Old Dominion University is committed to providing equal access to its services, programs and activities for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities. All digital content actively used for University business must be accessible and conform to (WCAG), in compliance with the Department of Justice final ruling on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Title II Subpart H of the ADA requires actively used digital content to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA and takes effect on April 24, 2026. Compliance with this standard will impact all areas of the University.
This page focuses on digital content accessibility in courses and instructor communication with students.
Accessible by Design
Our responsibility to create accessible content does not end at the 2026 compliance deadline. Meeting the ADA requirements is an opportunity for you to refine your digital environment and ensure your expertise reaches every student at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿.
By adopting accessible design, you are ensuring your course materials provide a seamless, high-quality experience for all. This isn't about doing more work; it's about doing our best work by making sure our expertise is reachable by everyone.
According to Title II of the ADA, digital content is the information and sensory experience delivered to a user through a user agent, such as a web browser. This includes (but is not limited to):
- text,
- images,
- sounds,
- videos,
- controls,
- animations, and
- conventional electronic documents.
In practical terms, anything put into a digital space must comply with Title II accessibility requirements. Examples include:
- Web pages, both public and password-protected
- Documents, such as PowerPoint, Word, or PDF files
- Email content, including attachments
- Course content, including:
- Canvas pages, assignments, discussions, quizzes, etc.
- Documents added to a course or linked to from a course
- Instructional tools or content
- Publisher content
Digital content includes the information technology used to deliver these things, such as a website or mobile app. For example, if ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ delivers content through a mobile app, then the app itself (its controls, navigation, appearance, etc.) must also be accessible. The same accessibility requirements apply to technology that is purchased, developed, maintained, or otherwise acquired by the University, and to technology obtained, provided, developed, or maintained by third-party vendors.
Accessibility is a shared responsibility. Rather than falling on any single department or individual (as this is a large-scale federal requirement), maintaining an equitable digital environment requires a coordinated partnership between faculty, staff, and the University.
To meet federal mandates effectively, we lean on a collaborative division of labor. This ensures that pedagogical expertise and technical infrastructure work in tandem. By clearly defining these roles, we protect the academic freedom of content creators while ensuring the university provides the robust, accessible tools necessary to host that content.
The following matrix outlines how our collective efforts intersect to support a culture of inclusion:
| Responsibility | Owner | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Content Integrity | Faculty & Content Creators | Ensuring digital documents and course content (e.g., PDFs, videos, documents, and email) are accessible. |
| Tools & Infrastructure | University | Providing platforms (e.g., Canvas and Zoom) that are capable of meeting accessibility standards. |
| Training & Support | University | Provide workshops and tools to help faculty verify the accessibility of their content. |
| Documentation & Intake | Office of Educational Accessibility (OEA) | Managing medical documentation and individualized accommodation letters. |
Getting Started
Training
Monarchs ADAPT: Why We Reign Accessibly
A core training component for digital accessibility. This session explores the significance of accessible design and the difference between reactive accommodation and proactive compliance.
(30 minutes; MIDAS login required)
AI and Accessibility: Neat and Tidy(UP) makes a Yuje (YuJa) Impact - Feb. 19, 2026, 12:30-1:30 p.m.
In this workshop, you will explore two tools that utilize AI to clean up and guide remediation of your course content. Join us to learn how you can TidyUP your course by identifying and deleting unused or outdated content, which will have a huge impact on your YuJa Accessibility score.
(MIDAS login required)
Guides
Refer to the â„¢ to ensure your course is optimized for all learners.
Additional Resources
- Common Accessibility Issues
- STEM Accessibility Strategies
- (University of Wisconsin-Madison)
- (Microsoft)
Tools
- Equatio - A digital equation editor to create accessible formulas, equations, and graphs
- Grackle Docs - An accessibility checker for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
- (Microsoft)
- YuJa Panorama - A tool to check accessibility in Canvas courses and make course content more accessible
Frequently Asked Questions
As a public university, the accessibility of ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿'s digital content is governed by:
- the Department of Justice’s final rule implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (),
- , and
- .
Title II of the ADA requires our content to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
The (WCAG) are an internationally recognized standard for making web sites, applications, and other digital content more accessible to people with disabilities.
- 2.1 refers to published in June 2018.
- Level AA refers to a specific level of conformance to WCAG.
WCAG operates on four principles known as POUR:
- Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
- Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable.
- Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
- Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
(Source: )
Title II of the ADA uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for digital content and mobile app accessibility. You can explore more information about Title II of the ADA and why WCAG 2.1 Level AA was chosen as the technical standard .
We've created a form for instructors to submit questions, request guidance, or report non-accessible course content. Our team is ready to assist you in creating inclusive digital environments for all users.
Resources for Students
The Office of Educational Accessibility assists all students with disabilities in the pursuit of their education.