Frequently Asked Questions

What is digital accessibility?

Digital accessibility ensures that websites, applications, and electronic content can be used by people with disabilities. This includes people who rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, keyboard navigation, screen magnifiers, and voice input. Accessible digital content allows all users to perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with information.

Why is digital accessibility important?

Accessibility ensures equal access to information and services for students, faculty, staff, and the public. It also aligns with UC San Diego’s commitment to inclusion and is required under federal and state law. When digital content is inaccessible, people with disabilities may be unable to access information or complete tasks that others can.

Who needs to follow digital accessibility guidelines at UC San Diego?

Anyone who creates or maintains digital content for the university is responsible for accessibility. This includes:

• Faculty
• Staff
• Leadership
• Web administrators
• Web / Email Designers and Developers
• Email Marketers
• Writers and Content Creators

All university-affiliated websites, digital documents, applications, and services should be accessible.

Does my content or website need to be accessible even if no one has complained?

Yes. Accessibility requirements apply even if no accessibility issues have been reported. UC San Diego must ensure that digital content is proactively accessible, rather than waiting for someone to request an accommodation. People encountering inaccessible content may not report the issue and may simply abandon the content or service.

How are issues with VPNs, software license servers, and personal computers being addressed?

The ADA mandate applies to the content being delivered to users, not necessarily the specific hardware or backend networking (like a VPN) unless those interfaces themselves are required student portals. Course content residing on your personal computer only falls under the mandate once you post, share, or deliver it to students for a course.

What is the ADA Title II digital accessibility mandate?

ADA Title II requires state and local government entities—including public universities—to ensure their digital content is accessible to individuals with disabilities. The specific standard adopted for this compliance is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. This ensures that users utilizing assistive technologies, like screen readers, can fully access our digital programs, services, and activities.

Has the compliance deadline changed?

Yes. The federal enforcement deadline for the ADA Title II updates has been pushed out to 2027. However, the University of California (UC) system policies regarding digital accessibility remain in active effect.

Why are we rushing to do this now if the federal government pushed the deadline back a year?

The pushback allows us to give ourselves more time to transition thoughtfully, but the underlying responsibility to provide equal access remains. The technical standard—WCAG 2.1 AA—did not change. The deeper reason is educational equity: students should not be excluded from learning because our materials are unreadable by screen readers, lack captions, have poor contrast, or require inaccessible interaction patterns. Starting now ensures we are fully prepared and avoids disruptive last-minute scrambling.

What laws govern digital accessibility?

UC San Diego must comply with several federal and state laws, including:

• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
• California Government Code 11135

These laws require public institutions to provide equal access to programs, services, and information.

What accessibility standards does UC San Diego follow?

UC San Diego aligns its digital accessibility practices with:

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA

WCAG is the internationally recognized standard for accessible web content and digital documents. These guidelines apply to websites, web applications, PDFs, and other digital materials.

Can you delineate between what is recommended and what is required? (Lists of best practices aren't always helpful.)

The absolute requirement is WCAG 2.1 AA conformance for digital content used in UC programs, services, and activities (unless a legal exception applies). This means students must be able to access and use required course materials: documents, slides, videos, websites, LMS content, etc.
Checklists and best practices are simply practical ways to meet the rule. The distinction is: accessible content is required; particular workflows are recommended. You do not have to use one specific template, checker, or file format, but whatever workflow you use must produce materials that students can actually access.

What happens if my website or content is not accessible?

Inaccessible content can create barriers for users with disabilities and may put the university out of compliance with accessibility laws and policies. This website provides guidance and resources to help bring digital content into compliance and improve usability for everyone.

What types of content are subject to these accessibility requirements?

Essentially, all digital content used for university business and instruction is covered. This includes:

• Public-facing and internal websites.
• The Learning Management System (Canvas) and all active course materials hosted within it.
• Digital documents (PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint slides, syllabi).
• Multimedia (recorded lectures, podcasts, videos).
• Digital communications.

What are some common ways to make a website accessible?

Common accessibility best practices include:

• Using a clear heading structure and semantic HTML
• Providing alternative text (alt text) for images
• Ensuring sufficient color contrast
• Making all functionality available via keyboard navigation
• Using properly labeled forms and controls
• Providing clear link text and meaningful labels

These practices help ensure that content works well with assistive technologies.

I found a plugin or overlay that claims it can make my website accessible automatically. Can I use it?

No. Accessibility overlays and automated “one-click” solutions cannot make a website fully accessible. In many cases, they interfere with assistive technologies and can make websites harder to use for people with disabilities. Accessibility requires proper design, development, and content practices rather than automated overlays.

How do I check whether my website or content is accessible?

Automated tools can help identify some accessibility issues, but human review is required to confirm accessibility. Manual testing is necessary to ensure accessibility. Common tools include:

• Siteimprove
• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
• VoiceOver (macOS screen reader)
• NVDA (Windows screen reader)
• Browser developer tools

We use Siteimprove at UC San Diego. But keep in mind, automated tools can help identify some accessibility issues, but no automated tool can fully determine whether a website or document is accessible.

Important: The Siteimprove platform cannot be used for anything behind a login. In those cases, we recommend you use either the Siteimprove browser extension or Google Lighthouse.

I think my website or document has accessibility issues, but I don’t have a technical background. What should I do?

Many accessibility issues can be addressed using available training materials and guides provided by UC San Diego.

If you need additional help, you can contact the Digital Accessibility team for support, consultation, or guidance on improving accessibility.

Accessibility is a shared responsibility, and resources are available to help campus units create accessible digital content.

Where can I get digital accessibility training at UC San Diego?

UC San Diego offers training and learning resources to help faculty and staff create accessible digital content. Visit the Training page on this website to explore available courses, guides, and workshops.

Who can I contact for help with accessibility?

If you need help or want to report an accessibility issue, use the “Report a Digital Accessibility Concern” form available through the accessibility link in the footer of UC San Diego websites.

Contact the Digital Accessibility team for consultation and guidance.

Do I actually need to fix this PDF, or can I just provide an alternative?

If your PDF is public-facing or required for someone to access information, services, or complete a task, it must be accessible. Simply offering a “contact us for an accessible version” option is not sufficient. You may provide an alternative format, such as an HTML webpage, but it must be fully equivalent, up to date, provide the same information and functionality, and be accessible in the same location.

What’s the fastest way to make this PDF accessible without starting over?

The fastest approach depends on the complexity of your document. For simple PDFs, you can often fix issues directly in Adobe Acrobat Pro by adding tags, setting reading order, and filling in missing properties. However, if the document is complex, poorly structured, or scanned, it is usually faster and more effective to recreate it in Word, Google Docs, or HTML. For frequently used or high-impact content, consider using HTML instead of PDF altogether, as it is easier to maintain accessibility over time. Review the checklist for general document accessibility help.

How can I make this PDF form more accessible?

The standard methods of remediating in Adobe Acrobat Pro or rebuilding the document from scratch apply here, but we don't recommend PDF documents for forms. UC San Diego provides tools like Kuali Build for general forms and Machforms for online website forms.

What about PDFs that are only meant to be printed?

If a PDF is distributed digitally, even if its intended final format is print, it must still be accessible. Accessibility requirements apply at the point of digital access, not just the end use. Only materials that are never shared digitally (e.g., printed and physically handed out without any digital distribution) fall outside typical digital accessibility requirements.

Are the courses I am currently teaching (or will be teaching soon) the top priority for immediate action?

Yes. Courses currently being taught—and courses that will be taught soon—should be the top priority for immediate accessibility work. Accessibility is required when content is delivered, assigned, posted, or otherwise made available to students. The most urgent work is not every legacy file sitting on an archive drive; it is the active content students need to participate in your current and upcoming courses.

What are the requirements for faculty webpages LINKED to department websites?

If your personal or faculty website is linked to a department site and is used to conduct university business, deliver instructional materials, or represent a university program, it is subject to Title II requirements.

How does this mandate affect emeriti faculty?

Emeriti are not exempt simply because of their title. The term "emeriti" can mean very different roles: active teaching, maintaining university websites, serving on committees, or simply retaining a university affiliation. The accessibility obligation follows the university program, service, activity, or digital content. If you are still offering, hosting, assigning, maintaining, or distributing digital content on behalf of the university, it must be accessible.

Are physical, hard-copy books covered by this digital mandate?

No. Because ADA Title II, specific to this rollout, covers digital access, assigning a physical, hard-copy book does not fall under digital compliance. If a student requires an accessible version of a hard-copy text, they should be referred to the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) for an accommodation.

What do I need to do as an instructor to make videos, slides, quizzes, and homework assignments accessible via Canvas?

You need to ensure these materials meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Practically, this means ensuring videos have accurate captions, slides and documents use proper heading structures and high color contrast, images have descriptive Alt-Text, and quizzes are formatted so they can be navigated using a keyboard and screen reader. The university is providing tools within Canvas (like YuJa Panorama) to help you scan and fix these items easily.

Will the new accessibility scanning tools block me from uploading last-minute course materials?

Absolutely not. The university's goal is to support education, not disrupt it. Accessibility tools integrating with Canvas will display a visual accessibility score visible only to the instructor. It will flag areas for improvement, but it will never prevent you from publishing materials or block students from accessing your content.

I use older, third-party PDFs from publishers. Am I responsible for making those accessible?

Yes. Under Title II, if you are utilizing third-party digital materials for a university program or course, you must ensure they are accessible. Often, older PDFs are simply flat images of scanned pages. Tools like "Doc Hub" feature Optical Character Recognition (OCR) to scan and convert these flat PDFs into readable text.

Can I just wait for a student to request an accommodation through OSD rather than making my content accessible beforehand?

No. Accommodation and compliance are two different things. OSD accommodations are specific, retroactive adjustments made for individual students. Title II compliance is a proactive, legal obligation to ensure that all digital materials are fundamentally accessible from the moment they are delivered.

How do I handle highly complex content, like detailed mathematical equations or complicated scientific graphs?

We recognize that multimedia and STEM content present significant challenges. The ADA Title II regulations include provisions and exceptions for highly complex materials where standard remediation may not adequately convey the information without fundamentally altering the nature of the content. If you encounter equations or graphs that cannot be easily translated, the accessibility team and compliance officer will work with you individually to determine the best method of equivalent access or document a proper exception.

My colleagues & I made 3 video "books" with complicated graphs and math spanning 400+ videos. Is there support to add audio narration or captions?

For massive backlogs of highly complex multimedia, please reach out directly for staff support. The campus uses tools like Kaltura, which provides automatic captioning for videos. Additional campus resources are being deployed specifically to assist faculty who have large archives of instructional video that need more complex remediation.

What are the alternatives to using LLMs/AI to make course content accessible—including going offline entirely?

While the university encourages the use of AI and automated tools (like auto-captioning or OCR) to assist with the heavy lifting of remediation, you must always verify the output for accuracy. "Going offline entirely" is generally not a permissible alternative if the course or program is intended to be digital.

Are there specific slide template companies or platforms that are recommended because they have accessibility features embedded?

While we don't mandate a specific third-party company, using the built-in templates provided by major enterprise platforms (like Microsoft PowerPoint or Google Slides) is highly recommended. These platforms have built-in accessibility checkers and pre-formatted templates that naturally enforce good color contrast, reading order, and heading structures.

For faculty completely in the dark about making materials accessible, what are the basics they need to know and where can they get help?

The best starting point is accessibility.ucsd.edu. This website contains a wealth of tools, resources, basic guidelines, and contact information for support.

Will there be a guide sheet sent out to all faculty with key points and recommendations?

Yes. A 1-pager fact sheet, along with additional documentation and help guides, will be distributed to faculty to simplify this process.

What specific tools are being provided to help instructors with course content, and on what timeline?

The university has secured a five-year commitment for YuJa Panorama, with rollout beginning over the summer and full implementation by the fall. This tool integrates directly into Canvas and will:

• Scan your Canvas files and pages.
• Provide an immediate accessibility score.
• Allow you to fix issues (like adding alt-text to images) directly within Canvas.
• Automatically generate alternative formats of your documents (like text-only or audio versions) for students.
• Provide a standalone "Doc Hub" for faculty who do not use Canvas.

Who can I contact if I am overwhelmed or need help with a massive backlog of content?

You are not in this alone. The university is deploying additional staff support specifically dedicated to scanning and remediating content. If you receive an outreach email regarding your website or course content, please respond so our central IT, Academic Technology Services, and ADA Compliance teams can deploy resources to assist you.

What if a digital service cannot be made accessible?

Accessibility exceptions are rare and may only be considered in limited circumstances, such as when a required third-party service has no accessible alternative. Exceptions require formal review and approval. Cost alone is not considered a valid reason to avoid addressing accessibility issues. If you believe a digital service may qualify for an exception, contact Workplace Technology Services for guidance.

If I email a file to someone upon request, does it still need to be accessible?

Yes, in most cases, it should still be accessible. While one-to-one communication over email may allow for some flexibility, it does not remove the responsibility to provide accessible content when requested. If the document is part of a public process (like applications or program materials), it should already be accessible before being shared. Sending inaccessible files can create delays and barriers for users who need immediate access.

Do internal-only documents (for staff or faculty) need to be accessible?

Yes, accessibility requirements apply to internal content used by employees as well as public-facing content. If staff or faculty—including those with disabilities—need to access the document to perform their job duties, it must be accessible. Internal use is not an exemption, especially for operational, HR, training, or instructional materials.

What exceptions does the DOJ actually allow under the new ADA Title II rule?

The DOJ’s 2024 Title II rule allows only a few narrow exceptions for web and digital content. These include true archived content (not actively used), preexisting third-party content that the university did not create or control, individualized password-protected documents (shared with a specific person), and content where full compliance is not technically possible. Outside of these limited cases, most digital content must meet accessibility standards. The rule is intentionally strict, and most commonly cited “exceptions” (like lack of time or resources) are not valid.

If something qualifies for an exception, do we still have to do anything?

Yes. Even when an exception applies, UC San Diego still has an obligation to ensure people with disabilities can access the information or service. This typically means providing an accessible alternative upon request, responding promptly, and ensuring the alternative is equivalent in content and function. Exceptions reduce technical requirements in specific cases but do not remove the responsibility to provide access.

What is UC San Diego doing to improve digital accessibility?

UC San Diego is continually working to improve accessibility by:

• Updating accessibility policies and guidance
• Expanding training programs for campus staff and faculty
• Improving tools and workflows that support accessible content
• Promoting accessibility best practices across campus

How can I contribute to digital accessibility?

Everyone can help improve accessibility by:

• Ensuring the digital content you create is accessible
• Following accessibility best practices
• Reporting accessibility issues when you encounter them
• Participating in accessibility training and learning opportunities

Accessibility is a shared responsibility across the UC San Diego community.