Title II Accessibility Compliance: WCAG & Section 508
On April 24, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) updated its ruling on Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Title II requires that all state and local government services, programs, and activities offered via web content and mobile apps are accessible to individuals with disabilities. It also establishes new requirements for digital content.
At UVM, accessibility is everybody's responsibility.
For digital accessibility, UVM must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA-level standards, plus Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, by April 2026. ADA Title II web content consists of all content that can be accessed by a web browser including websites, webpages, video, audio, web applications, social media, documents, and other content.
The Office of Accessibility Services is developing training for staff, faculty, students, and student clubs, launching in Spring 2026. If you'd like to get training and accessibility updates, please fill out our contact form to subscribe to our newsletter.
Accessibility Standards by Type
Does all UVM social media need to be accessible? Yes.
All social media created at UVM and used by or shared with our campus community must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Social media at UVM must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
Social media accessibility has two parts: platform and content.
Social Media Platforms
Only use social media platforms that provide accessibility tools such as captions, and the ability to start and stop audio, video, and animated .gifs. As of September 2025, the following social media platforms provide basic accessibility tools: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.
But each College, department, student group or club is responsible for their own social media content.
Social Media Content
For social media content, accessibility includes:
- Captioning videos with human-edited captions
- Including alt-text on all images, including animated .gifs. You can add alt-text on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. You cannot add alt-text to images on Pinterest.
- Use emojis thoughtfully, and only at the beginning or end of sentences. Place a space between each one.
- Write hashtags in CamelCase.
- Avoid images of text.
- No graphics or videos that flash at 3 times per second or higher.
- Use strong color contrast. Measure it with either the WebAIM Color Contrast tool, or TPGi's Color Contrast Analyzer.
- Avoid special fonts.
- Do not use all caps. (Screen readers may interpret these as acronyms).
Does all UVM multimedia need to be accessible? Yes.
All multimedia created at UVM and used by or shared with our campus community must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Multimedia at UVM must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
| MEDIA TYPE | ACCESSIBILITY NEEDED: |
|---|---|
| YouTube videos with dialogue | Human-edited closed captions; flashing graphics limited to less than 3 per second; strong color contrast in graphics. |
| YouTube videos with no dialogue | Human-edited audio description or a descriptive transcript; flashing graphics limited to less than 3 per second; strong color contrast in graphics. |
| Social media videos | Human-edited captions; flashing graphics limited to less than 3 per second; strong color contrast in graphics. |
| Meeting recordings | Automated captions; flashing graphics limited to less than 3 per second; strong color contrast in graphics; transcript also recommended. |
| Podcasts | Human-edited transcript. |
Do all UVM websites need to be accessible? Yes.
All websites created by UVM Colleges, Centers, Institutes, and departments, UVM student groups, UVM staff, faculty, and students must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Websites at UVM must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
This includes:
- UVM College websites
- UVM Center or institute websites
- UVM department websites
- UVM training websites
- UVM marketing websites (campus tour)
- UVM student group or club websites
Do all UVM documents need to be accessible? Yes.
All documents created at UVM and used by or shared with our campus community must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. Documents at UVM must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
Document accessibility includes:
- Alt-text for images or mark them decorative
- Use headers throughout, via each programs pre-set Styles panel
- Updated Document Properties
- Properly labeled tables, used only to display data, not for layout purposes
- Strong color contrast
- Fonts no smaller than 12 points for the body text, and 20 points for headings
For each type of document, use the appropriate accessibility checker to ensure basic document accessibility.
| DOCUMENT TYPE | ACCESSIBILITY TOOL |
|---|---|
| Microsoft Word Documents | Word Accessibility Checker |
| Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets | Excel Accessibility Checker |
| Microsoft PowerPoint Slides | PowerPoint Accessibility Checker |
| Adobe .pdfs | Adobe Acrobat Pro Accessibility Checker, or the (free) PDF Accessibility Checker |
Title II defines electronic documents as web content or content in mobile apps that is in a .pdf, word processor, presentation, or spreadsheet file format. Database files are not included in this definition.
Do all UVM events need to be accessible? Yes.
All events hosted by and at UVM must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. While "events" are not named specifically under Title II requirements, any digital tools you use for those events must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
How does digital accessibility impact events?
A truly inclusive event has an online, or virtual option for attending. People with disabilities face barriers to physical attendance that can include access to transportation, physical and emotional energy, and mental health issues.
In addition to making sure all aspects of the physical components of an event are accessible, event accessibility includes:
- Using accessible digital registration tools
- Making sure the registration form and process are accessible. This includes providing a digital option for registration.
- Using accessible presentation tools that include optional live-captioning
- Providing access to ASL interpreters as needed
- Providing multiple ways for virtual attendees to participate and ask questions
Do all UVM courses need to be accessible? Yes.
All UVM courses must be fully accessible to people with disabilities. This includes making sure that all digital materials used in the course are fully accessible, and that all digital activities are fully accessible. Password-protected course content at UVM must meet WCAG standards 2.1 AA-level.
Course accessibility includes:
- Storing all course materials on Brightspace, UVM's default digital course platform
- Using Brightspace's Ally tool to check for accessibility issues when creating a course
- Ensuring
- Only using digital tools that have been reviewed by UVM for accessibility compliance using the Purchasing Contract Review process.
- Content posted by third parties on course websites may be exempt if the third party is not posting under a contractual or licensing agreement with the institution.
Instructors can make course materials available to students in many different formats, based on need and preference.
Steps to Ensure Compliance
- Incorporate Accessibility from the Start – Design with accessibility in mind to prevent costly remediation later.
- Follow Best Practices for Content Creation – Use proper heading structures, alternative text for images, and accessible multimedia.
- Review and Update Regularly – Ensure web pages, .pdfs, and digital tools remain accessible over time.
- Provide an Accessibility Statement – Clearly communicate your commitment to accessibility and offer a way for users to give feedback and get help.