What You Need to Know to Comply with New Title II ADA Regulations

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued final regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that directly impacted public universities. The deadline for compliance is April 24, 2026. The required areas include public websites (such as isu.edu), mobile apps (such as library access and registration), social media, online learning platforms, course content (e.g., syllabi, videos, lecture slides, PDFs), student services portals, and internal systems used by staff, faculty, and students. Accessibility requirements include:

• Alternative text for images (e.g., Canvas, slides, social media, etc.)
• Captioning and transcripts for multimedia (all videos)
• Keyboard navigability (you can move through a form in a logical format using the arrow keys)
• Logical heading structures
• Color contrast and readability
• Accessible document formatting (e.g., PDFs, Word docs, PowerPoints, etc.)

Here is a checklist to help ensure your online content is in compliance by the deadline. 

• Add appropriate text descriptions (alt-text) to all the images in your content. This includes webpages, Canvas content and uploaded materials such as PowerPoint slides, PDFs, etc. Resource: POET Training Tool: How to Describe Images.
• Ensure that all your videos include transcripts and accurate captions or subtitles. This includes videos you have created as well as videos linked from other sources such as YouTube. Check linked videos for accurate captions and use free, cloud-based do-it-yourself options such as Amara to create and edit subtitles. Panopto makes it easy to edit the captions generated by AI for the videos you upload to a course. Resources: The Online Learning Consortium: Closed Captioning and Transcription; Panopto: How to Edit or Delete Captions and Audio Descriptions.
• Utilize descriptive link text that provides the context and purpose of a link. Rather than “click here” or pasting the actual URL, describe where the link will take you. For example, instead of https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1637149172471693314, use “Online Learning Consortium Thinklink Infographic: Increase the Accessibility & Inclusiveness of Your Presentation”. Resource: CUNY Library Services: Accessible Information on Meaningful Link Text.
• Apply a consistent format in your online course across modules, course materials, and activities to make navigation easy for all users, including those using assistive technology. Resource: WebAIM: Text/Typographical Layout.
• Indicate structure in your content with consistent headings rather than relying on bold or changing font size or color. This applies to website and Canvas content as well as uploaded files. The headings should clearly define the intent of the subsequent elements within. The Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor in Canvas detects common accessibility errors within the editor. In addition, the UDOIT Accessibility Assistant within Canvas scans and evaluates online course materials for accessibility issues. 
• Use the tools within the platform, software, and/or Canvas to format numbered lists (ordered) or bulleted (unordered) items. Pro Tip: Add a period “.” at the end of each item list. This lets the screen reader know the end of the list has been reached and pauses before going onto the next list item. Resource: CUNY Library Services: Lists.
• Apply colors with accessibility in mind. Choose colors with sufficient contrast and use a contrast checker such as the WCAG Contrast Checker Firefox browser plug-in or the Color Contrast Analyzer Chrome browser plug-in. To meet basic accessibility guidelines, text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.  Avoid using color as the only way to communicate information - always make sure meaning is conveyed in multiple ways. Resource: CUNY Library Services: Color and Contrast.
• Avoid using underlined text for emphasis and formatting. Underlined text should only be used to indicate hyperlinks. Resource: WebAIM: Text/Typographical Layout.
• Provide files that are formatted for accessibility, including Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Google Workspace, PDFs, and scanned materials. Resource: The Online Learning Consortium: Creating Accessible Documents; Microsoft - Create Accessible PDFs; Google - Accessible Documents and Presentations

ISU is committed to complying with the updated requirements of the new Title II ADA Regulations to provide equal access for individuals with disabilities. In response to the new regulations, ISU’s Electronic & Information Technology Committee has identified the following priorities and key tasks:

• Obtained a qualified consultant to conduct an accessibility survey. The consultant is finalizing a report of accessibility needs and recommendations that will be addressed, prioritized and included in our action plan
• Action plan template development by an EIT subgroup
• EIT Policy, ISUPP 1020 is under review

It is important to understand that accessibility is a shared responsibility. Anyone who creates, posts or updates digital content that supports the University’s services, programs or activities must ensure the content meets the minimum accessibility requirements outlined under Title II of the ADA.

To learn more about our committee, our timeline and efforts made towards compliance, visit our ISU Accessibility Website.

Additional Resources: 

• The Online Learning Consortium: Other Good Resources
• CUNY Library Services: Accessibility Toolkit for Open Educational Resources
• CIDI Labs: UDOIT User Guide
• Web Accessibility in Mind (WebAIM)
• Canvas: How do I Use the Accessibility Checker in the Rich Content Editor?
• Honorlock: Creating Accessible Online Classes (with Examples)
• Honorlock: Web Accessibility Guidelines & Compliance Standards in Online Learning
• Idaho State University: Disability Services Accessibility Resources
• Instructional Technology Resource Center
• ISU Brand Accessible Colors
• ISU Brand Accessible Fonts and Structure

For additional questions, email AnswersITRC@isu.edu or disabilityservices@isu.edu .