ACTION REQUIRED: Digital Accessibility Compliance

Deadline: April 24, 2026

Effective April 24, 2026, all campus departments are required to ensure that publicly available digital materials meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, in alignment with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Title II ruling and the University of California IT Accessibility Policy.

The Marketing and Web Team have been at work scraping our content, contacting the web groups on campus, and working with you to remediate via recommended pathways such as digital modules, custom-built remediation tools, and extensive review of content. We have seen our accessibility scores increase to a 95% score on Drupal following these reviews. However, a next step of review will take place with Destiny, Canvas, Help Center, and other PaCE student-facing interfaces and digital information.

What Needs to Be Accessible?

All digital content shared with or used by students, faculty, staff, or the public must comply. This includes:

• Websites — pages, forms, navigation, and web applications

• Documents — PDFs, Word files, PowerPoint slides, and spreadsheets

• Course materials — Canvas content, syllabi, quizzes, and LMS modules

• Multimedia — videos (must have captions) and audio files (must have transcripts)

• Third-party tools — any vendor software required for student or staff use

Why Does This Matter?

On April 24, 2024, the DOJ published a final rule shifting digital accessibility from a recommended best practice to a legal requirement. Non-compliance may expose the university to federal investigations and legal liability, and could result in administrative mandates to remove non-compliant content — potentially disrupting courses and operations.

Beyond compliance, accessible design benefits everyone: captions help in noisy environments, high-contrast displays help in bright light, and well-structured content improves SEO and usability for all users.

Where Do I Start?

We recommend prioritizing content in this order:

1. All new content published going forward (starting April 24, 2026)

2. High-traffic pages and critical forms

3. Active course materials in Canvas

4. Legacy/archival content (lowest priority — consider archiving outdated materials to reduce remediation workload)
 

Tools for Auditing & Remediation

Below are the UCSB-recommended tools and resources organized by content type.
 

Websites — Pages, Forms, Navigation & Web Applications

Auditing & Testing

◦ Siteimprove — campus-licensed platform for ongoing website accessibility monitoring

◦ WAVE — browser extension for page-level accessibility evaluation

◦ Silktide — Chrome extension for accessibility checking

◦ AXE — browser extension; catches ~30–40% of issues including missing alt text and broken links

◦ Digital Asset Inventory (DAI) Module — purpose-built for Drupal 10/11 websites

Templates & Planning

◦ Website & Web App Remediation Priority Tracker — Google Sheet for tracking and triaging issues

◦ Accessibility Evaluation Template for Applications & Websites — Google Sheet

Guidance

◦ UCSB Web Standards Group Accessibility Guidelines

◦ UCSB Web Theme User Guide + Quick Reference for Content Editors

◦ Accessibility Evaluation Guide for Developers — detailed Google Doc walkthrough

Support

◦ Web designers/editors: UCSB Web Theme Support & Office Hours

◦ Developers: Web Accessibility Office Hours & Siteimprove Support (by appointment)
 

Documents — PDFs, Word, PowerPoint & Spreadsheets

PDF Remediation

◦ Adobe Acrobat Pro — Windows and macOS

◦ PAC Accessibility Checker for PDF Files — Windows only

◦ PDFix Desktop — Windows, macOS, and Linux

Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel)

◦ Accessible Microsoft Word Document Checklist

◦ Accessible Slide Decks Checklist

◦ Spreadsheet Accessibility Checklist

◦ UCSB Branded Templates — Word (letterhead), PowerPoint, and Excel — accessible by design

Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Sheets)

◦ Grackle Docs — Chrome extension for Google Docs

◦ Grackle Sheets — Chrome extension for Google Sheets

◦ Grackle Slides — Chrome extension for Google Slides

◦ Accessible UCSB branded Google Docs and Slides templates are available from your campus Google account — select File > New > From a template

◦ When in doubt, mark the image or logo as decorative [Mark as Decorative] in a PowerPoint OR in Google Slides [Mark as Artifact]

Planning Resources

◦ Digital Document Accessibility Strategy & Remediation Guide — inventory and prioritize content in your area

◦ Digital Accessibility Testing & Remediation Tool Kit — beginner's guide to testing websites, documents, and PDFs

Support

◦ ITS Training & Development — one-on-one assistance via the Digital Assets Accessibility Consultation calendar
 

Course Materials — Canvas, Syllabi, Quizzes & LMS Modules

Tools & Platforms

◦ Panorama Course Accessibility Platform — integrated within UCSB Canvas to scan and flag course content issues

◦ UCSB Canvas Course Templates — pre-built accessible templates

Guidance

◦ UCSB Accessible Course Content Program

◦ Canvas Knowledge Base: Accessibility — topic-specific guidance within Canvas

Training & Support

◦ Upcoming Course Accessibility Workshops

◦ Office of Teaching & Learning (OTL) — one-on-one support for developing accessible course materials (book an appointment)
 

Multimedia — Videos & Audio Files

Captioning & Audio Descriptions

◦ GauchoCast — UCSB's media platform — add captions and audio descriptions to recorded content

Compliance Requirements

• Pre-recorded videos must have synchronized captions

• Audio files must have full transcripts

Support

◦ ITS Training & Development also assists with multimedia remediation — book a consultation
 

Third-Party Tools — Vendor Software

Procurement Requirements

• All software, hardware, and digital services must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA or higher at the time of purchase

• Vendors must provide a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) before procurement; request an output VPAT when available to verify claims

• If a purchased tool is inaccessible to staff or students with disabilities, the department is legally responsible for providing an equally effective alternative or replacing the tool

When a Vendor Cannot Comply

An exception process exists. Departments must implement an Equally Effective Alternative Accommodation Plan (EEAAP) to ensure people with disabilities can still meaningfully access the same information or services while remediation proceeds.

Resources & Training

• UCSB Digital Accessibility Hub — policy details, FAQs, and role-specific guidance

• Creating Accessible Course Slides — upcoming workshop

• Creating Accessible Course Content — upcoming workshop

• UCSB Canvas Best Practices — guidance for accessible course content

• File a Complaint or Report a Concern

Questions or Concerns?

• Faculty support: Office of Teaching and Learning

• Website accessibility: UCSB Web Standards Group

• Legal/policy questions: UCSB ADA Compliance Officer at electronic-accessibility@ucsb.edu

• Student accommodations: Disabled Students Program (DSP)

Departments facing significant remediation challenges are encouraged to escalate concerns to their Department Chair or MSO/Business Officer. Demonstrating a good-faith compliance effort and a documented roadmap is essential.

UC Santa Barbara is committed to an inclusive digital environment where every member of our community has equal access to information, tools, and opportunities. Thank you for doing your part.

For full policy details, FAQs, and resources by role, visit accessibility.ucsb.edu/digital-accessibility