ADA Title II Compliance Initiative
Days Remaining Until Law is In Effect
To make it easier for everyone to access and utilize digital content, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires all digital content that is actively used to apply for, access, or participate in the services of a public entity, be accessible. Content that is accessible conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Title II Subpart H of the ADA, which requires actively used content to comply with WCAG guidelines, takes effect April 24, 2026. This requirement will impact all areas of the university.
How We Are Impacted
This includes all digital documents (webpages, PDFs, Word Docs, spreadsheets, presentations, videos, audio files, etc.)
A few key items that we must evaluate with our content, but not limited to:
- Make sure all images on webpages have appropriate ALT text. This includes actually describing what is going on in the image.
- Identifying all documents that can be converted to webpages. Not only will this spead up maintenance of documents and provide a better user experience on mobile, this will also increase search engine optimization of the content.
- Videos must have captions, and correct captions at that. Although video.vt.edu does have AI that can generate captions, it is only correct about 90% of the captions. They must be evaluated and edited appropriately.
- Identify any color contrast issues with content
Training
Technology-Enhanced Learning and Online Strategies (TLOS) has partnered with Deque Systems and WebAIM to provide all students and employees access to new digital accessibility training. All courses are self-paced with no exams, and most take about an hour to complete. More than 40 new self-paced courses offer the opportunity to
- learn basic principles and accessibility practices for various digital formats.
- gain hands-on experience making content accessible.
- build career skills in accessible design and innovation.
- improve compliance of digital materials with ADA Title II.
- make it easier to develop new content that is fully accessible from the start.
Virginia Tech’s accessibility portal site has more resources on how to get started, tools and training, and frequently asked questions about ADA Title II compliance.