While universities & higher education may not be the single most-sued industry in California, CA sees 800+/year ADA web lawsuits annually. Plaintiff attorneys are expanding their targeting beyond traditional high-risk industries, and universities & higher education websites in California are increasingly in the crosshairs.
OCR higher ed investigations
Resolution agreements
University sites with WCAG issues
Under Unruh Civil Rights Act, universities & higher education businesses in California face specific liability for website accessibility violations. California's Unruh Act provides $4,000 minimum statutory damages per violation per visit, making it extremely attractive for serial plaintiffs. State courts have jurisdiction over any website accessible to California residents. This means that a single accessibility complaint against your universities & higher education website could result in statutory damages, attorney's fees, and mandatory remediation.
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.
Multiple California courts have applied the Unruh Act to website-only businesses, with damages exceeding $100,000 in serial plaintiff cases. Universities & Higher Education businesses in California should treat ADA website compliance as an urgent priority given the state's enforcement environment and the industry's high target profile.
Yes. Under both the federal ADA and Unruh Civil Rights Act, universities & higher education businesses in California that serve the public must ensure their websites are accessible to people with disabilities. This includes meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.
California sees 800+/year ADA web accessibility lawsuits per year across all industries. Universities & Higher Education is increasingly targeted in CA. Lawsuits typically settle for $10,000-$75,000+.
The most common violations for universities & higher education websites include course registration systems not keyboard navigable, lms content without proper heading structure, lecture videos without captions or transcripts. These issues are the primary targets for ADA plaintiff attorneys in California.
Under Unruh Civil Rights Act, universities & higher education businesses can face statutory damages, compensatory damages, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief. Defense costs alone typically exceed $25,000, making proactive compliance far more cost-effective.
Free WCAG 2.1 AA scan. Get AI-generated code fixes before a CA lawsuit finds you.
Scan Your Site Free