From Policy to Practice: Navigating the New Federal Digital Accessibility Rules for Higher Education

In April 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued new regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that set enforceable standards for digital accessibility. With a compliance deadline of April 24, 2026, public colleges, universities, and other state and local education systems must act now to ensure their websites, mobile apps, course content, and digital platforms meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements.

This webinar will break down what these regulations mean for higher education, why they matter, and the concrete steps your institution should take to prepare. We’ll explore the unique challenges colleges and universities face—including legacy course content, decentralized content creation, and limited accessibility expertise—and share practical strategies to build a sustainable culture of digital inclusion.

Intended Audience: 

Whether you’re an administrator, instructional designer, faculty member, or IT leader, this session will equip you with the knowledge and tools to move your campus toward compliance—and toward a more inclusive digital learning environment.

Key Takeaways:

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Recognize the full scope of required compliance, including websites, mobile apps, course materials, and student service portals
• Determine key steps your institution should take to comply with the new ADA Title II digital accessibility regulations, including auditing, planning, training, remediation, and continuous improvement
• Identify resources to help your institution prepare before the 2026 deadline

Please Note: While attending the webinar live is free for OLC members and non-members, on-demand recordings will be available post-webinar for Professional and Institutional Members only. Consider becoming an OLC member for access to these and many other great benefits!

Speaker Bio

Wendy MacColl has extensive experience in online learning, instructional design, and teaching. She has worked in higher education as a teacher and administrator, and also in executive education training venues. Wendy was Associate Director of the Center for Management and Executive Development, Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, and was promoted to the Director of Instructional Design at Walton College. She was later hired as Director of the Office of Distance Learning at John Brown University and was an Assistant Professor of Distance Learning.

Kaitlin Garrett has worked in the higher education space for about 15 years and posseses a strong passion for creating accessible and inclusive learning experiences. She is currently an instructional designer in the OLC’s Center for Professional Learning where she collaborates with subject matter experts on the design, development, and implementation of scalable and engaging programs that adhere to quality standards. She manages the workshop pathways related to equity, inclusion, and belonging and emerging technology and tools, the suite of self-paced workshops, and the microlearning library. She also oversees the planning, management, and technical execution of OLC’s webinar program.

 

Prior to joining OLC, Kaitlin was a module coordinator at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine. She assisted first-year module directors and faculty teams with the planning, design, implementation, and evaluation of instructional materials used in both synchronous and asynchronous classroom and laboratory environments. Kaitlin holds a MA in Educational Leadership (Higher Education/Student Personnel), a graduate certificate in Instructional Design and Technology (e-Learning), and a BS in Psychology from the University of Central Florida. She is also a graduate of the 2024 cohort of the Institute for Emerging Leadership in Online Learning (IELOL) program.