Meeting the ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Requirements

The Importance of Making Your Course Accessible

"Unlock your content for everyone." (Microsoft Accessibility opens a new window)

Making your course accessible is a critical part of complying with the ADA Title II guidelines, ensuring that all students, including those with disabilities, have equal access to your digital content. Accessible courses support students with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments, enabling them to engage fully with course materials. According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA, which serve as the standard for ADA compliance, courses should include features like alternative text descriptions for images, synchronized and accurate captions for instructional videos (i.e., avoid using auto-captions), and properly structured and accessible documents (i.e., Word, PPT, and PDFs). Additionally, instructors must ensure that all LMS tools and features, such as quizzes, assignments, documents, discussion boards, etc. are keyboard-navigable and labeled correctly for those using assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers, voice recognition, etc.).

Projected Timeline (Courses): August 2025 - May 2026
Strategic Focus: Digital content (i.e., quizzes, annotation tools, documents, audio/video content, publisher resources, etc.) used in Mason's online, face-to-face, and hybrid courses.