For the past two years, teams across the University of Missouri System have been working to comply with new digital accessibility rules under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Department of Justice has extended the compliance deadline for digital accessibility requirements by one year to April 26, 2027.
Federal requirements for digital accessibility have not changed; we have just received a one-year extension to comply. We will continue building on the strong momentum we have achieved to integrate digital accessibility into our culture and day-to-day processes, and we are not slowing down in our efforts to ensure that all digital content is accessible.
Learn more about what this means for our university and system by referring to the key points and frequently asked questions below.
- Federal requirements for digital accessibility have not changed. We have just received a one-year extension to comply.
- All digital accessibility projects and transitions should continue as planned while accounting for the updated federal guidelines. Priorities and expectations should remain unchanged.
- Academic course content should continue to be remediated and addressed for accessibility barriers.
- Websites should still be updated to address issues reported through DubBot and other accessibility checkers.
- Digital content, including academic course content, should be made accessible from the outset to avoid the need to be remediated later.
- Creating content with accessibility in mind further reinforces our culture of accessibility as we provide equitable access to content to all members of our university community.
- Beyond just the legal requirement for accessible content, we have a responsibility to provide access to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. Every member of the university who creates or manages digital content plays a role in removing barriers to access.
- Expanded our training resources and access to specialized tools to create accessible content.
- Made significant improvements to our academic course content and increased accessibility across our courses.
- Since the Fall 2025 semester, we’ve improved our Ally accessibility score across Canvas by 10%, which is a vast improvement given the amount of course content UM Systemwide.
- Instructors have worked to remediate the number of PDFs with issues by more than 41%.
- Made major improvements to university websites and remediated thousands of documents.
- We implemented DubBot, an automated web accessibility tool, to scan all websites across our four campuses. Our critical websites have achieved a 95-100% accessibility compliance rating.
- More than 200,000 webpages have been remediated, correcting over 1 million accessibility issues. Departments are converting inaccessible documents to HTML or using other technologies, with this work continuing for months. New documents must be fully accessible before being added to websites.
- Implemented strong IT and procurement governance to ensure that the tools we use are accessible and usable by all. We continue to build on our culture to provide materials that give everyone equal opportunity to learn, purchase a service or complete applications across our university and system.
- These efforts position us well to meet and sustain digital accessibility standards across the university.
- What changed?
The federal deadline for complying with digital accessibility requirements has been extended by one year from April 24, 2026, to April 26, 2027.
- Does this mean we can pause or delay accessibility work?
No. Our expectations and priorities remain the same. Accessibility work should continue as planned, and all digital content should still be created or remediated with accessibility in mind.
- Why isn’t the university slowing down if there’s an extension?
Digital accessibility is part of our institutional values and our responsibility to provide equitable access for all members of our community. The extension does not change our commitment to equitable access or the importance of this work.
- What does this mean for faculty and staff who create digital content?
Anyone creating or managing digital content, including course materials, websites, documents, videos and more, should continue to ensure accessibility is built in from the start and address known issues as part of their regular workflow.
- Are accessibility projects, timelines or reviews changing?
No. Existing projects, remediation efforts and accessibility checks should continue, including addressing issues identified through tools like Ally, DubBot and other accessibility checkers.
- What support is available to help me meet accessibility expectations?
Training, tools and support resources are available to help you create accessible content and address existing barriers. Additional guidance and resources will continue to be shared as we build on our progress.- Staff and general resources:
- Refer to the Digital Access website to find resources to create a variety of accessible content.
- Visit the IT Accessibility Center or request a consultation.
- Faculty and instructor resources: Mizzou Online offers guidance and resources for creating and remediating course content for digital accessibility. Refer to these key resources to get started:
- Staff and general resources:
- How much progress have we made so far?
In less than two years, we have expanded training and tools, greatly improved course accessibility, remediated thousands of documents, strengthened web accessibility, and enhanced IT and procurement governance. This progress positions us well for continued momentum.