UMass Boston

Digital accessibility means that websites, documents, applications, videos, and other digital resources are designed so that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with them.

Digital accessibility is essential to ensuring equitable access to education, employment, research, university programs, services, and activities. It enables individuals with disabilities to participate fully in university life and also improves usability and access for everyone.

The policy establishes university-wide standards and responsibilities for accessibility and supports compliance with federal and state laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and updated ADA Title II regulations.

UMass Boston has adopted the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as its minimum technical standard. WCAG is an internationally recognized accessibility standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to make websites, mobile applications, and digital content more accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice has adopted WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for state and local governments under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Department of Justice's updated ADA Title II regulations establish a compliance date of April 26, 2027.

The policy applies to faculty, staff, student employees, academic and administrative departments, and third parties creating or managing digital content or technologies on behalf of the university.

No. Digital accessibility is a legal requirement for public institutions and is also consistent with UMass Boston's commitment to inclusive excellence.

The Division of Information Technology (IT) is the policy owner and coordinates implementation across the university.

Accessibility is a shared responsibility. Anyone creating, publishing, purchasing, maintaining, or approving digital content has a role in ensuring accessibility.

No. Accessibility is a shared institutional responsibility involving faculty, staff, administrators, procurement personnel, web editors, and technology teams.

Because accessibility must be considered whenever content is created, published, purchased, or maintained.

Course materials, syllabi, presentations, PDFs, handouts, and other instructional resources should conform to accessibility requirements.

Yes.  Instructional videos should include accurate captions.

Yes. Audio-only content must include an accurate transcript that identifies speakers and describes relevant non-speech sounds. Contact Learning Design for assistance.

Images that convey information should include meaningful alternative text.

No. Priority should be given to active courses, courses likely to be reused, and materials with high student impact.

Generally no, unless they remain publicly available or are actively being used.

No. Accessibility is an ongoing process and the university is taking a prioritized and risk-based approach.

Faculty using course materials should make reasonable efforts to ensure they are accessible.

Yes. Faculty should communicate accessibility expectations and ensure instructional materials are accessible.

Yes, provided they contain accurate captions or alternative accommodations can be provided.

Image-only PDFs are generally not accessible and should be remediated or replaced with accessible alternatives, including accessible Word documents on HTML.

Yes.

Yes.

Student work submitted solely for grading generally does not need remediation unless it is shared broadly or used as instructional material.

Canvas is designed to conform to current accessibility standards and includes many built-in accessibility features. However, instructors are responsible for ensuring that the course content they add, including documents, images, videos, and links, is also accessible.

Yes.

Accessibility should be considered before requiring any technology. An exception and alternative access plan may be necessary.

No, students and employees can still request reasonable accommodations and approved accommodations should still be implemented.

Official university websites, departmental sites, subdomains, research sites, and university-associated web properties.

Yes. All social media accounts representing a UMass Boston department or entity are included. Social media accounts used for instructional purposes are also included. 

Captions, alt text, plain language, and sufficient color contrast.

Yes. University-associated websites should include a link to the UMass Boston Accessibility Policy.

Yes.

Yes.

Generally, yes.

Yes, if handbooks and policies are posted to the web or distributed electronically are covered.

Accessibility should be evaluated whenever purchasing, renewing, or licensing digital technologies.

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is a vendor document describing accessibility conformance.

No.

Procurement, IT, and Digital Accessibility personnel may participate in the review.

This should be considered as part of the purchasing decision and risk assessment.

Yes.

Yes.

A Digital Accessibility Exception is a temporary, documented approval allowing a covered digital resource to remain in use for a limited period when accessibility requirements cannot reasonably be met within the required timeframe. An approved exception does not make the resource accessible or remove the department's responsibility to provide access and continue remediation.

An exception may be appropriate only when the need is documented, such as technical infeasibility, vendor dependency, temporary transition, legacy or archived content, undue burden, fundamental alteration, or a similar condition. Routine effort, convenience, preference, or delay alone is not sufficient.

No. If the issue can be resolved through standard remediation, configuration, maintenance, procurement of an accessible alternative, vendor support, or routine content correction, the department should proceed with remediation and no exception is needed.

Departments should consult the Digital Accessibility Office before preparing a formal exception request. Begin by completing the Digital Accessibility Help & Support form. The Digital Accessibility Office may provide guidance, recommend remediation that avoids an exception, request more information, or begin the formal exception process. Departments should prepare a formal request only when directed by the Digital Accessibility Office.

The five phases are: (1) Identify and Assess; (2) Exception Request; (3) Digital Accessibility Office Review; (4) Executive Decision; and (5) Governance and Review.

The request must include a business justification; proposed exception basis; accessibility impact and risk; an Equivalent Effective Alternative Access plan; a remediation plan with an owner, milestones, dependencies, and target date; supporting documentation such as testing results, a VPAT/ACR, vendor correspondence, roadmaps, cost information, or procurement records; and Department Head and Vice Chancellor approvals. Incomplete requests may be returned before review.

An EEAA plan describes how the department will provide effective, equivalent access to the affected information, service, activity, or function for the duration of the exception. Alternative access must remain active while remediation or replacement is underway.

An example could be providing an accessible version of a document, format, or workflow that gives affected users access to the same information or functionality while the original resource is being remediated or replaced. The appropriate alternative will depend on the resource, the affected function, and user needs.

The Digital Accessibility Office will complete an initial review within 10 business days after receiving a complete request or will request additional information. Complex requests may require additional consultation before a recommendation is issued.

The CIO or authorized delegate is the final approving authority and may approve the request, approve it with conditions, deny it, or request more information. The decision is issued in writing.

No. Every approved exception is temporary and must include an effective date, expiration date, review schedule, active EEAA plan, remediation plan, and any conditions of approval.

A pending or approved exception does not suspend the university's responsibility to provide timely access or respond to accommodation requests, accessibility complaints, or immediate access needs. The department remains responsible for maintaining alternative access, keeping information current, reporting material changes, and continuing remediation.

Approved exceptions are recorded in the Accessibility Exception Register and reviewed according to risk level: Critical every 6 months, High every 12 months, Medium every 24 months, and legacy or archived content as determined during approval. Reviews confirm that the exception remains necessary, approval conditions are being met, EEAA remains effective, and remediation is progressing.

No. Renewal requires updated justification, the current barrier status, evidence of remediation progress, updated vendor or remediation information, revised dates when needed, the requested renewal period, and Department Head and Vice Chancellor approval before expiration. Repeating the original request without evidence of progress may result in denial.

The department must proceed through remediation, replacement, discontinuation, delayed implementation, or another required corrective action. Reconsideration of a denial or condition must be requested within the authorized timeframe and requires new or materially different information. Reconsideration does not delay immediate access, accommodation, remediation, or compliance responsibilities.

An exception is closed when the accessibility barrier is resolved, the vendor corrects the issue, the resource is replaced or retired, the affected function is discontinued, or the exception is no longer needed.

UMass Boston strongly encourages all faculty and staff to participate in digital accessibility training. Certain training may be required for individuals whose job responsibilities include creating, publishing, managing, or approving digital content, or who are granted access to systems used to distribute content to students, employees, or the public.

Some roles have direct responsibility for creating or managing digital content that impacts large numbers of users.

In certain cases, completion of role-based training may be a prerequisite for obtaining or maintaining publishing access to designated systems.

No. The purpose of training is to provide knowledge and tools necessary to create inclusive digital experiences.

Examples may include:

• Website content management systems
• Canvas publishing permissions
• Marketing platforms
• Official communication tools

No. The policy does not change job classifications or job descriptions. Accessibility responsibilities are generally part of existing responsibilities for creating and managing digital content.

The university recognizes that accessibility work requires time and effort. Implementation will occur over time and prioritize high-impact content and systems.

No.

No. The university's approach emphasizes education, support, and continuous improvement.

No. Accessibility monitoring is intended to identify barriers and support remediation efforts.

Yes. UMass Boston will provide training, guidance, and support resources to help members of the university community understand and meet their digital accessibility responsibilities. Visit https://www.umb.edu/it/digital-accessibility/ for current resources, training information, implementation guidance, and information about how to request assistance. The site will continue to be updated as additional tools and resources become available.

Yes. The university values shared governance and collective bargaining processes and will continue engaging with employee groups regarding implementation.

No. Nothing in this policy is intended to supersede applicable collective bargaining agreements or established university policies and procedures.

Accessibility is increasingly becoming a standard component of digital content creation and management across higher education and the public sector.

Yes, but AI-generated accessibility features should be reviewed for accuracy.

No.

Yes.

By using university reporting channels or emailing: digitalaccessibility@umb.edu.

Departments will be expected to remediate issues and may receive support and guidance.

Yes.

Prioritize:

• Public-facing websites
• Active course materials
• High-use documents
• Videos without captions
• Critical business systems 
• Employment related documents

No. Accessibility is a continuous improvement effort. Employees are encouraged to remediate issues and seek assistance when needed.

To embed accessibility into the design, procurement, creation, and maintenance of digital experiences so accessibility becomes part of normal university operations.

The university recognizes that achieving digital accessibility is a shared institutional responsibility and will continue evaluating tools, training, services, and support mechanisms to assist departments in meeting accessibility requirements.