On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued final regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule requires state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities, to ensure web content and mobile applications are accessible to people with disabilities.
Oakland University students can expect changes to campus accessibility following a Jan. 13 email announcing updates to meet new federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements by the end of April 2026.
“The communication clearly outlines the university’s intent to strengthen accessibility, particularly around digital course materials and ADA compliance, which is an important and necessary step,” Marcus Johnson, president of Oakland University’s Student Congress, said. “That said, many of these concerns are not new to students and it was encouraging to see them formally acknowledged at the institutional level.”
To meet these mandates, public colleges and universities are required to adhere to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) establish globally recognized standards requiring public institutions to provide digital content, applications, services, programs, products and communications in accessible formats.
The implementation of Title II regulations at OU will enhance digital accessibility across campus, improving access to online content for all students, including those with disabilities who encounter barriers to technology. Oakland University has implemented new updates to its support and resources to help the campus community meet these requirements.
“For students, these updates have the potential to meaningfully improve the academic experience by minimizing delays, inconsistencies and barriers to learning,” Johnson said. “Improvements to captioning, accessible course materials and physical navigation of campus spaces can help ensure students can fully engage in their education without unnecessary obstacles. Continued transparency around timelines and implementation will be important so students can better understand what to expect and where progress is being made.”
To ensure accessibility across Oakland University’s websites, documents and files the university is collaborating with its communications and marketing team to manage front-end digital content, providing guidance, tools and ongoing support.
Guidance and support are also provided to guarantee accessibility on technology software supplied to students, such as Moodle, eSpace, Zoom, Panopto and YuJa.
Oakland University is providing these resources and support to help staff and faculty ensure they work towards adapting digital spaces to create an inclusive community for all students. For student support during these new updates, the Disability Support Services (DSS) will help answer questions or concerns. Students are also encouraged to play a role in guaranteeing digital accessibility by completing the Accessibility Issue form when encountering any barriers.
“Looking ahead to the 2026 ADA digital accessibility updates, my hope is that these changes contribute to a long-term shift toward proactive accessibility rather than reactive accommodation,” Johnson said. “When accessibility is embedded into infrastructure, course design and technology from the outset, it reduces the burden on students to continually advocate for basic access and creates a more inclusive campus culture overall.”