In April 2024, new regulations were added to the Americans with Disabilities Act that requires all public institutions to meet certain guidelines for digital accessibility. The scope of the regulations will include anything digital including websites, Canvas courses, documents, and forms.
Changes to the American with Disabilities Act
Changes to the current regulations go into effect in April 2026. How is this different from our current requirements? It was always expected that our digital tools and materials would be accessible, but
1. The standard for “accessibility” was not defined, and
2. There was a general acceptance that individuals could request accommodations if tools and materials were not accessible for them.
Individuals will still be able to request accommodations, but the expectation will be that all digital materials, public and behind a password, meet WCAG 2.1 AA BEFORE being published.
Complying with the Regulations
To support faculty in making their courses accessible, the VSCS has purchased an accessibility checker to be integrated into Canvas for the fall 2025 semester.
For a look at how it works, click on this link: https://www.yuja.com/panorama/
Ahead of this deadline, and as part of an agreement with the Office of Civil Rights, CCV has developed an Online Course Accessibility Standard, that reads as follows:
The Community College of Vermont is committed to ensuring accessibility of its online coursework. CCV expects all online courses will conform to WCAG 2.1 AA standards, and the college will promptly address issues of inaccessibility. Those with concerns about the digital accessibility of an online class and/or the digital materials used for an online class may notify the college using the Digital Accessibility Alert Form.
This is available in all Canvas courses as part of the Academic Services module.
For help with Panorama or any other accessibility question, please contact your CTL.