The SDSU ADA Digital Accessibility Committee was established to help implement the of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that were adopted by the federal government on April 24, 2024. The updates apply the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standard at the university, and the compliance deadline is two years from publication, or April 24, 2026. The final rule identifies specific requirements to ensure that web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities.
WCAG Technical Standard
The final rule sets the Version 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for digital accessibility. WCAG is a globally recognized set of guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium, and it outlines specific ways to make digital content accessible for individuals with various disabilities. University Policy 7:14 already sets WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the standard for digital accessibility at SDSU. What changes with this final rule are the legal implications if our digital content and services do not meet the accessibility requirements.
SDSU's Digital Landscape
Digital products, services and tools within our digital landscape at SDSU include, without limitation:
- Websites
- Mobile applications
- Third-party contracted software
- Course content
- Social media
- Videos
- Documents
Committee Work
The ADA Digital Accessibility Committee is made up of various representatives from the campus community. The committee has been meeting regularly to become familiar with compliance requirements and exceptions. Additionally, the committee formed subcommittees to focus on three distinct areas: 1) policy and process development including standards, purchasing and digital accessibility governance structure; 2) inventory and compliance review of existing covered digital products; and 3) inventory and compliance review of public facing and internal websites. Please refer to the Compliance Timeline below for more information on the committee's current and upcoming work.
Compliance Timeline
- Form SDSU ADA Digital Accessibility Committee and begin meeting.
- Become familiar with compliance requirements and exceptions.
- Begin reviewing applicable policies and procedures.
- Begin inventory of existing covered digital products, services and tools within digital landscape at SDSU.
- Communicate with SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project, including this timeline and basic information about compliance scope.
- Develop subcommittees and begin their work for 1) policy and process development including standards, purchasing and digital accessibility governance structure; 2) inventory and compliance review of existing covered digital products; and 3) inventory and compliance review of public facing and internal websites.
- Begin subcommittee work.
- Update SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project and develop webpage to inform SDSU.
- Begin development of SDSU implementation plan, including prioritizations: individuals facing barriers; accessibility statements and clauses; public facing digital presence; Intranet functions; new, modified and legacy content.
- Contact SDSU units for identification of existing covered digital products and continue building existing inventory.
- Finalize policy and procedure drafts for campus vetting.
- Update SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project and begin campus policy vetting.
- Finalize inventory of existing covered digital products.
- Finalize implementation plan.
- Begin compliance updates to existing public facing digital presences, high traffic websites and existing digital resources identified during review of digital landscape.
- Update SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project and finalize campus policies.
- Train campus on, and launch changes to, standards, policies and procedures, including for acquisition of new covered digital presence resources and maintenance of existing digital resources.
- Continue to review and refine processes and approaches based on gap assessments, feedback and evolving best practices.
- Update SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project.
- Continue training.
- Assess the effectiveness of implemented changes and identify areas for further improvement.
- Modified and legacy content compliance work with campus.
- Update SDSU community about ADA Digital Accessibility group and project.
- Continue training perpetually.
- Fully integrate digital accessibility into the university's operational framework, making it a standard of all components of the enterprise.
- Reinforce new practices and processes to maintain digital accessibility across the university.
- Ensure that successful changes and resources have solid funding to support continued compliance.
- Full Compliance Date
As we work toward the compliance date of April 24, 2026, it is essential for the SDSU community to understand the final rule so we can work together to create a more accessible digital environment for all. We all have a responsibility to make our digital content accessible.
Contact the Office of General Counsel if you would like help understanding how this final rule applies to your specific area and how you can get started with making your digital content accessible.
Committee Members
Tracy Greene
Vice President & General Counsel
Office of the President
Office of General Counsel
Emergency Management
Michael Biondo
Electronic Resources & Scholarly Communications Assistant Librarian
Hilton M. Briggs Library
Nancy Hartenhoff-Crooks
Assistant Director-Disability Services
Office of Multicultural Affairs and Accessibility
Disability Services
Shawn Helmbolt
Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Management
Office of the Dean of Students
Admissions
Kevin Sackreiter
Executive Director - CPETE/Assistant Professor
Center for Professional Enrichment and Teaching Excellence
