Countdown to Compliance: What Faculty Need to Know Before April 2026

"Countdown to Compliance: What Faculty Need to Know Before April 2026"

In this essential episode of the UM3D podcast, host Lavonnie Perry Claybon and guest Amanda Rodino break down the upcoming digital accessibility requirements for higher education faculty before the April 2026 deadline. The conversation centers on practical implementation of the POUR principles—Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust—that guide digital accessibility standards. Faculty will learn actionable solutions including using built-in accessibility checkers in Canvas, creating proper alternative text for images, utilizing sans serif fonts, structuring documents with appropriate headings, and ensuring descriptive hyperlinks. The episode highlights three immediate action steps: running videos through Canvas Studio for captioning, using the Canvas accessibility checker, and reaching out to campus resources like DRS and UM3D for support. With tools like Sensus Access for PDF remediation and expert campus assistance available, faculty have everything they need to create accessible courses that benefit all students while meeting compliance requirements.

*Note: Since the recording of this episode, the Department of Justice has extended the compliance deadline for web accessibility from April 24, 2026 to April 24, 2027.

Resource Links:

University of Memphis UM3D: https://memphis.edu/um3d

University of Memphis DRS: https://www.memphis.edu/drs

University of Memphis Office of Civil Rights Compliance: https://www.memphis.edu/ocrctix

University of Memphis Libraries Accessibility: https://www.memphis.edu/libraries/accessibility

CAST - UDL: https://www.cast.org

University of Wasington DO-IT: https://doit.uw.edu

National Center for Education Statistics: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgg/students-with-disabilities