Goals for stepping up accessibility, as regulatory deadlines approach

From: Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education, Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies 

Update: With the spring semester nearing its end, staff and faculty should assess their goals for strengthening accessibility practices before updated state and federal regulations for digital accessibility take effect. While the Title II ADA regulatory deadline is being delayed until April 2027, the Commonwealth of Virginia’s IT Access Act still goes into effect on April 24 of this year. To prepare, employees should continue auditing digital environments for WCAG conformance, training teams on new assistive technologies, and fostering inclusive, clear communication. Setting goals to complete training in areas where new skills are needed, conducting regular audits, and securing leadership support will help ensure long-term, proactive improvements in accessibility. 

These steps support Virginia Tech’s commitment to meet its legal obligation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act, and Virginia IT Access Act. Though all now have different deadlines for conformance with technical standards, they all give structure to the university’s pre-existing duty to provide equal access for individuals with disabilities in all programs, services, and activities. The Office for Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education (CRCPE), in coordination with Technology-enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS), emphasize that all employees, including teaching faculty, are responsible for ensuring that the digital materials they create, share, or use are accessible to people of all abilities. This includes materials in all formats, including documents, websites, videos, and other media. 

Here are some goals for stepping up accessibility practices:

• Level up skills: Assess your skills in digital accessibility (in areas like formatting tables, forms, color contrast, screen reader compatibility, etc.) and consider getting training in areas where skills are needed.
• Conduct regular audits: Perform quarterly audits of course content, web pages, shared documents, and media with tools like DubBot for websites and Ally for Canvas content. Then create a list of defects by severity and type. The report will guide immediate, targeted remediation.
• Implement inclusive communication: Switch to plain language to remove cognitive barriers and ensure all digital content and marketing materials use alt-text and captions for videos, figures, etc. Learn more about inclusive communication.
• Create accountability and education priorities: Be an accessibility champion. Promote regular team training sessions to foster a culture that values accessibility as a standard practice, not an afterthought. 

Following these steps can ensure an inclusive digital environment. The university provides a variety of tools including an updated PREP dashboard that offers quick AI-assisted and paid options to remediate PDF files. While the university always offers professional development opportunities with campus experts, Deque University classes and WebAIM document remediation training will expire in May 2026. Take advantage of those courses before the license expires. For questions, contact 4Help IT Support online at 4Help.vt.edu, or by phone at 540-231-4357.