Higher education institutions face both ADA and Section 508 requirements. Course registration, learning management systems, and admissions portals must be accessible. OCR has investigated hundreds of universities for web accessibility failures.
OCR higher ed investigations
Resolution agreements
University sites with WCAG issues
Universities receive federal funding, triggering Section 508 requirements on top of ADA. The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) actively investigates complaints about inaccessible educational technology and websites.
Prioritize your LMS and course registration system — audit both for keyboard navigation and screen reader compatibility, and require vendors to provide current VPATs. Establish a captioning workflow for all lecture videos and multimedia content, including a process for faculty to request captioning for new recordings. Train content creators across departments on accessible document creation, focusing on tagged PDFs, heading structure, and alt text for academic figures. Create an accessibility review checklist for all new web content, event pages, and digital publications before they go live.
If your institution receives any federal funding — including student financial aid — you are subject to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, which requires accessible digital content. Section 508 applies directly to federal agencies, but OCR enforces equivalent accessibility standards on all federally funded educational institutions.
Yes. All pre-recorded video content must have accurate synchronized captions, and live lectures should have real-time captioning or CART services available. OCR resolution agreements consistently require captioning of all instructional video content as a core compliance obligation.
Your institution is responsible for the accessibility of your LMS, even if it is a third-party product like Canvas, Blackboard, or Moodle. You should evaluate LMS accessibility during procurement and require vendors to provide a current VPAT. Any custom content uploaded by faculty must also be accessible.
Campus event listings and calendar widgets must be navigable by keyboard and screen reader. Event details including date, time, location, and registration links must be programmatically determinable. Calendar views that only work with mouse interaction need an accessible list-view alternative.
Published research papers, dissertations, and academic resources posted on your university website must be in accessible format. OCR expects tagged PDFs with proper reading order, alt text for figures and charts, and accessible data tables. Faculty should be trained on creating accessible academic documents.
ADA website lawsuits against universities & higher education businesses are increasing every year. Settlements typically range from $10,000 to $75,000+, and defense costs alone can exceed $25,000. The cost of proactive compliance is a fraction of a single lawsuit.
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