Accessibility FAQs

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued a new rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act opens a new website (ADA)that directly affects all public colleges and universities, including UAB. This rule, finalized in April 2024, requires public institutions to ensure all websites, online services, learning platforms, and digital content are accessible to people with disabilities.

#TitleII

Yes. Title II specifically requires organizations to provide accessibility for web content and mobile applications without relying on an accommodations process. The rule is an attempt to proactively make access to content equitable for those with disabilities.

#TitleII #accommodations

Yes. Title II requirements are designed to reduce the reliance on the accommodations process but will not replace the need for accommodations in certain circumstances. Always refer a student to DSS opens a new website who discloses a disability or requests an accommodation so that their needs can be evaluated and supported for the student’s entire academic experience.

#TitleII #accommodations

Yes. Regardless of your course modality, Title II’s digital accessibility requirements apply to any material shared over the internet, including emails, course materials in Canvas, websites, and any other digital content.

#TitleII #modality

Yes. Regardless of your course modality, Title II’s digital accessibility requirements apply to any material shared over the internet, including emails, course materials in Canvas, websites, and any other digital content.

#TitleII #modality

Anything that UAB does over the internet, whether in a classroom, Canvas, a workshop, a tutoring center, or even athletics is considered an educational space and must be Title II compliant.

#TitleII #modality

The new rules in Title II apply only to materials shared over the internet. However, the original Title II guidelines have always required classroom spaces to be as accessible as possible. To enhance the accessibility of your classroom teaching, narrate and describe the visual content you present to students when possible.

#TitleII #modality

Yes. Title II requires all digital content to be accessible regardless of the audience for those materials. Also, this applies to all content delivered over the internet, whether it is hosted on Canvas, an independent website, or even shared via Intranet or email.

#TitleII #modality #audience

Title II only applies to content delivered over the internet, not software used from a computer. However, you should always choose the most accessible software of available options.

Occasionally, software may not be required to be made accessible if doing so would interfere with the essential functions or purpose of this software. Complex data visualization software, astronomy visualizations, or medical and simulation software are all examples where this might be true. If you believe your software might qualify for an exception, please submit a ticket opens a new website with the name of the software and a link so that we may verify any needed next steps.

#titleII #thirdparty

The rule is effective on April 24, 2026, so UAB is required to be compliant with the rule on that day and through exam week. As you work to make this content accessible, prioritize material that will be reused in following semesters.

#TitleII #timing

The United States has had accessibility requirements for federal and local government organizations since 1991. While this new rule updates Title II with requirements for digital accessibility, the expectation is that this rule will be permanent.

#TitleII #timing

Complex images require brief alt text (What + Why?) and longer image descriptions. Read Alt Text and Image Descriptions for Medical and Scientific Imaging opens a new website for guidelines on how to add alt text and image descriptions.

#images #alttext

Providing alt text for quiz and exam images does not require revealing the correct answer. The goal of accessible image descriptions in assessments is to provide equivalent access to the visual information that a sighted student would use to reason toward the answer. Alt text for assessment images should provide basic information about the image for screenreaders such as, ‘an illustration of cross section of a human eye’ without revealing details that would compromise the assessment question.

#images #alttext

If possible, always use the HTML version of the source or use an accessible, descriptive hyperlink opens a new website to the source instead of embedding the PDF into your course. Read PDF Alternatives opens a new website to better understand your options avoiding PDFs in your course. Learn more about using scholarly sources from the UAB library's links and accessible content page opens a new website.

#PDF

Transitions and animations can make it more difficult for assistive technology to understand how to read content in order. However, this does not mean you cannot use animations. Read Using Transitions and Animations opens a new website to learn what types of animations to choose, as well as how to save your file without animations before uploading it for students.

#PowerPoint

Yes, as long as both versions of the PowerPoint are accessible. The projected images would be considered assessment images, which would require alt text that does not disclose the answer.

#PowerPoint

Yes, when SmartArt is properly formatted, both the text and the relationships in the SmartArt are able to be read by assistive technology. SmartArt still requires brief alt text (What + Why?) on the entire SmartArt figure. Read our Using SmartArt opens a new website to understand how to work accessibly with SmartArt.

#SmartArt #Word #PowerPoint

If the students are required to interact with that content for a grade, such as in peer-review or classroom presentations, then instructors should ask students to create accessible content.

#modality #students

If the discussion board is hosted in Canvas, it meets accessibility requirements in general. However, keep in mind that any materials shared in that discussion, whether from faculty or students, must be accessible if use of the discussion board is required, and embedded images and video must be accessible.

#modality #students

Generally, yes. All formally approved applications are reviewed by IT for accessibility, among other criteria, before being approved. However, you should still ensure that any content provided by these applications is accessible.

#thirdparty

Yes, any content students are required to use must be accessible. If you are using non UAB-approved third-party applications, please submit a ticket opens a new website with the application name and a link so that we may assess the accessibility of the application.

#thirdparty

Yes, all digital materials provided to students must be accessible. Consider encouraging your guest lecturer to provide native versions of files when possible and ask for materials in advance of the guest lecture so they can be verified with accessibility checkers ahead of time.

#thirdparty #modality

Video dialogue used for assessment of language skills does not require captioning. Note that this only applies to assessment videos. All other video or audio content will require captioning.

#videos #captions

Yes, Title II requires human reviewed captions. The good news is that AI captioning is rapidly becoming more accurate. To improve the accuracy of your captions, consider using a lapel mic and repeating any questions asked by students.

#videos #captions

Yes. While we are focusing on the digital requirements of Title II, the law also requires classroom video to incorporate accessibility features such as captioning.

#videos #captions #modality

You can always submit a ticket opens a new website if you need support addressing an accessibility issue. We also offer weekly drop-in office hours as listed on the OLT website, as well as a series of running workshops to help you build your accessibility skills.

#help #Panorama

Panorama is able to check for different issues than the accessibility checkers in other programs. In general, accessibility checkers can evaluate only about 30% of accessibility issues. This is why it is always best to use both the native accessibility checker and Panorama to eliminate more issues that either can do alone.

#Panorama #Word #PowerPoint #checker

Microsoft’s accessibility checker can struggle to identify color contrast issues, particularly when text is overlayed over a background element or when highlighting is used. Follow Panorama guidance for adjusting the color of the text or background to meet color contrast guidelines.

#Panorama #Word #PowerPoint #checker

It is likely that you have visually designated headings (e.g. larger font and bolded headings) in your document, but you haven’t used the Rich Text tools or document Styles to designate this text as a heading. Use the Working with Styles opens a new website guide to address this issue in Word. If this is a Canvas page, use the rich text editor ribbon to apply a style to the text.

#Panorama #headings #Word #PowerPoint

Complex images should be accompanied by both brief alt text (What + Why?) and longer image descriptions. To fix this issue, provide a briefer alt text description and then include an image description on the Canvas page, in the Speaker Notes of a PowerPoint, or as a caption or footnote in the text. Read Alt Text and Image Descriptions for Medical and Scientific Imaging opens a new website for guidelines on how to add alt text and image descriptions.

#Panorama #images

In Word, document images are contained in a separate layer from the text, which can prevent assistive technology from understanding when to read the image. Use the Using Text Boxes and Images opens a new website for guidance on how to fix this problem within Word.

#Panorama #Word #images

This issue happens when links on the same page go to the same location. The best fix for this issue is to determine if you need the additional link or if the link can point to a more specific location. For example, one paragraph might link to the OLT website , but the next link might link to the OLT Accessibility Page, even though you can navigate to the subpage from the main page. If the duplicate link is intentional and necessary, then you can ignore the Panorama issue.

#Panorama #links

Panorama flags file names as non-descriptive when they contain the file extension (e.g. document.docx). To fix this issue, use only the document title without the extension.

#Panorama #links

Panorama will sometimes show this issue when the reading order is set in a different order than the content of the slide (e.g. when you read text on the right side of the slide before an image placed on the left). Use the Accessibility Tools: Reading Order Pane opens a new website to set the reading order in PowerPoint. If your reading order is correct, you can safely ignore this issue.

#Panorama #readingorder #PowerPoint

It is likely that your table header is not labeled as a header in your source document. Use the Using Tables opens a new website guide to set your table header in Word or PowerPoint.

#Panorama #tables #Word #PowerPoint

If your small text is inside a text box in your original document, Panorama cannot create more space for the larger text, resulting in text overlapping and becoming unreadable. To fix this issue, you will need to enlarge the text in the original document. If you do not have access to the source document, you can ignore this error.

#Panorama #Word #PowerPoint #text

Even though you have a title within your document, you also need to add the title to the document’s metadata. Use the Adding Metadata opens a new website guide to add a title to the document’s properties.

#Panorama #title #Word #PowerPoint

It is likely that your slide title is not contained within a text box that is designated for identified as a slide title. Use the Assigning Slide Titles opens a new website guide to fix this issue.

#Panorama #title #PowerPoint

No. Every slide needs a title to help assistive technology identify individual slides in a presentation. You can add an invisible slide title in these cases. Use the Assigning Slide Titles opens a new website guide to fix this issue.

#Panorama #title #PowerPoint

Videos that have no dialogue do not require captioning. You can check the Panorama option “I confirm this video has CC” to clear the Panorama issue.

#videos #captions #Panorama

This flag on videos from Panorama comes from pasting the code for multiple videos from the same source, such as YouTube or Kaltura, into Canvas instead of using tools provided in Canvas to embed YouTube or Kaltura videos. To fix the issue, click the “Fix Issue” button in Panorama and change the iframe’s title or ID by adding a number or a descriptive title (e.g. Kaltura Video 1). Repeat this for all videos by changing the number on each successive video (e.g. Kaltura Video 2, Kaltura Video 3, etc.).

#videos #Panorama