Advancing Digital Accessibility at K-State

In spring 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a final rule establishing updated regulations under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The rule, which applies to state and local government entities — including all public schools, community colleges and public universities — requires digital/online content be fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA standard, by a specified deadline. For K-State, that deadline has been extended to April 26, 2027.

The rule requires K-State’s digital content, including university websites, mobile applications, and materials housed on third-party platforms, such as our Canvas learning management system, to conform to the WCAG 2.1 AA standard. This includes both public-facing content and authenticated content behind log-in, which is inclusive of digital course materials.

Compliance deadline extended

Provost Mendez and Vice President Lane issued a letter to the university community on Wednesday, April 22 detailing the compliance deadline extension, as outlined by the Department of Justice.

While the deadline has been extended by one year to April 26, 2027, Provost Mendez and Vice President Lane share a message centered on continued momentum and progress.

Read the update

Workshops and Trainings

View workshop/training opportunities available for academic content remediation and web content remediation. Additional on-demand trainings are also available through external resources.

Learn more

Resources and Tools

Access aggregated resource guides, checklists and tools for digital accessibility to help you on your journey. Links to guidance for Ally and Siteimprove are included, as well as guidance for creating accessible documents, videos, social content and more.

Learn more

About the Task Force

Task Force Charge

Develop a digital accessibility strategy and implementation plan, identifying priorities and a timeline with key initiatives and milestones.
- Draft due for review March 2025.
Develop an engagement and communications strategy to begin communicating with and engaging the university community and key stakeholder groups.
Develop and/or update university accessibility policies and procedures required for compliance with WCAG 2.1, Level A and Level AA standards for internal and public-facing digital content on websites and apps.
- Update the Course Accessibility Standards Policy (CASP) (PPM 3025).
Provide digital content creators with tools to remediate accessibility issues.
Evaluate the institutional purchasing process to ensure compliance in the use of campus technologies.
Develop and implement a training strategy to educate faculty and staff on the utilization of the new tools and upcoming requirements.

Task Force Members

A digital accessibility task force was established in Dec. 2024 to lead this effort and work to meet updated digital compliance standards by April 2026, and the task force is committed to providing opportunities and resources that will support faculty and staff throughout this compliance endeavor. The digital accessibility task force reports to Provost Jesse Mendez and Vice President Thomas Lane who serve as the executive sponsors of the initiative.

Ashley Bourne, Chair, Associate Vice President for Communications and Marketing, Division of Communications and Marketing
Blake Billings, Deputy General Counsel, Office of General Counsel
Jason Ellis, Professor and Department Head, Communications and Agricultural Education, College of Agriculture
Jon Faustman, Director of Web and Digital Strategy, Division of Communications and Marketing
Scott Finkeldei, Director, Academic and Student Technology Services, Information Technology
Kim LeCompte, Assistant Vice President, Talent Strategy and Engagement, Human Resources
Jason Maseberg Tomlinson, Director, Student Access Center, Division of Academic Success and Student Affairs
Margaret Mohr-Schroeder, Vice Provost, Academic Affairs and Innovation, Office of the Provost
Lisa Shappee, Professor, Department of Integrated Studies and Director, Center for Academic and Learning Innovation, K-State Salina
Christine Splichal, Director, Communications and Marketing, K-State Olathe
Marisa Stahl, Director, Cashiers and Student Accounts, Division of Financial Services
Michelle Turvey-Welch, Associate Professor and Department Head of Content Development, K-State Libraries
Lisa Wilken, Associate Professor, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Carl R. Ice College of Engineering

Initial Implementation Plan

Learn more about the initial implementation plan and timeline that supported our workforce as they moved toward the original April 24, 2026 compliance deadline. (Note: The deadline has since been extended to April 26, 2027.)

The initial implementation plan included an investment in auditing/remediation resources, as well as working groups to address policy updates, resource onboarding, trainings/workshops and more.

View the implementation plan and timeline

Implementation Working Groups

Communications

Understanding the Rule

View a summary and fact sheet about the Department of Justice's rule on ADA.gov.

Read the primer

The WCAG 2.1 AA Standard

Learn more about the WCAG 2.1 standard and the AA conformance level, which also includes level A.

Learn more

In the news

Read an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education that discusses the rule and its implications for higher education.

Read the article

Digital Accessibility Initiative

Advancing Digital Accessibility at K-State

Compliance deadline extended

About the Task Force