Spring 2026 Digital Accessibility Update: Progress and opportunities

Since our fall 2025 update, the Digital Accessibility Resources and Training (DART) team has continued its work to ensure App State’s digital environment is usable for all. 

On April 24, 2026, the new Americans with Disabilities Act Title II Web and Mobile Application Accessibility Rule will take effect. App State Policy 909: Digital Accessibility outlines the accessibility standards required to meet the federal regulations. This message highlights key accomplishments, ongoing progress and opportunities moving forward. 

Fall 2025 Key Accomplishments

Thanks to your engagement, we saw significant progress last semester:

  • Campus awareness: DART leadership presented to numerous departments and groups across the institution, sharing information and answering questions. And, we launched a Digital Accessibility Tip of the Week series in the weekly Announce digest and on digital signage.
  • Training: Academic and Emerging Technologies introduced the Access Academy series — professional development workshops focused on creating accessible digital content.
  • Support: DART team members consulted with campus areas and individuals, and we launched two programs to provide support:
    • Digital Accessibility Champions: A network of faculty leaders was identified across colleges to serve as advocates and resources for their colleagues during the spring semester.
    • Digital Accessibility Liaisons: We began identifying and training Digital Accessibility Liaisons to lead ongoing digital accessibility compliance within their areas.
  • Website audit and migration: We completed an audit of university websites and began preparing for internal website migration to an accessible platform.
  • Resources: We updated the Digital Accessibility Toolkit — our digital accessibility documentation hub — with new self-help guides and a Digital Material Accessibility Checklist.  

Spring 2026 Progress and Opportunities

As of March 1, the DART team has provided:

  • 50+ presentations
  • 26+ workshops
  • 95+ consultations

This semester: 

  • Website migration work continues. To date, 20% of internal sites have been migrated, and plans are in place to migrate all internal sites by the end of 2026. This includes the new and improved Accessibility website, which launched last week. 
  • We are evaluating and updating the Digital Accessibility Toolkit with new documentation and resources.
  • We are continuing outreach to campus areas to identify and train Digital Accessibility Liaisons.
  • Information Technology Services is testing a new bulk PDF remediation tool to assist campus areas with large numbers of PDFs. If you would like to help test this tool's functionality, please contact Tom Van Gilder, deputy CIO and chief operating officer.
  • Academic and Emerging Technologies has been working with Canvas to develop a bulk migration tool to transfer course content from AsULearn/Moodle to Canvas. The goal is to migrate courses efficiently and maintain completed digital accessibility work.

Learning Opportunities 

  • Register for AccessFest: Four days of accessibility working labs — Tuesday, April 14;  Thursday, April 16; Monday, April 20; and Thursday, April 23 — that offer multiple in-person and virtual opportunities for faculty to work on accessible course materials.
  • Booths at Staff Appreciation: The DART team will have a booth at upcoming Staff Appreciation Day events to engage with staff members and answer questions about digital accessibility.
    • Staff Appreciation Day — Friday, April 17, 1–3 p.m., Holmes Convocation Center, Boone campus
    • App State Hickory Staff Appreciation Day — Thursday, April 23, 1–3 p.m., Hickory Atrium
  • Access Academy workshops continue, and archived past workshops are available via Media Space (login required).

Questions

Thanks again for your shared commitment to making App State more accessible and welcoming for all.