In partnership with the Provost’s Office, the Center for Research on Teaching and Learning Excellence, and the Center for Distance Education, the Office of Information Technology is working to ensure all digital content we provide adheres to accessibility standards.
While the goal at UTA has long been to provide an accessible experience for all, we are now facing a deadline from the Department of Justice.
In early 2024, the DOJ updated regulations as part of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new rule has specific requirements about ensuring web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities. All large universities have until April 2026 to comply.
These rules apply to all digital content, including:
Through our campus partnerships, we are making strides in remediating existing content and ensuring new content meets accessibility standards.
OIT is working with website owners across campus to remediate any inaccessible content. As of October 2025, 50% of our campus websites have been remediated. The goal is to have all remediation completed by January 2026.
The Provost’s Office, CRTLE and CDE are working with faculty across campus to remediate any content in Canvas and build accessible templates for future Canvas course updates. As of October 2025, courses in Canvas are 91% accessible.
We will continue working with faculty by providing in-person workshops and online resources to make creating content as easy as possible. Knowledge Services has scheduled two additional workshops for faculty:
You can register for these workshops on the OIT Training Site.
UTA also launched the Digital Champion Development Program to help with this initiative. Representatives across campus are Digital Champions for their respective academic and non-academic units, serving as a resource to encourage best practices and provide guidance and support.
“Being a digital champion is just one small way I can contribute to accessibility at UTA, so everyone can have an equitable experience at this University,” said Victoria Burnett, digital champion for the Office of the Chief Financial Officer.
The Digital Champions receive training and ongoing knowledge transfers from Knowledge Services and the EIR Accessibility team, essentially serving as a liaison for their departments.
“The Digital Champion program is a transformative initiative, not just about compliance but about cultivating a culture of care,” explained Laura Hopkins, EIR accessibility coordinator. “This program demonstrates that accessibility isn’t a checkbox; it’s a commitment to equity, student success and meaningful engagement. The program truly embodies my favorite slogan: Accessibility – habit, not hindsight!”
Digital Champions are chosen by unit leadership. If you are interested in serving as a digital champion, please contact your leadership about future possibilities.
You can find a full list of UTA’s Digital Champions on the EIR Accessibility website.
If you need assistance creating or modifying any existing materials, Knowledge Services created a Resource Toolkit with helpful videos and training guides to walk you through the process. You will find support for items like closed captioning and creating an accessible PDF.
You can also find a current issues tracker highlighting known issues across campus platforms and what is being done to remediate those issues.
As a reminder, the EIR Accessibility team provides accessibility training on various topics, including PDF Accessibility Basics and How to Make an Accessible Word Document, throughout the year. You can register on the OIT Training site.
Ashley • 2025-Oct-22
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