Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act opens a new website (ADA) has been updated to require full compliance with rules that specify the accessibility requirements of digital content by April 26, 2027. Specifically, the requirement is to meet WCAG 2.1 AA level guidelines opens a new website.
UAB is working campus-wide to address these requirements through the UAB Digital Accessibility committee opens a new website. This group, comprised of Marketing and Communications, DSS, and IT, among others, is working to ensure that general university content on the web, online tools, in videos, and elsewhere is compliant.
Faculty are responsible for the digital content they require students to use in whatever modality of the class—online, hybrid, or classroom. If content is digital, it should be accessible. This includes, but is not limited to, web pages, PDFs and other documents, videos, and the applications and tools required to access them such as Canvas.
What is UAB doing to Help Faculty?
Given the extra year for compliance, we have revised our approach to helping faculty meet the standards. This deadline change does not impact UAB’s commitment to accessibility and the requirements for compliance. However, it has given us the opportunity to further refine our approach to supporting faculty in creating accessible course content and materials.
While faculty continue to remediate their course content through Panorama and through adjusting files in their native programs, we are moving to better prepare faculty to have the skills needed to be self-sufficient in creating accessible content going forward. Starting in June 2026, the Office of Learning Technologies (OLT) will transition to offering focused “Accessibility Sprints” on topics that provide accessibility knowledge and skills. These sprints are:
These sprints are:
- Content Accessibility Basics: Understanding Content Items that Require Accessibility
- Panorama: Understanding Issues and How to Fix Them
- Video Accessibility
- Word Accessibility
- PowerPoint Accessibility
- PDF Accessibility
- Putting it All Together: How to Create an Accessibility Plan for your Course Materials
These sprints will allow faculty to approach their course materials in bite-sized chunks, alleviating the pressure of attempting to address compliance for their courses all at once. We encourage faculty to join us in these sprints by using each month as a dedicated time to revise any course materials for that monthly topic, as well as learn the skills that will allow them to move from remediation to “born accessible” materials in the future.
For faculty who are away this summer or otherwise occupied, these sessions will be repeated in the fall and recordings for each topic will be available along with supporting resources for use by faculty in the Course Accessibility course.
In addition, OLT will continue offering virtual and in-person drop-in sessions to assist with specific questions. See the webinars and drop-in sessions in the Upcoming Events section of this page and in the UAB event calendar.
As always, submit a Faculty Accessible Course Content Support request for specific help.
Upcoming Events
Get Support
Support for Panorama is available 24/7. Learn how to access Panorama support. We encourage you to use their support for how-to questions or troubleshooting using Panorama.
Faculty can ask OLT for help solving issues with remediating or creating accessible content using Panorama, or better understanding course accessibility requirements. Submit a request for help through the course content support form. Nursing and Health Professions faculty have other resources.
- All faculty: Accessible Course Content Support opens a new website
- School of Nursing faculty: submit a SON TEC Team Support Ticket opens a new website
- School of Health Professions faculty: email
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Creating New Accessible Content
As you create new content, follow this quick start guide that addresses some of the primary ways you can create accessible content. While this does not address every standard of digital accessibility, it covers important and relatively easy things you can do on your own to create content that meets accessibility requirements. See also this list of currently available Testing Tools & Checkers opens a new website for checking your content.
More training will be coming to equip you for getting in the habit of creating accessible content that will not need to be remediated.
Frequently Asked Questions
See our Frequently Asked Questions about Title II, making content accessible, and using Panorama.
Report an Accessibility Concern
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is committed to providing persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to participate in and benefit from all programs and services offered by or on behalf of the University. If you or someone you know has a concern around accessibility, please report it to us using the Report an Accessibility Concern Form.