ISCAP Proceedings: Abstract Presentation
Preparing for Updated ADA Title II Requirements: Digital Accessibility in the Classroom
Michael Whitney
Winthrop University
David Scibelli
Winthrop University
Abstract
The requirements for maintaining accessible digital course materials and interactions are soon to change based on the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) update to the Title II Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations (2024, 2026). Historically, if materials were shared in a password-protected area like an LMS, it was possible to wait for an accommodation request prior to converting said materials into an accessible format. The new challenge will be to ensure that digital course materials and interactions are accessible regardless of an accommodation request. This includes materials developed and curated by an instructor, third-party digital course materials, referenced audios and videos (i.e., YouTube), and the LMS itself. While some institutions might have an accessibility office that can convert digital materials into an accessible format, for others the task of conversion and development of accessible media falls on the faculty members sharing the digital media. Such a task can be monumental based on the amount of non-accessible digital materials already in place. Case in point, in 2017 UC Berkeley was faced with a choice of converting over 20,000 publicly available audio and video lectures into an accessible format or removing public availability by limiting access to Berkeley members (“Berkeley Will Delete Online Content,” 2017). While restricting access in 2017 provided a solution, DOJ’s new regulations for Title II of the ADA generally do not exempt digital course materials from accessibility requirements even if they require authentication. In addition, the knowledge, training, resources, responsibility, and ability to respond can greatly vary amongst faculty and institutions. The purpose of this abstract and future work is to explore the implications of the updated ADA requirements, its effect on information systems and computing faculty, and a means to effectively deploy and maintain accessible media in our digital classrooms.
Berkeley will delete online content. (2017, March 5). Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2017/03/06/u-california-berkeley-delete-publicly-available-educational-content
Nondiscrimination on the basis of disability; Accessibility of web information and services of state and local government entities, 89 Fed. Reg. 31320 (2024). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-04-24/pdf/2024-07758.pdf
Extension of compliance dates for nondiscrimination on the basis of disability; Accessibility of web information and services of state and local government entities, 91 Fed. Reg. 20902 (2026). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-04-20/pdf/2026-07663.pdf