2026-03-20: Revised Presidential Policy IMT-1300: Information Technology Accessibility (aka Things need to be more Accessible moving forward)

The final revised Presidential Policy IMT-1300: Information Technology Accessibility, effective 03/17/2026, is available via Box.

The revised policy maintains UC's commitment to ensuring its information technology is accessible to people with disabilities to enable full, equal, and independent use. By providing accessible digital experiences, we remove barriers, expand opportunity, and affirm the dignity and value of every individual. Inclusive digital environments are essential to academic excellence, quality healthcare, equity, and institutional integrity. Accessibility is not a one-time initiative but an ongoing responsibility and a shared endeavor across our institution.

The policy update provides UC with the opportunity to align with recent updates to the federal accessibility regulations implementing Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. In addition to aligning with these updated requirements, the policy has been comprehensively rewritten to provide clearer direction, stronger accountability, and practical guidance to support locations in building and sustaining effective accessibility programs.

Key policy revisions include:

Alignment with the technical standard (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA) set by two new federal digital accessibility regulations, which implement Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
Requires locations to establish an accessible course content program to ensure faculty are supported in creating accessible course content and to assist faculty in remediating course content.
Provides guidance and necessary frameworks for procurement of accessible digital products, a more defensible exception process for goods and/or services that do not conform to the WCAG 2.1 AA technical standard, and a complaint and grievance process.
Establishes a reporting requirement for better transparency and coordination.
Provides additional guidance clarifying roles, processes, and authority.

The policy revision was finalized after a 90-day systemwide review period that concluded in December 2025.

The policy will be posted online at policy.ucop.edu under "New and Recently Updated Policies."

For more information about digital accessibility at UC Santa Barbara, please visit the campus Electronic Accessibility webpage.

Becky Steiger, Policy Coordinator
beckysteiger@ucsb.edu

Training is Available (https://uctechnews.ucop.edu/practical-accessibility-webinar-series/ )

Created for beginners and non-specialists, the Practical Accessibility: Basics You Can Apply Today webinar series offers practical guidance for improving the accessibility of everyday digital content. Sessions focus on basic techniques and built-in tools you can start using right away to make your content more accessible.

Register for any or all of the following sessions. Please note that you must register and attend using a UC email address.

Practical Accessibility – Canvas LMS

Presenter: Rolin Moe – Associate Vice Provost UC Online – UCOP
Date: March 25, 2-3pm
Registration: https://UCOP.zoom.us/meeting/register/rs3o0KvhR9S68kXCpWpJug

Accessibility for the LMS in an Hour is a practical, design-focused webinar for anyone building or teaching online courses in the UC system. In just sixty minutes, we’ll cover what it actually means to create an accessible LMS course—without turning you into a legal expert or a developer. You’ll learn how accessibility shows up in everyday decisions like page structure, documents, media, navigation, and assessments, and how small, intentional changes can make a big difference for learners. While accessibility regulations are evolving, this session focuses on what works now: clear design, inclusive practices, and strategies you can apply immediately in the tools you already use.

Learning Objectives:

Understand the foundations of accessible course structure and why accessibility is both a teaching best practice and a compliance imperative
Build accessible LMS pages using proper headings, descriptive links, meaningful color, and logical reading order
Recognize and resolve common LMS accessibility barriers, including navigation, multimedia, documents, and interactive elements
Use LMS accessibility tools strategically to test, improve, and maintain inclusive course design over time

Practical Accessibility – Presentations and Visual Aids

Presenter: Brian McNeilly – Web Accessibility Specialist – UCOP
Date: April 2, 12-1pm
Registration: https://UCOP.zoom.us/meeting/register/NM6IpEiSSWmZmGkUONGYYA

Presentations often contain a unique hybrid of static documents and an accompanying live presentation or talk. This interface of live discussions along with a displayed visual document creates a unique tension for accessibility. In this session we will discuss ways to ensure not long that your slide deck is accessible, but that the whole presentation experience is as accessible as possible.

Learning Objectives:

Design slides using accessible layouts
Adjust the reading order of content within a slide deck
Ensure sufficient font size & color contrast
Understand how animations should be used for digital accessibility
What to include on screen vs in the spoken presentation