The Department of Justice has issued a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires all digital course materials to meet W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) by April 24, 2026 including website content, linked websites, attached documents, password protected content, and content provided by third-party vendors.
In alignment with the university’s vision that every person and every interaction matters, instructors are encouraged to get ahead of this requirement by ensuring all university digital course materials comply with WCAG 2.1 by the start of the 2025-26 academic year. This includes course materials posted on Canvas and content from third party vendors like textbook companies and other learning applications. Instructors are responsible for ensuring that their digital course materials are accessible for all students.
The Center for Transformative Teaching, Services for Students with Disabilities, Institutional Equity and Compliance, University Libraries, and Information Technology Services have created a Digital Accessibility Training course available in Bridge that provides guidance on how to ensure digital materials meet Title II accessibility guidelines.
The CTT is hosting an accessibility workshop series during the spring semester featuring an Introduction to Accessibility on Jan. 29 followed by special topics on Microsoft Word Feb. 5, Canvas Feb. 19, PowerPoint March 5, audio and video March 26, PDF files April 9, and Universal Design on April 23. Registration is available online.
Additional resources available:
- Contact your college’s instructional designer.
- Contact Institutional Equity and Compliance at oiec@unl.edu.
- Visit UNL’s ADA Title II resource webpage.
- Visit UNL’s Web Developer Network File Best Practices resource webpage.