Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What does digital accessibility compliance mean?
  2. What is the impact of making things accessible for users?
  3. Does the Digital Accessibility Policy apply to my site?
  4. Is the University providing resources to help with digital accessibility?
  5. If a website owner has multiple websites that need to be evaluated for accessibility, where do they start?
  6. If a website or digital property has a small audience, should the owner be concerned about making it accessible?
  7. My website includes videos, audio files, images, PDFs, and other file types. What should I do?
  8. Do digital accessibility principles apply to emails?
  9. Can the CDA evaluate my site completely for accessibility? Can you help me fix it?
  10. If I encounter a disability-related accessibility barrier on a University website, what should I do?
  11. What should I do if I’m a University student, faculty, or staff member and need assistance accessing online content?
  12. When will we need to comply with WCAG 2.2?

What does digital accessibility compliance mean?

University digital content must meet the Digital Accessibility Policy and Web Properties Management Standards to be compliant. However, digital accessibility is not merely a matter of conforming to technical standards, but it’s about designing websites, documents, and applications so that people with disabilities can use them as fully, equally and independently as a person without a disability.

What is the impact of making things accessible for users?

Maintaining accessible digital assets enables users of all backgrounds and abilities to have a better user experience. Some examples of how accessible content impacts users include:

  • Properly captioning a video will allow those with hearing loss to engage with your multimedia content.
  • Formatting web content so that it can be properly read by a screen reader provides people who are blind or visually impaired the ability to fully understand and consume the information on a website
  • Ensuring your website can be navigated using only a keyboard enables people who have mobility impairments and use alternate input devices to use the website effectively.

Does the Digital Accessibility Policy apply to my site?

The University’s Digital Accessibility Policy applies to any web property or mobile app that is owned or controlled by the University or operated by or on behalf of the University, whether built internally or by a vendor. Examples include:

  • A website or application with a University domain name, or a website or application redirected from a University domain name.
  • A website or application without a University domain name (and is not redirected from a University domain name) but:
    • is used for University business. University business includes, but is not exclusive to teaching, publishing research, marketing university events, university groups, research labs.
    • uses University branding and logos.

The policy may not apply to some web properties, even if they reference the University.

Examples include:

  • A website without a University domain name that does no University business or bears University logos (e.g., professorswebsite.wix.com site with no branding, only CVs, photos, blog).
  • If a web property is not subject to the University policies, site owners should still ensure that the property is accessible, secure, and maintained. These practices benefit the owners and reduce risk to reputation and security.

Is the University providing resources to help with digital accessibility?

The Center for Digital Accessibility supports the campus community in meeting accessibility guidelines, and provides access to accessibility tools for course materials, documents, and websites. If you need additional resources, you are encouraged to discuss budgetary concerns  with your unit budget manager.

If a website owner has multiple websites that need to be evaluated for accessibility, where do they start?

Prioritization based upon user impact is important. Work on your most impactful websites first. Consider sunsetting any websites or content you no longer need.

Make sure the websites and their associated web teams are in Siteimprove, the enterprise tool being used by the University to identify issues discoverable via automation. Contact the CDA to onboard additional sites to Siteimprove.

If a website or digital property has a small audience, should the owner be concerned about making it accessible?

Yes. It is difficult to know the needs of every user, now and in the future. Digital content that is not fully accessible hinders members of the campus community from accessing information and resources, in addition to opening the University to potential liability.

My website includes videos, audio files, images, PDFs, and other file types. What should I do?

The same high-level accessibility principles used for websites apply to other digital materials, although the specific techniques will vary by application. Visit our Resources for Content Creators for more information.

Do digital accessibility principles apply to emails?

Yes, content creators should follow guidelines for email accessibility. These best practices enhance the accessibility of any HTML email message, but are especially important for widely distributed mass messages.

Can the CDA evaluate my site completely for accessibility? Can you help me fix it?

Make sure the website and their associated web teams are in Siteimprove for automated testing. Upon request, the CDA can perform an initial, high-level manual evaluation of your website. The CDA can also provide screen reader testing support based upon resource availability.

The CDA does not remediate issues for site teams across the University for a variety of reasons, including the ever-changing nature of digital assets, the decision-making required by a property owner during remediation, and the large number of digital properties within the University environment.

If I encounter a disability-related accessibility barrier on a University website, what should I do?

Please report the barrier using the Report a Digital Accessibility Barrier form. If you are experiencing a technical issue with a University website or other digital property, such as not being able to log in or a site not loading correctly, please contact the IT Services Help Desk for assistance.

What should I do if I’m a University student, faculty, or staff member and need assistance accessing online content?

Visit Access UChicago Now for information about requesting an accommodation for a member of the campus community.

When will we need to comply with WCAG 2.2?

On October 5, 2023 the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) officially released Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) version 2.2. The University currently requires compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. However, the CDA strongly encourages you to familiarize yourself with the new success criteria and consider them in any upcoming projects.