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Digital Accessibility

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Digital Accessibility Liaisons

Purpose

The University of Georgia is committed to providing accessible digital environments in alignment with ADA Title II, WCAG 2.1 AA (and 2.2 as adopted), and UGA’s Digital Accessibility Policy 

To support this commitment, each college, school, and administrative unit will designate Digital Accessibility Liaisons (DALs) who serve as the primary points of contact for digital accessibility within their unit. DALs form a distributed network of accessibility leaders who connect their units to the Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) team and the Accessibility Steering Committee (ASC). 

Appointment
  • DALs are appointed by senior leadership (dean, director, or vice president) within each college, school, or administrative unit. 
  • Each unit must designate at least one DAL. Larger units or colleges may appoint multiple DALs to ensure coverage across instructional design, communications/web, and IT support. 
  • DAL appointments must be communicated to DAS, which will maintain the official DAL Directory. 
Responsibilities
DALs provide leadership and local support in the following areas: 
a. Accessibility Oversight 
  • Act as the first point of contact for digital accessibility questions within their unit. 
  • Ensure alignment with the UGA Digital Accessibility Policy. 
  • Participate in monthly DAL meetings hosted by DAS. 
b. Instructional & Course Support 
  • Promote accessibility best practices in D2L Brightspace courses, including use of headings, alt text, lists, and accessible assessments. 
  • Monitor and support the use of Ally reports to improve accessibility of course content. 
c. Documents, Media, & Websites 
  • Ensure unit-produced documents, presentations, PDFs, and media meet accessibility requirements. 
  • Coordinate accessibility checks for unit websites, microsites, and third-party tools; escalate issues to DAS as needed. 
  • Encourage captions, transcripts, and audio descriptions in media and synchronous sessions (Teams, Zoom, Google Meet). 
d. Liaison Role 
  • Serve as the connector between unit-level activity and the central DAS/ASC governance model. 
  • Communicate risks, challenges, and successes from their unit to DAS. 
  • Disseminate accessibility updates, deadlines, and training opportunities from DAS to their unit. 
Training & Certification
  • DALs must complete the UGA Digital Accessibility Liaison Training & Certification Program, (for now, LinkedIn Learning through PEP) which includes: 
    • Accessibility foundations (ADA, WCAG, UGA policy). 
    • Accessible documents and media. 
    • D2L Brightspace + Ally usage. 
    • Web accessibility basics. 
    • Synchronous class accessibility (Teams, Zoom, Google Meet). 
  • Upon completion, DALs receive a UGA Digital Accessibility Liaison Certificate. 
  • DALs are expected to participate in quarterly refreshers and ongoing training. 
Time Commitment
  • DAL duties require approximately 2–3 hours per month. 
  • DALs may spend additional time during policy rollouts, audits, or major accessibility initiatives. 
Governance & Reporting
  • DALs report within their unit to the appointing senior leader (dean, director, or VP). 
  • DALs report across units to the Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) team, which coordinates training, reporting, and support. 
  • DALs also serve as contributors to the Accessibility Steering Committee (ASC) by providing unit-level feedback and updates. 
Recognition
  • DALs are recognized as part of UGA’s Accessibility Leadership Network. 
  • DALs will be acknowledged in the DAL Directory, UGA accessibility communications, and at annual accessibility events. 
Review & Sustainability
  • DAL appointments are reviewed annually by unit leadership in consultation with DAS. 
  • The DAL program will evolve alongside accessibility regulations, technology, and institutional needs.