment, a reading or an exam? If your student could not access it, would there be learning loss? Most of us will have decorative announcements or optional activates. You could put those on your YuJa Panorama to do list,and focus first on the content that is critical for student learning.
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All course content must meet WCAG guidelines. This includes third-party content. For example, if you link to or embed a YouTube video in your course, you are required to ensure it has accurate captions or provide a transcript as a text alternative — even if you did not create the video.
Faculty and Staff who procure content, like training courses, websites, platforms, software or apps, must ensure that content is accessible during the procurement process.
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All software that any member of the University must use to accomplish their job or meet a learning requirement must meet the requirement. The purchaser must request a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template® ) from all existing vendors for software currently in use. For new acquisitions, the purchaser must request a VPAT from the vendor and confirm that the
We can provide a sample email to send to vendors. Note that this DOJ ruling applies to all public educational (PK-20) and government entities in the United States. The request should not be a surprise to the vendor.
Email purchasing@uakron.edu for assistance.
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We everyone, we are offering the UDX Design Experience. The Universal Design Experience (UDX) Bowl is a football-themed challenge where we learn digital accessibility together and compete for prizes!
For faculty:
For staff:
Register here: https://uakron.libcal.com/calendar/DDS
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Yes. The Policy applies to all types of Digital Content, including any information or communication accessed or displayed in a digital format or medium.
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Yes. The Policy applies to all types of Digital Content, including any information or communication accessed or displayed in a digital format or medium, such as text, image, audio, or video.
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First, don’t panic. We have implemented YuJa Panorama to make it easier to correct issues. We are designing more training. We are all in this together and will need to all help each other.
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The DOJ ruling states that we must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. There is no range specified, it must be 100%.
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You will need to contact the document owner and explain that we must meet the accessibility requirement. The best option is to ask the document owner to correct the issues, especially if this is something you purchased such as textbook materials. Alternatively, ask if you can provide a second version that meets the guidelines.
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YuJa Panorama is a digital accessibility and remediation tool that also provides students with alternative formats of documents like ReadSpeaker.
Answer: No. It will help a lot, but there are issues that cannot be fixed with YuJa Panorama. In many cases, it will tell you this. Due to academic integrity concerns, YuJa Panorama cannot be used in Brightspace quizzes.
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Panorama offers a range of features to ensure that all students in a Brightspace course have a variety of ways to access digital files and course materials. This tool automatically generates alternative formats for course files to best suit learner needs.
For example, a student may need to listen to an audio podcast instead of reading a document; or use the Immersive Reader to read PowerPoint slides out loud.
Whether it's audio versions of text documents, HTML versions, or other alternative format options for content access, YuJa Panorama gives the learner control to access their preferred format, including on-the-go access via mobile devices.
YuJa Panorama automatically generates these formats, so no additional setup is needed. Students can choose their preferred format directly from the Brightspace interface.
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Yes, YuJa Panorama does have file size limits, as larger files can be challenging to process. Typically, files should be under 50MB for best performance. If your file exceeds this limit, try compressing it or splitting it into smaller sections before uploading to ensure it can be fully scanned and scored for accessibility.
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Quizzes: Only content in the description is scanned for accessibility. Alternative formats are provided only for the description, not quiz questions
Discussions: For discussions to be scanned, there must be content in the directions post.
Answer: Yes. You can login to YuJa Panorama here using your UA credentials. You can upload documents and use YuJa Panorama to correct accessibility issues.