Your Digital Accessibility Journey: What To Do Now

April 2026 marks the federal deadline for digital accessibility under ADA Title II. At UC Davis, our commitment to accessibility will honor both the mandate and our Principles of Community as we remove barriers for all learners. Part of a series to be published during the fall of 2025, this post explores what accessibility means in practice and ways we can all contribute. Find all the posts in this series by clicking the yellow "Quick Access" label at the end of the post.

For more on campus compliance with this law, see UC Davis Digital Accessibility Program Manager Brad Starkey-Owens’ conversation on digital accessibility with Dr. Andy Jones and check the campus Accessibility site. Also consider joining the UC Accessibility Project or registering for the Universal Design for Learning Institute this fall (held each Friday this fall at 10:30AM on Zoom) for additional accessibility support.

Thank you for following our Quick Access series this fall!

In our recent Faculty Forum on “Preparing for ADA Title II Regulation Changes for Digital Accessibility,” faculty asked how to move toward compliance with these regulations. If that is also your concern, this Quick Access series provides concrete, actionable steps.

We recommend that you select one module from one of your Winter or Spring Quarter 2026 courses to use as a prototype, and work through the Quick Access series, adjusting all the digital materials in that module (Canvas content, linked documents, videos):

1. Run the built-in Canvas Accessibility Checker on each Canvas Page, Assignment, Discussion Forum, and Quiz.
2. Check Canvas content and documents for accessible links and properly formatted lists.
3. Use the built-in styles in your preferred word processing (Word, Google Docs) or presentation (PowerPoint, Google Slides) software.
4. Check for color contrast in text and images.
5. Verify accuracy of video captions, especially for names and discipline-specific vocabulary.
6. Include meaningful alt text with images.
7. Check GIFs and animations for accessibility issues.
8. Ensure tables are accessible.

Completing this process with one prototype module will show you which features you can adjust on your own and which may require additional support. You can then use that insight to plan your work for the rest of your course(s).

Reach out for support on the items that are not easy to adjust yourself. Brad Starkey-Owens, the Digital Accessibility Program Manager, is offering weekly Q&A sessions. The date, time, and (virtual) location are shared on the new Digital Accessibility site from the UC Davis Office of Compliance and Policy, along with:

• What is in the new Title II rule,
• Many UCOP and UC Davis resources for your learning and support.

Please also email [email protected] for a consultation. 

Completing the items on the list above does not mean that you have finished all needed accessibility adaptations on your course materials; there are many nuanced parts of the regulations. Completing these action items will result in real and meaningful progress. Keep your eyes on The Wheel and also on the Digital Accessibility site, and we’ll continue to work together as a campus to support all of our UC Davis students.