The University of Iowa has launched the Accessible Iowa: The Countdown to Digital Accessibility initiative to ensure that its digital content — ranging from websites and course materials to systems, services, and programs — meets the latest federal accessibility standards. This university-wide effort follows the U.S. Department of Justice’s updated rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires full compliance by April 24, 2026.

The new law applies to all university websites, mobile applications, operational systems, and any digital materials shared with students, faculty, and staff, including academic content. Its broad scope means that nearly everyone on campus has a role in helping the university achieve its compliance goals. Beyond satisfying legal obligations, Accessible Iowa aligns with the university’s 2022—2027 Strategic Plan objectives to remove barriers that often affect students or employees with disabilities. 

“Meeting these digital accessibility standards is not just a legal obligation, but it’s the right thing to do,” says Tiffini Stevenson Earl, senior director and ADA coordinator, Office of Civil Rights Compliance. “We are committed to giving all Hawkeyes access to the content and tools they need to succeed.”

Through the Accessible Iowa initiative, the university’s Accessibility Task Force is developing training programs, policies, tools, and resources to support digital accessibility across campus. Updates and information will be shared regularly at accessibility.uiowa.edu.

The initiative focuses on four key goals:

• Digital content and files: Train and support all UI employees in incorporating accessibility habits into everyday content creation.
• Classroom content: Make all UI ICON courses fully accessible via Anthology Ally.
  • Current status: 65% complete
• Web content: Achieve and sustain a Siteimprove accessibility score of 94 across all UI websites.
  • Current score: 92 
• System accessibility: Identify and fix the most critical digital systems for compliance.

In addition to reaching compliance, the university plans to establish tools and processes that will ensure long-term accessibility.

How you can prepare

While broader resources are in development, faculty and staff can begin acting now:

• Get started: Learn how to create accessible content and other steps you can take to ensure your unit is prepared on the Accessibility at Iowa website.
• Clean up: Follow the three R’s of digital accessibility to clean up your files and content:
  • Remove: Delete outdated or unnecessary digital content that you no longer need from websites or systems such as Teams and SharePoint.
  • Revise: Improve and update any content you plan to share or make public.
  • Right first: All new content should be created with accessibility in mind from the start.
• Use tools: Take advantage of accessibility features in software and tools such as Microsoft Office, Ally in ICON, and Siteimprove to spot and address issues. 

“This initiative is a major undertaking,” says Maggie Jesse, executive director of the Office of Teaching, Learning, and Technology and co-chair of the task force’s teaching committee. “With our combined efforts, we can create a more welcoming digital environment. The training and tools we’re developing will help everyone at UI play a part.”

In the coming months, faculty and staff will have opportunities to participate in training sessions, contribute to accessibility evaluations, and explore new tools. 

For more information or to share suggestions, contact UI-ocrc@uiowa.edu.