ADA Title II: What UNLV stakeholders need to know before April 2026
As part of our ongoing commitment to accessibility and inclusion, we are preparing for full compliance with the updated ADA Title II regulations that take effect in April 2026. These changes are designed to ensure that digital content and services provided by public universities like UNLV are accessible to individuals with disabilities.
What You Need to Know
ADA Title II Overview
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all programs, services, and activities offered by public institutions—including digital content—be accessible to people with disabilities. This includes websites, documents, videos, and online tools used for teaching, administration, and communication.
Digital Accessibility Standards
Starting April 2026, all new digital content must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. This means content should be usable by individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Examples include providing alt text for images, captions for videos, and ensuring documents are readable by screen readers.
This is not just a federal requirement for colleges and universities. All public entities serving 50,000+, like the State of Nevada and its websites, must have addressed these requirements by April 24, 2026.
UNLV Office of Accessibility Resources - Academic content accessibility
The Office of Accessibility Resources is your primary point-of-contact for all things “digital accessibility”. If you have public-facing websites, you or your unit’s website contact should already have been in contact with Web & Digital Strategy.
Archive-Eligible Documents – What Counts?
Some older documents may be considered archive-eligible, meaning they are exempt from immediate remediation if they meet certain criteria. A document is archive-eligible if:
- It was created before April 2026
- It is not currently used for active instruction, administration, or public communication
- It is not required for students, staff, or the public to access services or participate in programs
- It is clearly labeled as archived and includes a contact for accessibility support if needed
Examples of archive-eligible documents include:
- Old syllabi from past semesters
- Previous WebCampus shells (no changes made)
- Historical meeting minutes
- Outdated policy drafts not in current use
If a document is still being used or referenced, it must be updated to meet accessibility standards. If a document or document collection is actively promoted, like Electronic Theses & Dissertations, they cannot claim to be an archive or an archive collection.
Next Steps for Departments
- Invite all faculty, instructors and graduate teaching assistants to sign up for Ally Workshops and/or Open Lab hours so they can at least know how to interpret Anthology Ally information in WebCampus.
- Encourage full-time faculty/department members to enroll in our Foundations of Accessibility training for robust skills for their own content and then our follow-up trainings for PowerPoint and for PDF accessibility
- For part-time instructors or graduate teaching assistant with very limited course oversight, a compressed-for-time Accessible Syllabus training to start may be sufficient
- Review your digital content and identify materials that are actively used.
- Considering looking at OAR “Tips and Tricks” page
- Ensure that videos - whether required or optional, whether created by the instructor or curated from 3rd party sources - have human-corrected captions, not just auto-generated
- Label archive-eligible documents clearly and provide accessibility contacts
- Begin updating current documents, websites, and media to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards
- Reach out to our UNLV Office of Accessibility Resources for training and support
We appreciate your partnership in making our university more inclusive and accessible. If you have questions or need assistance, please contact OAR for accessibility support at accessibilityresourceteam-request@unlv.edu.