USAonline Accessibility FAQ

It is federal law. Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires state and local government entities, including public universities, to provide equal access to their services, programs, and activities, which now includes a specific standard for digital content as the result of a 2024 rule issued by the U.S. Department of Justice. This means that websites, electronic documents, and mobile apps offered by public institutions must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, Title II requires that digital platforms be designed and maintained in ways that allow individuals with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities to fully engage with online content and services. To achieve this, organizations must comply with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards at Level 2.1 AA by April 24, 2026.

The four basic requirements are:

1. All files (Word, PowerPoint, PDF etc.) must be properly tagged for screen reading software.
2. All video and audio files must have accurate captions or transcripts.
3. All still images must contain alternative text.
4. All digital content (webpages, files, course content, etc.) must be fully navigable by keyboard.

For those who are unable or prefer not to use a mouse, the keyboard is a primary method of navigating a computer. Other assistive technologies also rely on keyboard accessibility, including voice recognition and screen readers. This is why keyboard navigation is one of the most important things to check.

Keyboard navigation uses the TAB, Arrow, ENTER, and space bar keys. The TAB key allows a user to jump from one interactive element to another. Links, form fields, menus, and media player controls are all possible to navigate with the TAB key. If you want to activate a link or menu, use the ENTER key or space bar.

Yes, regardless of instructional method, these requirements apply because a person with a disability may be enrolled in any of the three.

Yes, just as physical infrastructure such as ramps, disabled parking spaces, accessible restrooms, etc. must be constructed for all buildings to meet Federal accessibility laws, courses must also be "constructed" with accessibility compliance.

Yes, but if not available, alternatively, an accompanying caption or surrounding text to explain the image may be used.

The Innovation in Learning Center doesn't offer captioning services; however, Panopto software is available for all faculty and students at South. This software features both auto-captioning as well as paid captioning services, which can be applied to existing videos. You can access our how-to guide for Adding Captions to a Panopto Video.
NOTE: In order to be accessible, ALL videos must have captions.

It is generally a best practice to avoid modifying course content in the middle of a semester, but if changes are necessary, the modified content should be made accessible in as timely a manner as is reasonably possible.

Yes, your transferred content will remain accessible.

No, Canvas audio feedback in SpeedGrader cannot be directly downloaded as an audio file or a text transcript by default.

To get a text transcript, you may need to use external tools to record your audio and then upload that file, or use the speech-to-text option in the comment box, which converts voice to text directly.

Yes. You can save Word documents as read only or add content directly to Canvas pages. NOTE: These resources must still meet digital accessibility requirements.