Working to create a digitally accessible university
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a new rule under the Americans with Disabilities Act requiring all digital tools and electronic resources used in university programs, services, or activities—whether free or paid, developed internally or procured from vendors—to meet specific accessibility standards by April 26, 2027.
The campus Accessible Events guide supports event planners with inclusive design tips to make their events more seamlessly accessible for everyone across in-person, virtual, and hybrid spaces. Following these best practices can also reduce the need for people with disabilities to request reasonable accommodations. A recent update to the guide expands on physical site accessibility, provides guidelines for creating and delivering accessible content, and more.
The Office of Strategic Communication and the Center for User Experience are excited to announce the launch of the Social Media Accessibility page, supporting content creators in ensuring our university social media content can be read and understood by everyone. In this guide, we discuss what to keep in mind when posting to social media. …
Effective May 13, UW-Madison’s Kaltura media management service will automatically add machine-generated captions (auto captions) to all new videos. Kaltura’s auto captioning process converts audio content of a video into text and displays the text at the bottom of the video screen.
As you may be aware, the U.S. Department of Justice extended the compliance deadline for the Americans with Disabilities Act’s digital accessibility rule to April 2027. While the timeline has shifted, our commitment has not. We remain focused on supporting the student experience and advancing equity and inclusion as we enter this next chapter of …
Thank you for all you have done this year to provide excellent learning opportunities for our students. Your commitment to high-quality teaching makes a meaningful difference every day. As you begin planning for the next academic year, we want to share that the federal digital accessibility rule compliance deadline has been extended to April 2027. …
Dear colleagues, As a follow-up to last week’s email regarding changes to federal digital accessibility requirements, we are writing to share an update following further review and consultation. The U.S. Department of Justice has extended the Americans with Disabilities Act’s (ADA) digital accessibility rule compliance deadline from April 24, 2026 to April 26, 2027. While …
On April 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice issued an interim final rule extending the compliance deadline for the Americans with Disabilities Act’s digital accessibility rule. The university is reviewing the interim final rule and assessing its implications for UW–Madison’s digital accessibility efforts. Clear guidance will be shared soon following consultation with the Office …
We are reaching out because you are teaching this summer, and we want to ensure you are aware of new federal digital accessibility requirements for course content under the Americans with Disabilities Act. While the new ADA rule goes into effect on April 24, we recognize that compliance will be an ongoing, iterative process. Where to start …
Thank you for your continued leadership as we advance the University Digital Accessibility Initiative (UDAI). This month, April 24, marks the beginning of a new era of digital accessibility as the ADA officially launches the expanded federal digital accessibility requirements. We are excited to enter this next chapter, with a spirit of continued forward momentum. Below …