Making Courses Accessible for All Students
Understanding the 2026 Digital Accessibility Mandate
Recent updates to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) establish new federal requirements for all public universities and state-funded institutions. At many major universities, by April 24, 2026, digital course content—including websites, mobile apps, and documents—must be proactively accessible rather than relying on reactive accommodations. This means your course materials must default to an accessible version, rather than only offering an accessible version upon request. The updated guidelines may seem complicated, but Catalyst is here to help!
What we're doing behind the scenes
We are working with a company that specializes in accessibility (Ablr) to verify our software and content we provide meet the WCAG 2.2 AA standards required.
Faculty Checklist: Prioritizing Accessibility
If you are adding content to your course, there are a few common pitfalls to avoid.
Logical Heading Structure: When building webpage content (Page Tile), use actual heading tags (H1, H2, H3) in a sequential order to organize content. Do not just bold or enlarge text to create a "visual" header.
Descriptive Alternative Text: Ensure every image, chart, and diagram has a succinct "alt text" description. This is easily done by clicking on the image in Labflow/Spark while editing.
Meaningful Hyperlinks: Use descriptive text for links (e.g., "Download the Lab Manual") rather than generic phrases like "click here" or raw URLs.
Color & Contrast: Maintain a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for standard text. Never use color as the only way to convey meaning (for example, use both color and patterns in a bar graph).
Accessible Documents: Avoid scanned PDFs, as they are essentially images that screen readers cannot "read." Whenever possible, use Page Tiles in Labflow/Spark to communicate information previously in a PDF.
Multimedia Support: All videos must include synchronized captions, a full transcript, and audio descriptions for key visual elements.
Tables: Use simple table structures with clearly identified column and row headers. Avoid merging or splitting cells in complex ways. Tables should also include captions.
*This list is a summary of regulations and should not be considered an exhaustive list.
We Are Here to Help!
We recognize that transitioning to these "accessible by default" standards is a significant shift that may feel overwhelming. Please know that you are not navigating these changes alone. Our team is committed to supporting you through this process. Any content produced by the Catalyst Team has been built using these guidelines. If you want to customize your content yourself, set up a call with your Faculty Success Manager to learn more about Accessible Content in Labflow.