Digital Accessibility Update: Deadline April 2026 - February 2, 2026
Dear Colleagues,
With the federal digital accessibility compliance deadline approaching, this email is to inform faculty and staff about the wide variety of initiatives underway to improve digital accessibility at UM-Dearborn and across all three U-M campuses.
Background
Recent updates to Title II of the ADA clarify requirements for all large public universities to proactively deliver content in formats that meet recognized accessibility standards by April 24, 2026. In addition, U-M Standard Practice Guide 601.20 also requires units, faculty, and staff to create and maintain electronic and information technology that is accessible to all.
In accordance with these requirements, the university is required to provide digital content and applications — including websites, documents, PDFs, course materials, videos, email, and social media posts — in formats that meet recognized standards by incorporating core accessibility concepts. This includes use of heading structures, lists for ordering points, alt text for images, captions on videos, and proper color contrast.
Every member of the university community, including all faculty and staff, has a responsibility to ensure all digital information is accessible. Digital information must be made accessible regardless of whether anyone in the audience requires or has asked for accessibility. This includes content in Canvas, websites, email, presentations, software applications, documents, etc.
This should not be confused with accommodation level captioning that is required when noted on an accommodation letter received from Disability and Accessibility Services. For accommodation level captioning, the process described in the letter should be followed.
Examples of the types of materials that must be made accessible, along with additional information, can be found on UM-Dearborn’s Digital Accessibility webpage. Cross-university efforts to support compliance were described in a University Record article last fall. On the Dearborn campus, many different community members have contributed to improving our digital accessibility.
Staff
Staff were required to complete relevant training by the end of 2025 and implement digital accessibility in their day-to-day work. Links to this training and additional information are available on the UM-Dearborn Digital Accessibility webpage. Staff should contact their supervisor with any questions about the training or about digital accessibility.
Faculty
Faculty have been asked to take Canvas training and update their courses. Faculty guidelines, tips & tricks, and a link to the Canvas training are all available on the UM-Dearborn Digital Accessibility for Faculty webpage. The webpage also includes information about frequent short trainings hosted by the Office of Digital Education covering various aspects of digital accessibility for faculty. Faculty can email [email protected] with any questions about digital accessibility in Canvas or in the classroom.
The Office of Digital Education has created a new UM-Dearborn Digital Accessibility Topics Overview guide for faculty, giving a more concise overview of the topic as compared to the full Canvas course.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS contracts with a large number of vendors that provide software used by faculty, staff and students, which must meet digital accessibility standards. ITS has contacted software vendors to ensure they meet accessibility standards, and to add contract language affirming this expectation if it did not previously exist.
ITS is working with Ann Arbor’s digital accessibility experts to conduct tests on software that is widely used at UM-Dearborn, ensuring it meets digital accessibility expectations. Where there are gaps, ITS will work with the vendor(s) to improve the digital accessibility of the software.
Web Team/Web Editors
The Web Team in External Relations has scanned the UM-Dearborn web pages and worked with the web unit liaisons to remediate digital accessibility problems. More than 3,000 non-accessible documents have been archived/removed from the website, changed into webpages or otherwise remediated.
Individuals who maintain personal UM-Dearborn websites have received emails with instructions on how to assess those sites for digital accessibility and bring them into compliance, migrate them to another tool (such as Google sites), or remove the website if it is no longer needed.
Dearborn Accessibility Working Group
The cross-disciplinary UM-Dearborn Accessibility Working Group has been meeting for over a year to coordinate and support improvements to digital accessibility. This group includes: Brian LaGoe, Chris Casey, John Powell, Sara Byczek, Carrie Shumaker, Chen Wang, and Stein Brunvand.
Please join me in thanking this group for their leadership and service!
Digital accessibility is critical to ensuring the inclusivity of our community. It has taken a significant investment in time and effort, and we thank everyone for continuing to work together on this important effort.
Sincerely,
Gabriella Scarlatta
Interim Chancellor
Carrie Shumaker
Vice Chancellor for Information Technology
Chief Strategy Officer