A recent NWHeat webinar highlighted that public institutions must mobilize immediately (if not sooner) to meet the coming U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) accessibility guidelines. Released in April 2024, the new regulation requires “state and local governments to make their websites and mobile applications accessible for people with disabilities.” These rules encompass all public colleges and universities.
The new requirements apply to all public entities, such as state and local governments, in all of their functions, including motor vehicle departments, libraries, police departments, and K-12 schools. Yes, all public colleges and universities are included as well. A parallel rule covering private colleges is under development and is due to be released later this year or early next year.
What Will Be Required?
All content and functions of your websites, mobile applications, and social media that you are using after the implementation deadline will need to meet the specific accessible standards. This encompasses everything online or on your apps. It will affect students, faculty, and staff. A few examples of what needs to be accessible include (but are not limited to):
all content of online courses,
digital content for in-person courses,
online payroll/timesheet forms for staff,
course registration,
library content and searches,
third-party tutoring services,
content from publishers,
housing applications,
educational software,
your social media entries, and
student-submitted content if others are expected to use or review it.
Pretty much everything that is online. There are a few exemptions, but they are very narrow and specific. The details are too involved for this post, but ADA.gov provides a helpful fact sheet.
What Accessibility Standard is Being Used?
From the DOJ press release announcing the rule: “The agency is adopting the technical standards of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, which requires 50 success criteria to make websites accessible. This includes converting pictures and documents so they can be read with assistive technology for individuals with vision loss and providing captions for live and prerecorded videos for individuals with hearing loss.”
What is the Deadline?
The deadline is determined by the population of the geographic area that your public entity serves. Note that for colleges, it is NOT your enrollment, but the number of people living in the state or district you serve. So, the official geographic region from which the institution draws its students. The compliance deadline is:
50,000 or more people: April 24, 2026,
Fewer than 50,000 people: April 24, 2027.
Only colleges that serve a small county or service district will qualify for the later date. Most colleges or universities have a statewide mandate or serve a city or county with 50,000 or more in population. One example highlighted was that of an online K-12 school with eight students enrolled but has a statewide service area. That school fits into the earlier date for large populations.
Why are They Doing This?
DOJ tried a voluntary approach to accessibility. It has not worked.
The new requirements ensure that all public entities have a known and standard set of accessibility requirements that they must meet.
Initially, the DOJ proposed several exemptions for institutions that would have allowed five days to remediate non-accessible issues found on public entity content or applications. Based on the public comments submitted, they instead decided to follow a universal design approach, much as has been done with physical spaces.
These requirements will help both those with and without disabilities. Much like physical facility requirements, such as corner curb cuts, larger bathroom stalls, and door-opening buttons can help everyone, the new standards will provide a more successful and inclusive experience for all.
How is This Enforced?
These regulations will primarily be enforced through lawsuits alleging non-compliance rather than through actions by the DOJ.
What are Some Tips for Next Steps?
Mobley provided some great advice on actions that institutions should be taking, and I have organized them into categories:
Make an overall plan.
Communicate that the path to compliance is the responsibility of everyone. The days of relying solely on “disability services” offices are over. There is too much to do.
Catalog all the places where your institution has web content, mobile apps, and social media. Make a list of content and vendors, as you will need to work with vendors.
Prioritize your efforts. You have limited resources and you need to start by addressing the places with the most impact. Address the web pages and apps with the most traffic. Determine if there are programs that attract more students with disabilities and prioritize content and applications used in those courses.
Develop a plan with tasks and timelines.
Start working with faculty now!
Educate faculty on the requirements, roles, and timelines.
Encourage faculty to look at their textbook options. Publishers will likely only make new versions of textbooks accessible. Many faculty will make textbook selections for the next academic year in the spring, so work with them now.
Start making new content in courses accessible from the start. That will mean less content to remediate later.
Be prepared to answer questions or objections from faculty. For example, to objections regarding “academic freedom,” frame the discussion around that accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but an opportunity to reach more students.
Start working with administrators now!
Educate administrators on the requirements, roles, and timelines.
Post notices for students about where they can get help with their accessibility challenges. Do not lean solely on the disability office.
If you have a request or complaint, address the specific issue (which may take weeks or months to resolve), but also find a solution for the person who raised the complaint, even if it may not be the permanent solution eventually put into place.
Examine all contracts in regard to the date that your institution needs to be in compliance (April 2026 or 2027). What is currently out for procurement? What contracts will be due for renewal. What contracts automatically renew?
Work with your vendors and contracted entities.
Communicate with them about how they will address your compliance needs.
Collaborating with other institutions or with membership groups often gives the college or university greater leverage in requesting accessibility features than working alone.
Like in all big journeys, successfully meeting these new standards will be accomplished a step at a time. Make a plan. The sooner you start, the easier the path will be.
Of course, the results of the election that was held since this webinar might have an impact on the future of this regulation. It will take quite a while for clarity to emerge on that issue. Meanwhile, we hope that you continue to support students with disabilities as much as you can.
This post was written by Russ Poulin, WCET and published in collaboration with NWHeat.
Resources
Due to Office of Civil Rights’ policies, the webinar was not recorded nor were the slides shared. Resources that were shared during the webinar are shared on the NWHeat website.
WCET and State Authorization Network (SAN) members have access to a members-only brief on these regulations: Access for All: New Accessibility Rules for Public Entities. Links to the document for: WCET members and for SAN members.
Russ Poulin is the executive director for WCET. He directs the team’s work in supporting the efforts of postsecondary institutions from all 50 states with a focus on the policy and practice of digital learning. He is a highly sought-after expert and leader regarding policy issues for distance education and on-campus uses of educational technologies. As WICHE vice president for technology-enhanced education, he advises on policy and projects for the regional higher education compact. Russ’s commitment to the field is continually noted, and he was honored to have represented the distance education community on federal negotiated rulemaking committees and subcommittees. Russ has received recognition from the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), the Presidents’ Forum, Excelsior College, and the National University Technology Network (NUTN) for his contributions to postsecondary digital education and educational policy.
Russ received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver and holds a master’s degree from the University of Northern Colorado. For no discernible reason, Russ also writes movie reviews for WCET members. As a movie enthusiast, Russ is most fascinated with characters and plots that surprise him. In addition, Russ is a recovering trivia guy who is also partial to cats and to his wife, Laurie.
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