ADA Title II Web Accessibility Rule

Digital Media Accessibility Requirements for Faculty & Staff

What Is This Rule?

In April 2024, the Department of Justice finalized a rule requiring state and local government entities, including public universities, to make their digital content accessible. This means all web content, mobile apps, and digital materials must meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

Compliance Deadlines

• April 24, 2026, for institutions serving populations of 50,000 or more

What Content Is Covered?

• Lecture recordings with narration.
• Training videos.
• Online course materials.
• Public meetings and events.
• Publicly available web content.

Required Accessibility Features for Media

1. Captions (Required for ALL Videos)

• Pre-recorded videos: Must have accurate, synchronized captions.
• Live videos: Must have real-time captions.
• Captions must include dialogue, sound effects, and musical cues.

2. Audio Descriptions

Required when:

• Videos contain important visual-only information
• On-screen text, charts, or graphs are shown but not read aloud.
• Actions or visual demonstrations are not narrated.
• Scene changes or visual context affects understanding.

NOT required when:

• The narrator already describes everything happening visually.
• All relevant information is conveyed through the audio track alone.

3. Transcripts

• Required for audio-only content (podcasts, audio lectures).
• Best practice for all videos as an additional resource.

Practical Tips for Faculty

• Plan ahead: Narrate what you film during recording to avoid extra audio descriptions later.
• Utilize auto-captions as an initial resource: Both Kaltura and Teams provide automated captions; however, it is essential to thoroughly review and amend them to ensure accuracy. While generally reliable, machine-generated captions may contain errors in grammar, spelling, and capitalization that require correction.
• Read on-screen text aloud: If your slides contain important text, read it during the presentation.
• Describe visual demonstrations: Verbally explain what you're doing during demonstrations or experiments.
• For resources, tools, and support for creating accessible content: Contact the Office of Access and Accommodation Services.
• For assistance with caption corrections: Contact Kevin Downum (kdownum@astate.edu) or AOS Faculty Support (aos@astate.edu).