Overview
To help departments meet the requirements of the recent update to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in advance of the revised April 2027 due date, Research, Teaching, & Learning Commons (RTL) is offering enhanced digital accessibility support for instructors of highly-impacted courses.
Instructors will have the opportunity to work directly with our instructional designers who will provide accessibility guidance and resources tailored to the specific needs of their course. Instructional designers will meet regularly with instructors to:
- Identify and prioritize digital materials that require updating to meet the WCAG 2.1 AA standards specified in ADA Title II by the April 2027 deadline
- Provide step-by-step guidance on how to update those materials using the most effective tools available
- Set a realistic plan with practical milestones and provide follow-up support
Note: Instructional designers will not be remediating course content for instructors, but rather will be guiding instructors through the process.
This enhanced support is being offered for instructors teaching high-impact courses in fall 2026 and/or spring 2027.
High impact courses are defined by the following:
- Highly enrolled (250 students or more)
- Largely enrolled by first-year and transfer students
- An essential course in a major
- A prerequisite for other essential courses in a major
- Offered in online or flexible modalities or that make significant use of bCourses or other supported EdTech tools (thus potentially having a greater digital accessibility need to ensure students have a positive learning experience)
Select divisions were invited to nominate courses to participate in the program for Fall 2026. Due to the individualized nature of this enhanced support, the number of courses that can be supported each semester is limited.
Why RTL Commons?
RTL Commons includes a team of highly skilled instructional designers who are well versed in the processes for developing accessible materials in bCourses, utilizing library resources to provide electronic files of materials to students, and remediating PDFs and other documents. This team also has many years of experience working closely with faculty to provide individualized consultations and course development services. With the unique skills of this core team, RTL Commons has staff with the skills needed to provide individual support and training to faculty.
Why This Model?
In this enhanced support model, faculty receive individualized support to address their specific questions and needs, but with a focus on training so they are also empowered with deep knowledge and skills that allow them to continue the work once they are no longer in the program.
Faculty will gain direct access to staff expertise and individualized support to ensure their course is meeting Title II requirements.
