Embedded Files
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Overview
Overview
Federal law now requires that the digital content you use to teach be usable by all students with disabilities. This site will help you figure out, for each piece of "non-accessible" content you use, whether to fix it, replace it, or remove it.
Where this rule comes from
Where this rule comes from
In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice finalized new regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II covers state and local government entities (including public colleges, universities, and school districts).
The rule sets a specific technical bar that digital content must meet: WCAG 2.1, Level AA (the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1, "AA" level). This has been a pre-existing standard that many websites and apps already use, not just something invented for higher education.
(See Policy & Law information from the UCB Digital Accessibility Program)
What counts as "covered content"
What counts as "covered content"
Essentially anything digital that you use to deliver instruction or communicate with students:
Course pages and LMS content (Canvas/bCourses)
PDFs, Word docs, and slide decks
Videos and audio recordings
Images, charts, and diagrams
Third-party tools and apps you require students to use
Course websites, including ones like this
Compliance is required by April 24, 2027
Compliance is required by April 24, 2027
for public entities serving a population of 50,000 or more
What "accessible" actually means, in practice
What "accessible" actually means, in practice
WCAG is organized around four principles, sometimes remembered as POUR
Perceivable
Can someone see or hear the content, or get an equivalent understanding another way? (e.g., images have alt text, videos have captions)
Operable
Can someone navigate and interact using a keyboard alone, not just a mouse?
Understandable
Is the content organized and worded in a predictable, readable way?
Robust
Does it work correctly with the tools people use to access it, like screen readers?
Most common issues by content type
Most common issues by content type
Scanned PDFs
Scanned PDFs
Just an image of text... a screen reader can't read it at all
Videos
Videos
No captions or transcript
Images/charts
Images/charts
No alt text describing what they show
Slide decks
Slide decks
Text boxes not in a logical reading order; low color contrast
Documents
Documents
Headings not properly tagged, so screen reader users can't navigate by section
Tables
Tables
No header rows marked, so data doesn't make sense read aloud by a screen reader
Color-coded info
Color-coded info
Meaning conveyed by color alone (e.g., "red items are due first") with no text label
Deciding what to do with a piece of content...
Deciding what to do with a piece of content...
Replace
Replace
Replace it when:
An accessible version already exists elsewhere (e.g., a library-provided accessible textbook chapter, a professionally captioned video on the same topic)
Recreating it from scratch is easier than trying to fix it
A modern tool or resource does the same instructional job equally or better and is accessible by default
Remediate
Remediate
Fix it in place when:
It's a small number of relatively easy fixes (add alt text, add captions, fix heading structure)
The content is unique or high-value and worth the time investment
You have access to the source file (not just a scanned image)
Remove
Remove
Remove it when:
The content is outdated, redundant, or low-value relative to the effort to fix it
Nobody can identify who has editing rights or the source file, and it can't reasonably be remediated
An equivalent learning outcome can be reached without it
If a good accessible substitute already exists, replace.
If a library replacement is not readibly available, remediate.
If it's not pulling its weight anyway, remove.
Overwhelmed? Don't know where to start?
Overwhelmed? Don't know where to start?
Don't panic...
You don't have to become an accessibility expert overnight.
Many fixes (alt text, captions, using built-in heading styles) take minutes once you know to look for them.
Tools like Microsoft, Google, and Canvas/bCourses have built-in accessibility checkers that will flag most issues automatically.
Berkeley's disability services and IT/accessibility office has support, templates, and resources available.
This site will help you decide if you need to, and how to, remediate covered instructional content.
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