UNI Digital Accessibility Basics and Best Practices Guide
Purpose
UNI’s Accessibility Basics and Best Practice Guides describe what accessible digital content looks like in practice and help campus partners focus on the most important steps for the type of content they create or manage.
These guides translate the university’s digital accessibility expectations into defined, actionable practices that can be routinely applied. They are designed to support consistency, reduce barriers over time, and help units prioritize improvements.
How to Use These Guides
Digital accessibility is ongoing work.
Start with:
- Content that is actively used for instruction, communication, or access to university programs and services
- High-visibility, student-facing, or frequently used materials
- New or updated content
Address reported barriers promptly and arrange access while the underlying issue is corrected. For existing material, use the priorities above to sequence improvements.
Legal Baseline
The ADA and Section 504 require UNI to provide people with disabilities access to university programs, services, and activities, including those delivered digitally. The Title II web and mobile application rule specifically requires covered web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA beginning April 26, 2027, subject to its defined exceptions and limitations. These guides also address digital formats beyond that rule’s technical requirement.
UNI Standard Practice
At UNI:
- Build accessibility into new and updated content and systems from the start
- High-impact and frequently used materials should be prioritized
- Accessibility improvements occur over time through planning, remediation, and review
- Alternative access or accommodations remain available when barriers exist
Oversight will be supported through a cross-campus digital accessibility governance structure that is currently being established.
What These Guides Do (and Do Not Do)
These guides:
- Describe practical expectations and common accessibility practices
- Help units understand what “accessible” looks like for different content types
- Support prioritization and risk reduction
These guides do not:
- Guarantee legal compliance
- Replace accommodations
- Eliminate the need for judgment in complex situations
Goals and indicators included in these guides support planning and continuous improvement and do not replace legal accessibility requirements.
When to Ask for Help
Contact IT through the Service Hub when:
- Content remediation is complex or technical
- A UNI-developed system has accessibility limitations
- A vendor platform does not provide accessible options
- You are unsure how to make digital content accessible
Contact Student Accessibility Services (SAS) or Human Resource Services (HRS) when:
- A student or employee requests an accommodation
- An individual encounters an accessibility barrier that requires an accommodation while remediation is underway
Content, system, and business owners are responsible for accessibility in the materials and tools they manage. IT provides technical consultation and help with complex content, system, and vendor issues. SAS and HRS manage formal accommodation processes for individuals. When a barrier blocks access to needed content, the responsible unit should arrange access while the issue is addressed.
Digital Accessibility Basics
These guides cover web-delivered content, systems, and other digital communications used for university programs and services, including digital signage.
Foundational Framework
Digital Accessibility Basics: The POUR Principles
Content-Specific Guidance
Digital Accessibility Basics: PDFs
Digital Accessibility Basics: Web Content
Digital Accessibility Basics: Instructional Content
Digital Accessibility Basics: Social Media
Digital Accessibility Basics: Video and Multimedia