The U.S. Department of Justice has extended the Title II digital accessibility compliance date for public entities our size from April 24, 2026, to April 26, 2027. This change gives institutions additional time to complete implementation, but it does not change the broader direction of our work. UIS remains committed to reducing digital barriers and improving access to learning, work, and public-facing services.

For UIS, this means we are not stepping back from digital accessibility. Instead, we will use the additional year to continue building a sustainable, supportive approach that prioritizes high-impact work, strengthens campus guidance, and helps units make steady progress over time.

Website and Social Media

UIS will continue with an accessibility-first approach for newly published web and social media content. While the federal compliance date has shifted, our campus standard remains that new content should be created with accessibility in mind from the start. This helps us avoid adding new barriers while we continue addressing older content and systems in a thoughtful, prioritized way. Accessibility obligations under the ADA, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (IITAA), and UIS policy remain in effect regardless of the DOJ’s revised Title II web accessibility compliance date. The UIS website has already met our initial web accessibility goals ahead of the original compliance deadline, positioning us well for continued progress.

Instruction

Faculty should begin the course accessibility process now for Fall 2026 courses. Instructors may work through that process themselves or start with COLRS/ODA course accessibility support, especially for courses with high enrollment, repeat courses, and courses likely to be taught again. Prioritizing those courses first will help us focus effort where it can have the greatest impact for students and where accessibility improvements can be reused over time.

We know this work happens alongside many other campus demands. Our goal is to approach it in a way that is practical, collaborative, and centered on support. We appreciate the progress the UIS community has already made as we have worked toward the Title II rule date, and we hope to build on that momentum with a shared focus on improving access to UIS programs, services, and content.

FAQ

• What changed?
  The federal Title II compliance date moved from April 24, 2026, to April 26, 2027, for institutions our size.
• What is not changing at UIS?
  Our commitment to digital accessibility remains the same, and we will continue moving forward with an accessibility-first approach.
• What does “accessibility-first” mean right now?
  Beginning Friday, April 24, 2026, newly published web and social media content should be created accessibly from the start. In practice, that means UIS is continuing to reduce new barriers while using the additional time to address older content, strengthen support, and prioritize the highest-impact work.
• What are faculty being asked to do?
  Faculty should begin the course accessibility process for Fall 2026 courses, either independently or with support from COLRS.
• Where can faculty start?
  Faculty can review COLRS/ODA course accessibility support and make a copy of the Making Canvas Courses Accessible How-to Guide in Google Drive.
• Which courses should be prioritized?
  High-enrollment courses, repeat courses and courses likely to be taught again should move into the accessibility process first.
• Why continue now if the deadline moved?
  Continuing now helps us reduce new barriers, focus on the most-used content first, and use the added time to build more sustainable support and processes.