March Accessibility Workshops Offered to Staff Ahead of Title II Compliance Date

The U of A is committed to creating welcoming spaces, services and experiences that are accessible for everyone. Accessibility is not an afterthought but an integral part of intuitive and universal design that removes barriers before they arise. 

Faculty and staff at the U of A who create or interact with digital are required to abide by the U.S. Department of Justice's April 24, 2024, rule, updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). 

IT Services launched the Accessibility HOG Team in summer 2025, and its members have been working diligently to inform faculty and staff about the importance of adhering to these regulations by the April 24 compliance date. 

With less than two months to go until the compliance date, the Accessibility HOG Team is sponsoring a series of virtual workshops designed to further educate staff on different facets of digital accessibility. 

The workshops below are offered to staff throughout the month of March. Faculty are invited to attend as well. Additional workshops in April and May will be announced at a later date. 

• March 9, 2:30-3:30 p.m.: What is Title II? 

• March 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m.: Title II: The Why and How 

• March 16, 3-4 p.m.: Accessible by Design: Mastering WCAG in MS Office 

• March 18, 10-11 a.m.: The Accessible Web: Creating Digital Equity at the University of Arkansas 

• March 30, 3-4 p.m.: Designing for All Minds: A WordPress Accessibility Guide 

In addition to joining the virtual workshops, there are many actions faculty and staff can take to improve digital accessibility ahead of the April 24, 2026, compliance date, including:     

• Ensuring documents are accessible 

• Evaluating the accessibility of third-party software  

• Using high contrast colors   

• Ensuring all images have alt text 

• Using semantic formatting (formatting that has meaning) rather than formatting that is purely visual. For example, in the Blackboard text editor, use the "Header" text style to distinguish headings from paragraph text, rather than just changing the font size. 

Learn more about how to address these issues and more on the university's accessibility website. Additional workshop dates in April and May will be announced shortly.