Working With Accessibility
Since 2001, has required that digital instructional materials be accessible for users with disabilities even if no student in a class required accommodations. Legal enforcement for this requirement has historically been weak. Beginning 24 April 2026, will significantly strengthen enforcement and therefore will affect all digital instructional materials at Cal Poly Pomona. Institutional and individual legal risks are elevated.
- Password-protected materials including those in Canvas will no longer be exempted. Additionally, third-party tools and content (e.g. a museum website), and/or publisher materials must meet standards.
- Title II will allow students to sue directly if materials are not accessible, bypassing the Office for Civil Rights, posing greater risk to the institution and faculty.
Having academic freedom to select and create instructional materials means that faculty bear responsibility for ensuring that all students can access those materials. To help faculty meet this responsibility:
- This website is offered as a practical resource to help faculty create and provide accessible instructional materials.
- CAFE will offer workshops and trainings in Summer 2025, Fall 2025, and early Spring 2026. We will offer limited student worker hours for remediation of course materials, especially for high-risk courses such as large fully online ones.
- The “UDOIT” accessibility checker and the “TidyUp” tool in Canvas will be available 1 July 2025. UDOIT offers course-level accessibility reports that individual faculty can access.
View our Accessibility Checklist to help ensure that your materials are accessible.
Accessibility Consultation
CAFE provides accessibility consultations through Studio 6. Request a consultation regarding making instructional materials accessible or in response to a notification from the Disability Resource Center (DRC).
Ally in Canvas
Ally in Canvas checks uploaded Word docs, PowerPoints, and PDFs for characteristics that make materials accessible to students with disabilities and more flexibly available for all students. It provides recommendations for enhancing accessibility and generates reports to direct resources to the most important issues. To see how Ally in Canvas works, watch the (1:58) and .
Champions for Accessibility and Inclusivity (CHAI) Program
Creating excellent learning experiences for each student
The Champions for Accessibility and Inclusivity (CHAI) program is a chance for us to recognize heroes and to help other faculty become heroes. We want to create a network of empathy, both towards students who benefit from universal design and accessible course materials, and towards faculty who provide those materials.
Basic Accessibility Terms
Screen Reader: Screen readers are used by individuals with visual impairments. Screen readers scan materials, word-by-word, and then read all the text back to the individual through the computer speakers.
Captions and Transcripts: Captions and/or transcripts should accompany all audio and video materials. Captions and transcripts serve as a description of what is happening in the audio or video (either a summary or word-for-word representation), allowing hearing impaired individuals, as well as non-native speakers, the opportunity to receive the same content from audio and video that a hearing individual would receive. Contact MediaVision for assistance adding captions to your audio/visual content.
Alt Text: Alternative text, also known as alt text, should accompany every image that has meaning, i.e. not purely decorative images. Alt text serves as a description of what is happening in the image, allowing visually impaired individuals, through the use of a screen reader, the opportunity to receive the same content from an image that a sighted individual would receive.
Tutorials for Creating Accessible Materials
