Dear Campus Community:

The University of California and UCR are committed to providing a digital environment that is accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. 

For many years, UC campuses have implemented a system-wide policy to promote full, equal, and independent use of our digital resources. Recent changes to federal law under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act mean that all UC campuses and national labs must meet new requirements to ensure accessibility. These changes mandate new standards for digital content produced by the university. This includes websites, web applications, emails, online surveys, social media, electronic documents, learning management system content, podcasts, streaming video, mobile applications, third party software, instructional materials, and all other content delivered digitally. It is essential that all UCR employees become familiar with and help to implement these new standards.

UCR’s Digital Accessibility Steering Committee has been leading our efforts to meet these new federal requirements before the deadline of April 24, 2026. Consistent with UC guidance, the committee has established an advisory committee with faculty representatives and staff experts, reviewed campus practices, drafted a campus IT Accessibility Policy Program, identified and prioritized areas where remediation is most needed, collaborated with staff who serve as webmasters for much of our high-priority content, and procured new software to facilitate remediation and produce compliant content going forward.

Because digital content is produced and managed broadly across the university, almost all of us at UCR will need to change our work habits. Below is what this means for you, depending on your role:

• Anyone who is responsible for digital content (even just email or online meetings):
  • Visit UCR’s digital accessibility home page to learn about what you need to do. For non-compliant content that you are responsible for, archive what you no longer need, fix what you will continue to use, and begin producing compliant content going forward.
  • Watch for future campus-wide communications from the Provost’s office focused on specific digital accessibility topics. These may include things like installing helpful plug-ins, archiving old content, transcribing and captioning, using alt-text, and remediating PDFs. Advance notification of changes to enterprise-level default settings in our digital tools and platforms also will be sent.
• All instructors who use Canvas: 
  • UCR’s learning management system (Canvas) is our most-viewed digital platform. UCR has procured software from UDOIT that integrates with Canvas and facilitates content remediation. XCITE has developed resources to help you learn how to use UDOIT in Canvas, and to improve digital accessibility in instruction more broadly.
  • The Provost’s Office is temporarily funding Canvas remediation assistance that will be provided by trained personnel in XCITE. If you are an instructor of record for Spring 2026 and would like to request help for remediating your Spring 2026 Canvas content, please complete this XCITE registration form. Pending availability of funds, this service will be offered at a later date to instructors of record who are scheduled to teach after Spring 2026. University Extension instructors should contact Ann Kwinn. 
• Website owners and editors (including sites not hosted on the ucr.edu domain):
  • Learn how to use SiteImprove, which helps identify digital accessibility issues and measure progress toward compliance with the new requirements. If you supervise a professional or student staff member who edits web content, ensure they become familiar with digital accessibility standards and using SiteImprove. 
  • Contact Kathy Rondeau-Taylor in ITS if you would like to be included in a series of regular meetings focusing on accessibility issues for website owners and editors. 

Thank you for your partnership in this important effort, and please direct any questions to the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee: 

Ken Baerenklau, Associate Provost (Chair)

Kiersten Boyce, Chief Compliance Officer and ADA/504 Coordinator

Beth Claassen Thrush, Director of Strategic Initiatives and Special Projects

Matt Gunkel, AVC and Chief Information Officer

Mariam Lam, VC for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Kathy Rondeau-Taylor, Executive Director for Portfolio Management 

Sincerely,

S. Jack Hu, Ph.D.

Chancellor

Elizabeth Watkins, Ph.D.

Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor