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Digital Accessibility Frequently Asked Questions

Digital Accessibility

What is Digital Accessibility?

  • Accessibility is the design of products, services, environments, and systems to be usable by all people, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.

Ally for eLC

How does this affect instructors of courses in eLC?

  • Starting October 15, when clicking on a file within the content section of your course, you will notice a colored gauge icon at the top indicating the accessibility score or the file.
  • We have launched this tool now to help acclimate you to the tool and how it works. This preparation period is intended to position you for full compliance with the federal deadline of April 24, 2026. Beginning with Summer 2026 courses, all instructional materials must be developed in compliance with the federal rule.

How do I interpret the score based on the color of the gauge?

  • Green – High accessibility (file is accessible)
  • Orange/Yellow – Medium accessibility (file can be improved)
  • Red – Low accessibility (file is not accessible and needs attention)

How do I see what accessibility issues should be fixed?

  • Click the Ally icon to access a feedback panel.
  • The panel provides a document preview, a list of accessibility issues, and instructions on how to fix them
  • To fix an issue, you will need to edit the original document on your computer.
  • After making the necessary changes, you can upload the updated document within the feedback panel.

Will the program make the updates for accessibility for me?

  • No, you will need to update them on your own and then upload the file to eLC again.

What is the compliance deadline?

  • The federal deadline is April 24, 2026
  • You should be working toward compliance from now until this date.
  • Beginning with Summer 2026 courses, all instructional materials must be developed in compliance with the federal rule.

Will there be training opportunities for this new tool?

  • Yes, later in the fall of 2025 the Digital Accessibility Services team will begin hosting training opportunities and consultation support.

How will this impact my students?

  • Students will have the option to access alternative formats of course files to support diverse learning needs.
  • A download icon will be available in their course content to open files in additional formats such as:
    • Tagged PDF
    • HTML
    • ePub
    • Elecronic braille
    • Audio
    • BeeLine Reader
    • Immersive Reader

What other information is available to me?