Digital Accessibility Compliance
Policy and Strategy
At EIU, we believe that digital accessibility is a fundamental civil right. As part of our commitment to transparency and equity, we have established a comprehensive strategy to align our digital presence with ADA Title II regulations.
Our mission is to move beyond mere legal box-ticking. By adopting the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as our technical standard, we are proactively removing barriers for students, faculty, and the public. This page serves as a central hub for our accessibility policies, providing the framework and resources necessary to ensure that every document, video, and web interface we produce is inclusive by design.
Change in ADA WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Deadline
DOJ Extends Deadline Recognizing the heavy administrative burden on institutions, the government has given colleges and universities an additional year to comply with the new federal accessibility guidelines. "Citing heavy administrative burdens for institutions, the government is giving colleges, universities and other public entities another year to comply with new federal accessibility guidelines designed to reduce the hurdles students with disabilities face in accessing increasingly complex information on web pages and mobile apps".
The Department of Justice “overestimated the capabilities (whether staffing or technology) of covered entities to comply with the rule in the time frames provided,” the department wrote in an interim final rule published to the Federal Register Monday. “This [interim final rule] will lead to greater predictability and certainty as covered entities work towards accessibility of their websites” and “greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities.”
Changes to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require all state and local public institutions to ensure their web and mobile content follows the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA. The full ruling, published on April 24, 2024, is available on the Federal Register website.
EIU has until April 26, 2027, to comply fully with this rule. This includes all documents, videos, audio, and other learning materials posted within D2L Brightspace, regardless of course modality.
For information on D2L Accessibility and Accommodations please visit: D2L Solution - Accessibility and Accommodations
⚠️ Important Exceptions (and their limits) The DOJ rule includes exceptions, but they are deliberately narrow. Here is how they apply to active coursework:
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Archived Content: Limit: This only applies to materials created before the compliance date that are housed in a clearly identified archive, kept strictly for reference, and never updated or actively used.
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Preexisting Documents: Limit: If you use a document in class today, it is not exempt. Any file (PDF, Word, etc.) that is part of an active course or program must be remediated.
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Third-Party Content: Limit: While you are not responsible for coding the external platform itself, you are responsible for the accessibility of any content you post there, as well as any third-party tools you require students to use. Before adopting new software, publishers' materials, or free web tools for your course, verify that the product is accessible. If a required third-party tool is not accessible, you must provide an equally effective accessible alternative.
Next Steps: Please continue to be proactive in auditing your courses. Reach out to the FDIC for assistance, guidance, and hands-on remediation support!
FDIC Guidance
Moving forward, faculty members should create and post accessible digital course content, including documents (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, etc.), audio files, video files, and text within D2L Brightspace. Learn more about Accessibility Resources for Digital Materials and Accessibility Statements for Instructional Technologies @ EIU
Additionally, existing non-accessible digital course content should be remediated to meet accessibility standards. This includes updating or replacing current documents, videos, and other material to ensure they comply with WCAG 2.1 guidelines.
*Please keep in mind if archived material is not going to be used in future classes, it does not have to be remediated
We recommend updating your course syllabi to include the official EIU Accessibility Statement, directing students to the Office of Accessibility and Accommodations (OAA).
Training and assistance to faculty is available through the Instructional Support and Training Specialist (ISTS) Team; please contact the ISTS Team at fdic_help@eiu.edu.
We offer Digital Accessibility support in the following ways;
- "Accessible by Design" D2L Course: This course provides instructional videos and walks faculty through creating engaging deliverables, helping you build a portfolio of accessible templates to use in future semesters.Register here: Digital Accessibility D2L "Accessible by Design" Course Request
- 1:1 consultation with ISTS- Digital Accessibility Specialist, Keerthana Saraswathula knsaraswathula@eiu.edu (217-581-7856) or contact your department ISTS
- FDIC monthly newsletter updates
- The Instructional Support and Training Specialist (ISTS) Workshop Series this coming year is focused on creating, auditing, remediating, and uploading accessible digital learning materials, including the Microsoft 365 Suite, Adobe, Kaltura, and others, into D2L Brightspace and engaging monthly workshops for a fun and collaborative learning experience
- The FDIC has established a SharePoint site on the accessibility of digital materials and our work to ensure faculty are supported in the remediation and creation of accessible course materials. This site will be the main communication mechanism for EIU's digital accessibility efforts to meet this official rule.
- Coffee and Consults @ Java bakery every Wed 1:30-2:30pm
- The FDIC has put together a webpage dedicated to resources to help with remediation Digital Accessibility Toolkit
- Digital Accessibility Request Visit/Training: Department faculty meeting talks, specific software or digital accessibility topic trainings, department graduate student or student worker digital accessibility training to assist faculty in remediation
Faculty can request remediation assistance with the following links
Faculty can use this Accessibility Checklist to help audit and create accessible learning materials.
While the FDIC can help fix technical document tags, FDIC specifically requests faculty to write the "Alternative Text" for images. Since you are the subject matter expert, you are the best person to describe why a specific chart or image is important to the lesson. We can show you how and best practices.
What is ADA Title II WCAG 2.1 AA?
Accessibility is proactive, not reactive. You must ensure your course materials are accessible to WCAG 2.1 AA standards regardless of whether you currently have a student with a documented accommodation in your roster. Waiting for an accommodation request does not provide enough time to remediate course materials and violates EIU’s commitment to an inclusive-by-design environment.
Title II of the ADA
Title II of the ADA mandates that state and local governments—including Eastern Illinois University—make their services, programs, and activities accessible to people with disabilities.This specifically covers all university web content and mobile apps.
The rule sets a specific standard that must be followed to meet the obligations under Title II of the ADA. To reach this goal, all digital course materials must meet the minimum technical accessibility standards in Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 for Level A and Level AA.
All D2L sites and digital materials must be compliant by April 26, 2027. It would be best practice to focus on Summer and Fall 2027 courses as the deadline is the last week of spring semester.
Web content and mobile apps include:
- Websites and web applications, including electronic documents hosted on them
- Mobile apps (e.g., for phones, tablets, wearable devices, and future mobile technology), including electronic documents hosted on them
- Digital course materials, including content made available online or provided to students as a requirement towards completion of a course or program (e.g., video, online textbook; this includes third-party software, websites, and ancillaries) that will be hosted on D2L
- Social media posts (not the platforms themselves), including electronic documents in the posts
What is WCAG 2.1 AA?
WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, outlines what is needed for web accessibility, such as captioning videos. These guidelines are developed by the World Wide Web Consortium. More details about why WCAG 2.1 Level AA was chosen can be found in the "Technical Standard—WCAG 2.1 Level AA" section of the rule.
Compliance for Course Materials Following the POUR principles of the WCAG
Documents currently used for accessing or participating in state or local government services, including course materials posted on D2L Brightspace, must be accessible, if materials that were used in the past will be used again they must be accessible.
WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference Guide (external)
What does POUR stand for? (external)
Steps for Compliance
The written information and resources are developed or curated by the
Faculty Development and Innovation Center
phone 217-581-7051 :: email fdic@eiu.edu :: web eiu.edu/fdic
Contact the FDIC for instructional design related questions or to schedule a consultation appointment. The FDIC staff can recommend instructional design strategies for your online, hybrid, and face-to-face courses.
Page updated: 9/30/2026
