Technology
Digital accessibility: where to start before April
This isn’t only about compliance. It’s about our shared responsibility to ensure people with disabilities have access to all of UC Santa Cruz’s services, programs, and activities.
Dear UC Santa Cruz Staff,
The federal deadline for meeting digital accessibility standards is April 24, 2026. If you create, manage, or share digital content in any form—documents, websites, course materials, presentations, or forms—this applies to you.
This isn’t only about compliance. It’s about our shared responsibility to ensure people with disabilities have access to all of UC Santa Cruz’s services, programs, and activities. Since we first communicated about this last June, the campus community has made real progress. Many of you are already changing how you create and share content, supported by resources, workshops, and tools—thank you. If you haven’t started yet, this message is your invitation.
Start with what matters most
Identify the 5–10 digital materials your department, team, and the students you work with rely on most—key documents, essential web pages, or important forms. Start there. Making these materials accessible creates immediate impact and builds skills that will carry this work forward.
- Use the Find Your Starting Point guide to get tailored next steps based on content type, including a new tool for accessible document creation called Grackle.
Every department and unit is expected to make meaningful progress by April 24, 2026, and to have a plan for continuing this work beyond the deadline.
Get help when you need it
- Open Labs: Bring your content for real-time guidance. Drop in virtually on alternating Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. or Thursdays at 9:00 a.m. (PST).
- Questions? Visit our accessibility resources website or contact the ITS Digital Accessibility team at digitalaccessibility@ucsc.edu.
Additionally, for staff who work closely with instructors on digital course materials, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with resources available through the Teaching and Learning Center and included in iCP/EVC Koch’s November communication to faculty.
Thank you for the progress you’ve made and the work still to come.
Sincerely,
Melanie Douglas
Interim Vice Chancellor for Information TechnologyMohamed Shahin
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Compliance Officer