Dear Colleagues,
We are writing to share guidance on preparing course materials for the upcoming Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II update, which will take effect in April 2026 and applies to all public universities, including UC Berkeley.
The updated requirements of the ADA require that digital course materials provided to students, even materials inside password-protected course sites like bCourses, will need to comply with accessibility standards (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA).
Digital course materials include documents provided as well as any tools, platforms, or external resources connected or linked to a bCourses course site.
Taking the actions recommended below will help you prioritize what to do next, focusing your effort on courses that you will be teaching following the Friday, April 24, 2026 deadline (e.g., summer and fall 2026, and beyond).
- Use the Accessibility Checker (Ally) in bCourses to survey the accessibility status of your existing course content, and follow the guidance that Ally provides for fixing different issues. Prioritize materials you will actively use on or after April 24, 2026.
- Visit the Accessibility in Teaching and Learning Resource Hub to avail yourself of resources and tools for making material such as slides, documents, and PDFs accessible – including specific guidance related to STEM needs and handwritten notes. Bookmark this site for easy reference.
- Unpublish Inaccessible Course Content from bCourses sites: Focus on materials that you are currently using, and unpublish materials not in current use while you work on them. This way, you can update materials gradually, beginning with those that will be available to students on or after April 24, 2026. Consider letting students know you are actively working on accessibility and invite them to flag any files that are inaccessible.
- Start with Editable Formats: Start making accessibility fixes in your original, editable format. Formats such as Canvas pages (HTML), Word or Google Docs, and ePub versions are easier for students to navigate and typically require far less remediation than scanned PDFs. All new materials created on or after April 24, 2026 should be built accessibly from the outset.
- Utilize the Accessibility of Library Collections: When possible, link to accessible licensed library resources instead of uploading scanned pages or personal PDF copies. If you have questions, suggestions, or need support about the accessibility of Library digital collections, reach out to helpbox-library@berkeley.edu.
Our goal is to support improved accessibility of course content, recognizing that these are new standards. We will continue to share useful resources, including FAQs and training, throughout the semester on our page mentioned in #2 above. If you hear of additional helpful resources, please feel free to reach out to vpue@berkeley.edu to share them with us.
Our thanks and appreciation in advance for your work improving accessibility for our students.
With our best wishes,
Oliver O’Reilly
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Anne Marie Richard
Assistant Vice Provost and Chief Academic Technology Officer