Digital Accessibility
Shepherd University is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all members of our community, in accordance with updated regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II requires public institutions to provide equal access to services, programs, and activities including websites, course materials, and other digital resources.
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act was updated in April 2024 to include enhanced web accessibility standards.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, was designed to make electronic and informational technologies accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Digital Accessibility Resources | Everyone Has A Role | Faculty Submission Form |
Understanding the Law
Title II of the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act already required public institutions like Shepherd to provide equal opportunities to people with disabilities in all their operations, including online “services, programs, and activities.”
The 2024 revised regulations adopted technical standards for making web content and mobile apps used by Title II institutions accessible. Specifically, they designated the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines Version 2.1, Level AA (WCAG 2.1 AA), an international accessibility standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. The regulations also set a deadline for institutions like Shepherd University to meet these requirements of April 24, 2027.
What Content is Included?
Examples of content types that should be accessible include:
- Documents: all web-accessible document types must be created in such a way as to guarantee access by people with disabilities.
- Web Content: includes information and experiences available on the web, such as text, images, sound, videos, and documents.
- Non-text content: includes images, videos, audio, and other elements that are not text, requiring text alternatives or other forms of accessibility.
- Time-based media: audio and video require captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions.
- Mobile Apps: applications for mobile devices must meet accessibility standards
Compliance Plan
1. Learn It
Learn the ADA requirements and broaden your understanding of digital accessibility. Review the trainings and resources on the Digital Accessibility Training and Resources webpage.
2. Audit
Assess your digital content to identify what needs to be made accessible. Remember to take your time, prioritize, and review materials in sections, not all at once. Important things to review are:
- Microsoft Office and PDF documents
- Presentation Slides
- Videos and audio content
3. Improve it
Take action to address both immediate remediation needs and establish long-term accessibility-first workflows.
- Use tools such as accessibility checkers to make adjustments to your existing course content
- Refer to the SU digital accessibility checklist when creating new course content
- Submit course content for review or for any assistance you need through the Digital Accessibility Course Material Form