Making our digital content more accessible

May 1, 2026

The way we create and share digital content (webpages, documents, videos, and more) has a direct impact on who can access information at our institution. Digital accessibility ensures that everyone, including people with disabilities, can fully engage with our content.

Why it matters

Under updated federal requirements for ADA Title II, public institutions like ours must ensure that digital content is accessible. The compliance deadline is April 26, 2027.

While that may seem far off, the scope of what we create across the university is large. Meeting this requirement will take a shared, sustained effort across departments. To help guide this process and define the scope of work required, the Office of Information Technology recently published a formal web accessibility standard outlining digital accessibility requirements. 

What does “accessible” mean?

Accessible digital content is designed so that people with a wide range of abilities can use it. This includes individuals who:

• Use screen readers or other assistive technologies
• Navigate by keyboard instead of a mouse
• Have low vision or color vision differences
• Are deaf or hard of hearing
• Experience cognitive or learning disabilities

What you can start doing now

You don’t need to be an expert to begin making improvements. Small changes in your everyday work can make a big difference.

For faculty

• Caption your videos: Ensure all recorded lectures or media include accurate captions.
• Use accessible course materials: Choose readable fonts, structured headings, and sufficient color contrast in slides and documents.
• Organize content clearly: Use headings and lists in Canvas or other platforms to improve navigation.
• Avoid scanned PDFs: Whenever possible, use properly formatted digital documents instead.

For staff

• Create accessible documents: Use built-in styles in Word and proper table formatting.
• Write descriptive links: Avoid “click here” or written-out web addresses. Instead, describe the destination (e.g., “View the annual report”).
• Add alt text to images: Briefly describe images so screen reader users understand their purpose.
• Check before you publish: Use built-in accessibility checkers like Modern Campus CMS Page Check or WAVE for webpages, Grackle for Google Workspace documents or Accessibility Checker for Microsoft Office applications. These should also be used before saving a document as a PDF.

For those managing social media

• Add alt text to images: Most platforms (Instagram, Facebook, X/Threads, LinkedIn) allow you to add alternative text to describe the key content or purpose of an image.
• Caption all videos: Ensure videos include accurate captions; auto-captions are a good start but should be reviewed for accuracy.
• Use CamelCase for hashtags: Capitalize the first letter of each word (e.g., #GoNanooks) to improve readability for screen readers.
• Avoid text-heavy graphics and/or flyers: Important information should be included in the post text, not only embedded in images.
• Be mindful of emojis: Use them sparingly and place them at the end of sentences. Screen readers announce each emoji description.
• Check color contrast: Ensure text overlays on images are readable and meet contrast standards.

Focus on what you create moving forward

While we continue to assess and improve existing content, the most important step right now is to ensure that anything new you create is accessible from the start. This approach reduces future workload and helps us build a more compliant digital environment.

Learn more

The UA Accessibility website is your central hub for:

• Step-by-step guides and best practices
• Training videos and tutorials
• Tools to help you evaluate and improve your content
• Contacts for questions about digital content accessibility