Digital Accessibility

Oakland University is committed to providing an accessible digital environment for all members of our community. As part of this commitment, we are sharing an update on the university-wide digital accessibility initiative announced earlier this year. This effort supports compliance with updated federal regulations and reflects our broader goal of fostering inclusivity in every aspect of campus life.

In 2024, the Department of Justice issued updates to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), clarifying the scope and timeline for digital accessibility requirements at public universities. These updates establish a federal compliance deadline of April 24, 2026. To meet this mandate, Oakland University must ensure equitable access for individuals with disabilities by aligning all digital content, applications, services, programs, products, and communications with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards.

In response, OU has expanded support and resources to help the campus community meet these requirements. Colleagues from the President’s Office, Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, University Technology Services, University Communications and Marketing, e-Learning and Instructional Support (e-LIS), Legal Affairs, OUWB, Disability Support Services, and the Faculty Union are working together to coordinate efforts and provide guidance.

Oakland University Website, Document, and File Accessibility

University Communications and Marketing oversees the university’s front end digital content on oakland.edu. The team provides guidance, tools, and support to ensure all oakland.edu pages meet accessibility standards and institutional goals.

• ADA Compliance Web page - The ADA Compliance webpage offers a centralized hub of information for faculty and staff. It provides step-by-step resources to help the campus community align their content with accessibility requirements, e.g. Governance, Standards and Timeline.
• ADA Compliance Help Videos - Training videos available to demonstrate accessibility best practices in action. Each video is approximately four minutes long, making them quick, practical tools for learning and applying compliance standards.
• Contact Your Account Manager - If you have questions about accessibility or need tailored guidance, your assigned account manager is available to help. They can provide clarification, resources, or one-on-one support based on your department’s specific needs.
• Public Accessibility Statement - Report an Issue - Every OU webpage contains a link to the university’s public accessibility statement in its footer. This link allows users to report an accessibility issue directly, ensuring accountability and timely resolution of concerns.

Teaching with Technology Software

For university-provided teaching with technology tools managed by e-Learning and Instructional Support (e-LIS), such as Moodle, eSpace, Zoom, Panopto, and YuJa, the following resources are available:

• Digital Accessibility Web page - A self-guided resource with help documents providing information on how to make digital resources accessible and compliant.
• ADA Title II Compliance QuickStart in eSpace - An on-demand, self-guided course on how to make your materials accessible and compliant, with a badge awarded upon completion.
• Digital Accessibility Overview Video - An overview of regulations (4 min.).
• Digital Accessibility and Title II Compliance Workshops - Online workshops are offered several times per semester and are open to faculty and staff.
• Instructional Designer (ID) Services - Along with 1-on-1 meetings and course reviews, IDs can bring the digital accessibility discussion to your department or school in a flexible in-person, online, or HyFlex format, from 15-90 minutes.

Software Procurement/Review Process

All university applications and software are required to go through a review process to ensure the risk, security, accessibility and regulatory compliance.  The complete review process performed by UTS is documented on the ERN at IT Review process. To request a review, please follow the link Request IT Review.  For accessibility purposes, ensure that you are including a Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards.  If the requirement is not met, UTS recommends that we procure an alternate solution that compiles to these standards and requirements.  This process ensures compliance only at the time of procurement, therefore the requestor should be reviewing the accessibility compliance on a regular basis.

University Enterprise Applications

University enterprise applications that are administered by UTS will be reviewed on a periodic basis for accessibility compliance including all on-prem and cloud applications.  Please contact support.oakland.edu for any questions regarding these applications.  For all other departmental applications, please contact your administrators.

Disability Support Services (DSS)

DSS works to ensure equal access to students with disabilities through accommodations, advocacy and support. Faculty and staff can refer students to us for student support. DSS is available to answer questions or address concerns.