All digital content created for official university business must meet the minimum accessibility standards required under ADA Title II by the university's compliance deadline of April 24, 2026. This includes materials shared through JMU websites, applications, IT services, online content, digital documents, presentations, and online learning materials.
To prepare for this requirement, JMU is developing a scalable compliance plan, along with campus-wide workshops, trainings, and other resources to help you create accessible materials. While teams across ODS, the Libraries, JMU IT, and other groups are working as hard as possible to provide training, assistive software, consultation, and support, it is ultimately everyone’s responsibility to learn and apply the skills needed to create accessible digital content.
Faculty/Staff
Instructional Content
Under ADA Title II, all JMU course content meet WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines by April 24, 2026. This includes third-party content. For example, if you link to or embed a YouTube video in your course, it must include accurate captions or a transcript with audio description. This applies even if you are not the owner of the video.
Archived reference content, like courses from previous semesters, may be exempt from compliance. However, if you reuse content in a new course, it must be made accessible.
To support faculty, JMU is developing trainings, guides, and best practices. Additionally, Anthology Ally is integrated in Canvas to assist in the identification and remediation of content that does not meet accessibility requirements. The Libraries also negotiates accessible licensing terms with information vendors when adding new e-Resources and collects Voluntary Product Accessibility Templates (VPATs) from all digital publishers, which indicate how well a platform or service adheres to accessibility standards. Over time, the updates to Title II are are expected to encourage publishers and software vendors to deliver products that are accessible “out of the box.”
Non-Instructional Content
All non-instructional digital content created for university business must also be accessible by April 24, 2026. While everyone who creates or manages content should follow accessibility standards, some units may choose to centralize accessibility responsibilities. Work with your team, department, or unit to clarify responsibilities.
Examples of non-instructional content covered under Title II include:
- Videos made by JMU faculty, staff, or student employees
- Fillable and printable forms
- Web-accessible documents (i.e. MS Word/Excel/PowerPoint documents, PDF files, etc.)
- Images
- Email content
Individuals who procure digital content or services, such as training materials, platforms, software, or apps, must ensure that products meet accessibility requirements during the procurement process. JMU offers guidance and support through Procurement for accessible vendor management.
Students
If you create digital content for university business, that content must be accessible by April 24, 2026. University business may include work you perform in a student job or content you create for a university-sponsored student organization or club.
For example, if you have a work-study job creating social media posts for a department, any new social media posts must be accessible. Ask your supervisor to clarify any responsibilities you have as you create and post content. If you maintain a website for a university-sponsored student organization that is registered with JMU’s Office of Student Life, that web content will need to meet accessibility requirements.
You are not required to make your personal content or digital class assignments accessible unless your content is integrated into course material and used in a classroom setting.