Course Accessibility Compliance Timeline

Much of the digital accessibility work done during the 2025-2026 academic year has centered on training faculty and building foundational awareness across campus. With that foundation in place, the focus has now shifted from training to putting accessibility practices into action. A consistent concern raised throughout conversations with faculty during this time is the feasibility of being fully compliant with the new ADA Title II regulations, particularly for content that faculty may have limited ability to directly remediate inaccessible content.

The extension of the Title II compliance deadline from April 2026 to April 2027 gives faculty additional time to address these challenges and continue preparing course content for compliance. Prior to the deadline extension, and in consultation with the Office of Institutional Integrity & General Counsel (OIIGC), a two-phase implementation plan was established in an effort to further address this concern. This plan has since been revised to take advantage of the additional implementation time and align priorities with the new April 2027 deadline. The two-phased approach is listed below:

• Phase 1: Instructor-created content (materials developed directly by the instructor)
• Phase 2: Third-party content (publisher resources, PDFs, and other externally produced materials)

See Instructor-Created vs. Third-Party Content Comparison for more information.

Why this matters:

• Focuses first on content instructors can control and remediate most efficiently
• Demonstrates a documented, good-faith compliance strategy
• Prioritizes high-impact changes now while reducing compliance risk moving forward
• Allows for more time to develop an institution-wide solution for remediating inaccessible third-party materials

Phase 1 and Phase 2 timelines are available, outlining specific areas of focus for both phases.

Fall 2026

• YuJa Panorama accessibility scanning tool becomes available in Canvas (October 14th)
• Suggested accessibility compliance metrics are available for UDOIT and YuJa Panorama (instructors can use either scanning tool to check course accessibility)
• Update instructor-created content for Spring 2027 courses

Summer 2026

• Update instructor-created content for Fall 2026 courses

April 2026

• DOJ extends Title II new regulations compliance deadline to April 24, 2027
• Accessibility check-in: UNCG Accessibility Team will use UDOIT to track progress

February 2026

• Accessibility check-in: the UNCG Accessibility Team will use UDOIT reports to track progress, gauge improvements, make suggestions for institutional support

January 2026 (or before)

• Complete the Instructor Accessibility Training
• Run UDOIT scans on courses and begin fixing any instructor-created content issues, including but not limited to:
  • Documents, presentation slides, spreadsheets, videos, and any other materials or resources authored by the instructor
• If needed, check out the Prioritizing Courses for Accessibility Remediation section if you need help deciding which courses to start with first.

Spring 2027

• Third-Party Content Accessibility Plan implementation begins

Fall 2026

• Third-Party Content Accessibility Plan is finalized

May 2026

• Third-Party Content Accessibility Plan development begins

Below is a suggested order to help you determine where to begin.

Priority for Immediate Attention

Start with courses that most urgently need an accessibility review:

1. SP26 courses with students who have active accommodations
2. All other SP26 courses*
3. SU26 courses
4. FA26 courses

*Contact Melanie Eley at mneley@uncg.edu if additional prioritization for SP26 courses is needed. A more in-depth risk assessment can be done to determine the most effective approach.

Additional Prioritization Factors

Courses with high impact or high risk should be prioritized. If you teach a course that meets more than one of the examples below, it should be considered a high priority for accessibility work:

• Courses with a history of accommodation needs
• High enrollment courses
• General Education and gateway courses
• Lower-division courses (100-level)
• Courses offered frequently or across multiple sections
• Courses critical to retention

These criteria can help you create a clear, manageable roadmap for where to focus first.