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Empowering Instructors | Supporting Excellence

CATT News & Updates | Spring 2026

ADA Title II Digital Accessibility Deadline Approaching

Published March 3, 2026

Federal ADA Title II digital accessibility requirements are approaching quickly. If you have not yet reviewed your course materials, now is the time to take focused, manageable steps toward compliance.

The good news: meaningful progress can happen quickly when you prioritize strategically.

Below are steps that can help you make immediate improvements.

Start with the Ally Course Report in Each of Your Courses

Your Ally Course Report in UB Learns provides a prioritized overview of accessibility issues within your course content.

Focus on items marked as Severe or Major in your Ally Course Report. These issues typically create the most significant barriers for students and resolving them will have the greatest impact.

Severe issues often include:

  • Scanned PDFs with no OCR (image-only documents that screen readers cannot interpret)
  • Documents without proper heading structure (no logical navigation for screen reader users)
  • Images without alternative text (students using assistive technology cannot access the content)
  • Videos without captions
  • Poor color contrast that makes text unreadable for users with low vision
  • Tables without header rows, preventing assistive technology from conveying structure
  • Untitled or untagged PDFs, especially those lacking document language settings

These issues directly affect a student’s ability to access and understand course content.

Many courses share similar accessibility challenges. The most frequent include:

  • Tables without header rows
  • Poor color contrast
  • Documents without tagging (especially PDFs)
  • Images without alternative text
  • Documents without a title
  • Documents without a language specified

Some fixes are straightforward and can significantly improve your accessibility score.

Adding a document title and setting the document language are often fast, high-impact changes. In many cases, these can be corrected directly within Ally or in the source document with minimal effort.

Using the Ally Course Report

Remediate Documents in the Source Application

Accessibility improvements are most effective when made in the original file.

For example:

  • Word documents should be remediated in Microsoft Word
  • PowerPoints should be corrected in PowerPoint
  • PDFs should be remediated in Acrobat when possible

Start with accessible templates
Using accessible, UB-branded templates can prevent common issues before they occur. These templates include proper structure, layouts and formatting designed to support accessibility from the start.

Starting with an accessible template can significantly reduce the amount of remediation needed later.

Most applications include an accessibility checker that will:

  • Identify structural issues
  • Flag missing alt text
  • Detect contrast concerns
  • Highlight missing headings or document properties

After making corrections:

  1. Save the updated file.
  2. In UB Learns, remove the original version.
  3. Upload the remediated version in its place.

This ensures students only access the corrected file and allows Ally to rescan the document.

Download UB accessible PowerPoint templates
Training Opportunities for Instructors

Working with Scanned PDFs?

Scanned PDFs present unique challenges because they are often image-based and not machine-readable.

If you are working with scanned documents, self-enroll in:

Making Course Content Accessible with AI: Title II Readiness

This UB Learns resource provides guidance on:

  • Converting scanned files into editable formats
  • Using AI tools responsibly to assist with remediation
  • Improving document structure before re-uploading

The course is self-paced and designed to support quick, focused progress.

Self-Enroll in UB Learns

Not Sure How to Move Forward?

Handwritten notes, annotated scans, or complex legacy materials may require individualized support.

If you are unsure how to proceed:

Request Support from CATT (UB login required)

Our team can help you evaluate options and determine the most efficient path forward.

Focus on Progress, Not Perfection

The goal is meaningful, measurable improvement that reduces barriers for students. Start with the highest-impact changes and move forward incrementally.

Small, consistent updates across your materials can make a significant difference — both for compliance and for student learning.

Handwritten notes, annotated scans, or complex legacy materials may require individualized support.

If you are unsure how to proceed:

Need Additional Support?

If you have questions as you work through accessibility updates, your unit accessibility liaison can provide guidance tailored to your department or discipline.

Contact Your Unit Accessibility Liaison

CATT offers workshops and focused sessions on improving digital course accessibility.

Training Opportunities for Instructors

Making Course Content Accessible with AI: Title II Readiness provides structured, guided support across document types and digital formats.

Self-Enroll in UB Learns