This week, the Office of Accessibility Services (OAS) released an initial draft of a digital accessibility “roadmap” document for campus review and feedback.

A roadmap document specifies how a large project will be undertaken, breaking it down into stages, outlining tasks associated with each stage, and suggesting who will be responsible for which task.

And in the case of digital accessibility, this roadmap document is necessary for UVM to comply with federal law. 

In 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice revised Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), specifying that all public entities must meet the digital accessibility guidelines laid out in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). 

Based on Title II specifications, UVM is considered a public entity. UVM has made progress in meeting WCAG requirements with its websites, electronic documents, social media, multimedia, and instructional course materials, and will continue to work towards full compliance. And per Title II, UVM has until April 2027 to get in full compliance.

The DOJ’s Title II revisions include several immediate requirements, including the establishment of a central office for disability accommodations, the creation of a central online home for accessibility information for the campus, and a roadmap document that outlines the entity’s plans for getting the campus in full conformance with the WCAG requirements.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines were created by the Website Accessibility Initiative, an international project created in 1997 with the goal of improving website accessibility. Since the initial set of requirements were released in 1999, they have been continually updated to keep pace with evolving web technology. The Title II revisions mandate the adoption of the 2.1 requirements; specifically, as a public entity, UVM must comply with the full set of AA, or “reasonable” digital accessibility requirements.

What the Roadmap Contains

The release of this week’s digital accessibility roadmap draft marks an important step forward for the University. The roadmap makes recommendations related to the full range of digital products affected by the 2.1 requirements, and include the creation of structures related to accessibility auditing, education, remediation, governance, and sustainability. Some of the recommendations in the draft include: 

  • A schedule for regular accessibility auditing by both OAS and individual departments
  • Giving staff and faculty access to ongoing digital accessibility training
  • The creation of an “Accessibility Champions” program for staff, and a Faculty Accessibility Fellows program for faculty, and
  • The establishment of a Disability Studies minor 

Additionally, to move the plan forward, the roadmap draws on one of UVM’s key strengths: collaboration. A number of different groups and departments are being asked to contribute their expertise to what will be a considerable undertaking for the University.

“We’re confident that UVM can meet and exceed the requirements laid out by the revised Title II plan,” comments Office of Accessibility Services Director Sharon Mone. “And we want everyone to feel invited, included, and supported as we chart a path to full conformance for the University.”

Draft Materials for Review

The roadmap draft document is available for download from the campus’ new “Accessibility Hub”, found at go.uvm.edu/accessibility-hub. It is available as a full text document, an audio recording of the full text, and a set of plain-language summary slides:

Students, staff, faculty, and visitors to UVM are all encouraged to read it and respond with their comments to the Office of Accessibility Services by Friday, March 13. 

Feedback Needed

OAS is particularly interested at this point in feedback specifically pertaining to factual corrections, terminology updates, or operational considerations that should be taken into account before the campus moves to the next stage of implementation. Program design, scope, and specific partnership details will all be refined during the upcoming implementation planning process. OAS also wants to stress that the campus particularly needs to hear from people with disabilities who are part of the community.

“Getting in compliance with Title II is doable,” added Mone. “But it’s going to be a big journey for the campus. This roadmap – combined with leadership by people with disabilities at UVM – gets us on the right path.”