Accessibility @ UW-Madison
Working to create an accessible university

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Last updated July 25, 2025

Get answers to your general questions on digital accessibility and the ADA rule, as well as questions more specific to faculty and instructors, and administrative staff.

If you have a question that is not answered here, contact the Deputy ADA Coordinator for assistance.

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General

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What is a program, service, or activity?

Any function offered by the university, from in-person and online courses to training, theater performances, research, and sporting events. All events the university operates or contracts out to another entity to operate is a university program, service, or activity.

Do students and student organizations have to follow this rule?

This rule does not apply to students but may apply to student organizations when the specific event aligns with the university’s mission and directly receives university funding. 

Faculty and instructors may require students to create accessible content as part of their course requirement. 

Students who create digital content as employees of the university as part of their job duties must follow the rule.

Can I use inaccessible content since I don’t know how to make it accessible?

No. The lack of technical knowledge or skills is not an acceptable reason to use inaccessible content. Creating content comes with the obligation of ensuring it is accessible to disabled individuals. Accessibility is a civil right and everyone’s shared responsibility. 

Universities of Wisconsin provides several training opportunities, including self-paced LinkedIn Learning sessions. The Center for User Experience’s Make It Accessible guides provide information that can help people learn how to create accessible content and test their own content for accessibility.

Contact the Deputy ADA Coordinator for other guidance about accessibility requirements.

My webpage links to a third-party website. Does that website need to be accessible?

  • If the linked content is information needed to apply to, participate in, or benefit from a program, service, or activity, then the linked content must be accessible. 
  • If the linked content is provided for convenience, but is not necessary to apply to, participate in, or benefit from a program, service, or activity, then it does not need to be accessible.
    • For example, providing a list of restaurants near a university venue. Each restaurant’s website does not need to be accessible.

Do my emails need to be accessible?

Yes. Email is considered a digital tool and it must be accessible. Even if you know the recipient can access inaccessible email content, it can be forwarded to other individuals who may have a disability. Also, the recipient of the email may have a non-apparent disability and use an accessibility feature, such as increasing screen size. 

Use the accessibility checker within your email client. The university’s email application, Outlook, has an accessibility checker. 

How can I check if my digital content is accessible?

The university has access to a variety of tools that can support an accessibility assessment. Checklists and testing tips for documents and websites are in the Center for User Experience’s Make It Accessible guides. Additionally, the Center for User Experience offers accessibility evaluations for products and systems.

My department operates a restricted or intranet website. Does it need to be accessible?

Yes. Whether a website is public facing or not, it is still digital content and must be accessible. 

The intent of the rule is to allow disabled individuals to seamlessly access content. Accessible design allows any current individual, or future hired employees, to access the content without needing a reasonable accommodation. 

My department uses highly specialized technical systems. Do these systems need to be accessible?

Whether university-created or purchased from a vendor, such as a networking application database or architecture drafting software, all university digital tools and electronic resources must be accessible. This is a federal legal mandate and civil rights requirement. 

My unit has inaccessible PDFs on its website and we plan to create alternate, accessible versions in another file format. Can we have both files on our website?

No, unless technological or legal limitations prevent making the PDFs accessible. If the PDFs cannot be remediated, then a second, conforming alternate file must be created. A link to the accessible version must be provided from the inaccessible PDFs. 

The ADA is an inclusion law. The new rule does not support “separate but equal” in which inaccessible content is not remediated and a secondary, accessible version is provided. Historically, the secondary accessible version is not kept up to date and contains less or incorrect information that negatively impacts disabled individuals. 

If a password is required, is the digital content exempt from accessibility requirements?

No. Only individualized password protected conventional electronic documents are exempt.

Does the new rule also apply to hardware?

No. It applies only to software. The software within the hardware needs to be accessible. 

The ADA Accessibility Standards have requirements for some specific hardware devices, such as automated teller and fare machines (ATMs). 

It is important to know the ADA is a broad civil rights law. So, just because there isn’t a rule about hardware accessibility, the university is still obligated to develop or purchase hardware that is accessible to disabled individuals.

While the new rule doesn’t apply to digital displays, such as monitors that display room location and numbers, what guidance can I follow for the content displayed on the screen?

Content should generally follow WCAG 2.1 AA criteria where possible. Some examples include ensuring that colors meet minimum contrast ratios, limited use of animations, use of easily understood language, providing viewers with enough time to consume the information, and captions and audio descriptions for videos.

What happens if this rule is rescinded?

The ADA has always required digital tools and electronic resources to be accessible. 

This new rule sets a clear technical standard that defines “accessible” in terms of technology. Thus, even if the new rule is rescinded, UW–Madison, as a public university and state entity, must still ensure its digital tools and electronic resources are accessible. Previously issued federal guidance affirming the ADA’s position on digital accessibility includes the following: 

Faculty and instructors

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Can I mark old and unused content in my active course as archived to not have to make them accessible?

No. Archived or legacy content are items retained only for reference, research, or recordkeeping. Keeping them in an active course does not make the content archived because nondisabled students can access them and disabled students may not be able to, resulting in disability discrimination. These items must be moved out of the course.

I created my course before April 2026 and use the same course materials each semester and only update the syllabus. Does all the course content need to be updated to be accessible?

Yes, any digital tools and electronic resources, such as Canvas pages, PDFs, syllabi, and content on other university webpages that students and participants need to access, must be accessible starting April 24, 2026.

Do supplemental course materials need to be accessible?

Yes, even if these materials are not required readings, they must be accessible if made available. Since nondisabled students can access them, disabled students must also have this benefit. 

My course contains content hosted by other universities or entities. Do those items need to be accessible?

Generally yes, because the content has been included in a course. More specifically: 

  • If the materials are necessary to apply for, gain access to, or participate in a course, then they must be accessible. 
  • If information is provided solely as a convenience, but not necessary to participate, then they may not need to be accessible. Contact the Deputy ADA Coordinator for assistance.

Am I allowed to modify copyrighted materials to make them accessible?

Yes, the Chafee Amendment permits altering copyrighted materials to make them accessible.

Can the McBurney Disability Resource Center make my content accessible?

No, the McBurney Center is not responsible for compliance with the digital accessibility rule. In some instances, the McBurney Center will contact you if further work is necessary to ensure access for disabled students. The new rule’s technical standard allows disabled individuals to have greater access, but it may not remove all barriers for every individual.

Is there a guide for faculty and instructors to use to make their course content accessible?

The Center for User Experience has this self-service Course material accessibility guide. 

How detailed must alternative text be?

The ADA requires communication with disabled individuals to be as effective as communication with nondisabled individuals. This means disabled individuals must have the same access to the intent and purpose of an image as nondisabled individuals. 

Refer to the Center for User Experience’s Alternative text guide for more information.

How accurate do captions need to be?

  • Captions must be equal to the spoken words and sounds that are available, identify the speaker, and include correct spelling and punctuation. 
  • Captions must also be synchronized to appear at the same time as the corresponding audio and be large enough to be viewed at a distance. 

My courses are recorded through lecture capture. How detailed do I need to be in describing images in my slide deck and other presentation materials?

It depends on what the intent of the image is and what the viewer needs to know. 

For example, images that are purely decorative may not need to be described, but a table or graph that contains specific data the viewer must learn should be explained in full detail. 

When using a slide deck or showing images, it is important to clearly and succinctly provide the same level of detail on all slides and images so disabled individuals have quality alternative text and equal access.

Administrative staff

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I develop instructional courses for faculty and instructors. Am I responsible for accessible digital content?

Accessibility is everyone’s shared responsibility. All content creators have an important role in accessibility. Meet with your instructional team to determine who will check for accessible content.

How can I support digital accessibility efforts in my department?

  • Raise awareness about accessibility as a shared responsibility. 
  • Set expectations and create a culture that values accessible content.
  • Share about the university’s digital accessibility resources. 
  • Follow the step-by-step guidance as a department. 
  • Ask everyone to request accessible emails. 
  • Contact vendors that provide digital tools, such as databases and systems your department uses, and ask them to update the tools to the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard. 
  • Join the Digital Accessibility Community of Practice. 

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