Dear Colleagues,

TLi is writing to share a brief update regarding federal digital accessibility requirements under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and how they relate to our course materials and online content.

The Department of Justice has extended the compliance deadline for public institutions by one year, moving it from April 2026 to April 2027. While this provides additional time, it’s important to emphasize that expectations have not changed. Accessibility standards remain in place, and ensuring our digital course materials are accessible remains an ongoing responsibility.

Many of you have already made meaningful progress in improving the accessibility of your course content, and that work is making a difference for our students. Thank you for your continued efforts.

For faculty, this means continuing the work already underway. Small, steady improvements, such as using structured headings, adding alt-text, including captions, and ensuring documents are readable, have a significant impact on student access and success.

The extended timeline gives us space to strengthen our approach and build more consistent, sustainable practices across courses, rather than rushing toward the enforcement date. Our goal is to maintain momentum and continue developing approaches that support all learners.

Support is available if you need it. TLi offers consultative support and a wealth of resources (tools and guides) to help. Additionally, the Accessible Technology Steering Committee is coordinating campuswide support through ITS, Broome Library, DASS, and TLi. We will continue to share guidance to help make this work manageable and effective.

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to create inclusive learning environments for all CI students.

Sincerely,
Teaching & Learning Innovations (TLi) Team