Digital Accessibility

The U.S. Department of Justice recently made changes to title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (link opens in new window), the requirement for governmental entities to comply with the ADA. These updates dictate specific standards and a timeline for compliance for our obligation to make all digital content, including, but not limited to, online course content and mobile applications. In sum, these changes mean that all digital content must be readily usable by and accessible to individuals with disabilities.

UIC’s commitment to accessibility goes beyond one of legal compliance. As one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse universities in the country, UIC also recognizes that a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive abilities enriches and strengthens our academic community. We now have an opportunity to set the standard for inclusive digital practices.

Digital accessibility refers to the design and development of digital content, technologies, and environments (like websites, apps, and documents) so that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with them effectively, just like anyone else.

Why It’s Important:

• Equal Access and Inclusion: Over 1 billion people globally live with some form of disability; in addition, 21% of college students reported having a disability in 2024. Digital accessibility ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, has equal access to information and services.
• Legal Compliance: ADA Title II requires state universities to reach accessibility compliance by April 2026. Read more about Title II.
• Better User Experience for All: Features like keyboard navigation, captions, or voice commands benefit not just those with disabilities but also users in different contexts (e.g., watching a video in a noisy environment).

Expands Audience Reach: Accessible digital platforms are usable by more people, including aging populations, which increases engagement and potential student reach.

The university has until April 2026 to reach compliance, according to the timeline set forth by the DOJ.

No, Digital Accessibility is not considered an accommodation in the traditional sense—it’s more accurately understood as a baseline requirement or design principle.

• Accessibility means designing digital content, tools, and platforms (like websites, apps, documents, etc.) so that people with disabilities can use them without needing special modifications. It’s proactive and built-in from the start.
• Accommodation, on the other hand, refers to individualized adjustments made when accessibility hasn’t been fully achieved. For example, if a website isn’t accessible to screen readers, an accommodation might be providing an alternative format of the content upon request.

For a physical analog, imagine our classroom spaces on campus – with a small number of exceptions, the campus community can assume that all classrooms are fully physically accessible to those with disabilities, because of proactive design elements such as elevators, ramps, and door activators. Should a student or employee require accommodations to remove barriers to access (such as priority registration or use of specific furniture), the Disability Resource Center and Office for Access and Equity are available to support such accommodation requests on an individual basis.

Instructors must ensure that all course materials are accessible. This includes lecture slides, reading materials, videos, and assignments. Captioning videos, providing transcripts, and using accessible document formats are key components of compliance.

Yes. Third-party tools, apps, or content (such as videos, software, or websites) will need to be fully accessible if these materials are used for courses, programs, and activities. Read about Title II exceptions regarding third party tools here.

Yes. Updates to ADA Title II requires governmental entities to make their digital content accessible. Remember: Access to accessible digital content is not an accommodation provided by UIC Disability Resource Center. Read more about Title II accommodations here.

No. The primary content must be accessible unless prevented by technical or legal constraints outside of the university’s control.

There are several resources available to support accessibility efforts:

Instructional Design Team (College-level):
Provides guidance on accessible course design, including structure, content formatting, and use of instructional technologies.

Learning Management System (LMS) Support Team:
Assists with accessibility evaluation and remediation, particularly if your course materials are stored within the LMS during a platform migration or update.

Digital Accessibility Services and Engineering Team (Technology Solutions):
Offers technical support and general accessibility checker tools for ensuring digital content and platforms meet accessibility standards, including WCAG compliance.

Students must ensure that any digital content they create for university business is accessible. This might include work done in a university-affiliated job or internship. However, students are not required to make academic coursework or personal content accessible.

Technology Solutions is currently looking at accessibility support in Canvas and will post a report on this website when it’s ready.

All university staff, faculty, and instructors who produce or manage digital content are responsible for ensuring its accessibility.

All digital content that is used to apply for, gain access to, or participate in services, programs, and activities of the university must be accessible. There are exceptions for content that falls outside of this use, such as archived content; however, such content would need to be made accessible upon request. Social media content posted prior to June 24, 2024, does not need to be made accessible.

Creating accessible materials from scratch only takes a little extra time once you know the basics. Remediating existing content varies — simple updates, like adding alt text or formatting a syllabus, might take just a few minutes, while more complex adjustments may take longer. The key is knowing the basics; with practice, accessibility becomes a natural part of your workflow. Digital Accessibility Services and Engineering (Technology Solutions) provides various training and consultation services read more about their offerings here.

No, access to accessible media is not an accommodation. Accessible design supports the right to information for all, while accommodations address specific needs around how someone uses technology. Accessible media ensures that everyone, including individuals with disabilities, can independently access information and resources without needing to request special arrangements. This is different from accommodations, which adjust how individuals interact with technology or environments, such as extended test times or providing assistive devices.

To make your digital content accessible, use built-in tools like Microsoft Word’s and PowerPoint’s Accessibility Checker or Adobe Acrobat’s Full Check to identify and fix common issues such as missing alt text and reading order. For web content, browser extensions such as WAVE and axe DevTools can flag structural and navigational issues, while WebAIM’s Contrast Checker ensures the color contrast meets the WCAG standards.

UIC will be putting resources in place and offering skill-building opportunities to allow instructors and staff to feel comfortable creating accessible materials, recognizing inaccessible materials, and performing basic accessibility remediation.

This digital accessibility website houses resources such as training materials, guidelines, and accessibility checklists. UIC Digital Accessibility Services and Engineering (DASE) team also provides monthly accessibility webinars and weekly digital accessibility office hours. Upcoming events will be posted at the bottom of this page.

We will offer regular workshops and training sessions on digital accessibility best practices, including creating accessible course materials, documents, and web content. Self-paced online training and resources will also be available. Upcoming workshops and training sessions will be posted at the bottom of this page.

If the software is licensed through a third party, you can contact the vendor and ask them to provide a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template). A VPAT is a document used by Information Technology (IT) vendors to describe how their products and services conform to accessibility standards.

In addition, you can log a ticket with Technology Solutions in TDX by emailing ithelp@uic.edu. One of our specialists will conduct an audit and provide a report. If you do acquire a VPAT, please add it to your ticket, and we will check it against the software.