Frequently Asked Questions

If you have an accessibility advocate in your department or college, start there. In our Accessibility Network, we have over 200 folks with at least one accessibility credential. Often your communicators will be able to help.

If you’re still stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Accessible Technologies group within TLOS and the Digital Accessibility group within CRCPE.

Announcements and communications will be made as additional resources are made available.

These updates go well beyond providing instruction. Any employees who are involved in the creation or distribution of digital content (websites, online courses, social media, digital documents, etc.) are subject to these changes.

We need to start building documents, web pages, and applications in an accessible way in order to have classes accessible on January 20, 2026 and to have all non-academic operations accessible by April 24, 2026.

According to the Title II regulation, any documents that are not clearly marked “archive,” and contained within an archive folder, will be considered “active.” 

Anytime an archived document is updated, it needs to be remediated and is no longer considered “archive.”

The cost for these services will be covered by the department.

There will definitely need to be a time commitment from the department, and potentially some extra fiscal responsibility, depending on volume and complexity of content, and how much lead time is available.

The best course of action is to make a thorough assessment of the content that will need to be modified for accessibility as early as possible, so that you have time to consider options and resources within your department.

The Accessible Technologies group within TLOS can assist in identifying the best path forward. We expect to have an approved PDF remediation vendor in early Fall 2025.

The Accessible Technologies group within TLOS can assist in identifying appropriate training opportunities and understanding how best to proceed after testing the accessibility of a file or site.

The Digital Accessibility group within the Office of Civil Rights Compliance and Prevention Education is the right place to go for compliance-related questions.

As this project progresses, additional training opportunities and remediation resources will be created and shared. Departments will likely need to designate one or more employees to become local subject matter experts in digital accessibility. With a little training, these employees can help their co-workers to understand the requirements, how to test their documents, and how to remediate problems that are identified.

Some departments may also choose to send the toughest PDF files to a vendor to be remediated.

No. They are rarely equal and it is difficult to keep two versions in sync and up to date. But once in a while an original can’t be made compliant and making and distributing an alternative version is the only option.

We have a variety of evaluation tools and training options available, depending on the types of content that need to be evaluated and improved. Visit the Tools and Training pages for more information.

Ultimately, it is up to the instructor to make sure all course content is accessible. Virginia Tech offers multiple resources to support instructors in making these modifications to their learning materials; from training to accessibility checkers to consultations.

Yes. The goal for Spring 2026 courses would be that they would meet the new compliance regulations in time for the first day of class (January 20, 2026). Department of Justice enforcement begins on April 24, 2026.

TLOS provides tools, training, and additional resources to assist in the work of updating and modifying content to make it accessible. However, the responsibility of gaining proficiency on the basics of digital accessibility and modifying content falls to professors and instructors. GAs or other departmental employees can also assist with the efforts.

Visit the Tools and Training pages for more information on the supports that are available.

For these resources, the answer will depend on how these resources are provided.

Resources that are locally hosted on university servers or open sourced will be a university responsibility, namely belonging to the teaching faculty, product manager, or document owner. 

Software resources will be the vendor’s responsibility.

Today, most actively used textbooks are available in an accessible format for students who have already bought the inaccessible version. If that textbook is provided along with other course materials, teaching faculty should check with the publisher to access the accessible format of the book. When selecting textbooks for a class, teaching faculty should ensure that multiple versions are available, or that the single version of the text is an accessible version.

If you are a student and encounter course materials that are not accessible, Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) will work with you to document accommodations and get you the tools that you need.

No. It is best not to adopt add-on material(s) for your course if you have doubts about its accessibility. Sometimes reaching out to the publisher with questions can help you decide. Quite a few major publishers have invested in staff who can knowledgeably answer accessibility questions about their products.

When assessing a PDF, the first question should be whether the content could be delivered in another way, for example, via a web page or other file type. PDF files tend to be the least accessible resource.

Visit our Tools and Training pages for training that is specific to using Ally. The PDN network has courses that can help you understand what makes a good PDF and how to remediate a bad PDF into a better PDF.

Digitizing handwritten notes is the most common way to make handwritten notes accessible. Be sure to add alternative text to any sketches. Digital file(s) can be distributed in the native digital and exported PDF formats.

Official approval of accessibility features comes from the Digital Accessibility group within CRCPE. This group is also responsible for securing compliance documents from our vendors. 

Discussing the university’s commitment to accessibility with vendor representatives or account reps would be very much appreciated, and could accelerate the vendor’s progress toward full accessibility (and increase the likelihood that a contract could be approved).

If a vendor will not provide compliance documents, such as a remediation roadmap, the university will be unable to approve any contracts, which may result in the inability to pay for or use the product.

In most cases, yes. During the procurement process, comprehensive accessibility tests are conducted. Procurement works with vendors to improve conformance with the regulation.