WCAG 2.1 Level AA & Section 508 Alignment
Accessibility Commitment & Regulatory Compliance
Institutional Commitment to Accessibility
Austin Community College District is committed to ensuring that its digital services, programs, and activities are accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. Accessibility is a core component of the College’s mission to provide equitable access to educational opportunities and to support student success.
The College recognizes that accessible digital environments are essential to serving a diverse community and is committed to designing, developing, and maintaining digital content that is inclusive, usable, and accessible to all users.
Applicable Standards and Legal Requirements
Austin Community College District aligns its digital accessibility efforts with the following standards and regulatory requirements:
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as amended)
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Title II
WCAG 2.1 Level AA provides the internationally recognized technical standard for web accessibility. Section 508 establishes federal requirements for accessible electronic and information technology. ADA Title II provides the broader civil rights framework requiring public institutions to ensure equal access to programs and services.
Scope of Compliance
The College’s accessibility efforts apply to:
- Public-facing websites and web applications
- Digital content, including HTML pages, PDFs, and other documents
- Multimedia content, including video and audio
- Third-party platforms and services used to deliver digital experiences, where applicable
Accessibility in Practice
To meet these standards, the College implements accessibility practices across its digital properties, including:
- Structuring content to ensure compatibility with assistive technologies
- Supporting keyboard navigation and logical interaction patterns
- Providing captions and transcripts for multimedia content
- Ensuring sufficient color contrast and readable typography
- Designing accessible forms and interactive components
These efforts align with the foundational principles of accessibility, ensuring that digital content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Governance, Oversight, and Accountability
Accessibility is supported through a coordinated, institution-wide governance model. Responsibility for digital accessibility is shared across multiple functional areas, including:
- Information Technology
- Marketing & Communications
- Web and Digital Experience teams
The College maintains defined accessibility standards, policies, and review processes, and integrates accessibility into:
- Content creation and publishing workflows
- Design and development practices
- Technology procurement and vendor evaluation
Reporting Accessibility Issues and Requesting Assistance
Austin Community College District provides mechanisms for users to report accessibility barriers and request assistance or alternative formats.
Individuals who encounter accessibility issues are encouraged to contact the College through designated accessibility support channels. The College is committed to responding in a timely manner and to resolving identified issues as part of its ongoing accessibility efforts.
Commitment Beyond Minimum Compliance
While compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 establishes a required baseline, Austin Community College District views accessibility as an ongoing institutional priority.
The College is committed to advancing beyond minimum compliance by:
- Continuously improving the usability of digital services
- Applying principles of universal design where feasible
- Evaluating and enhancing digital experiences to better serve all users
The College requires that all digital content and technology developed, procured, or maintained by the institution meet or exceed applicable accessibility standards by default. Accessibility considerations must be incorporated at the point of creation and design and are not deferred as a secondary or remedial activity.
Accessibility Compliance Initiative: Six-Month Implementation Overview
Initiative Background and Objectives
Over the past six months, Austin Community College District has undertaken a coordinated initiative to strengthen alignment with WCAG 2.1 Level AA and Section 508 requirements.
This initiative was established in response to evolving federal accessibility expectations and the College’s commitment to improving digital access. Key objectives included:
- Communication about the initiative
- Planning and roadmapping
- Establishing a baseline level of accessibility compliance across public-facing digital properties
- Identifying and remediating accessibility barriers
- Implementing sustainable processes to support ongoing compliance
Communication, Awareness, and Planning
Communication about the initiative was distributed broadly across the college through multiple channels, including internal newsletters, employee association announcements, and other relevant channels. This ensured that faculty, staff, and stakeholders were informed and engaged throughout the process. A strong communication foundation was essential to building awareness and shared responsibility for meeting the compliance deadline.
Planning
The planning phase involved inventorying three key areas identified in the Justice Department rule: web pages, non-HTML documents (referred to internally as webforms), and contracted third-party software. The scale of this inventory underscored the complexity of the compliance effort.
Accessibility Assessment and Gap Analysis
The initiative began with a comprehensive assessment of the College’s digital environment, including legacy content and decentralized web properties. This audit included the following key focus areas as identified by the Justice Department.
- Web pages,
- non-HTML documents (referred to internally as webforms),
- and contracted third-party software as identified as
Key activities included:
- Conducting automated and manual accessibility audits
- Evaluating high-traffic and high-impact pages
- Identifying accessibility gaps and areas of risk
This effort uncovered over 35,000 web pages, more than 200 contracted third-party software applications, and as many webforms as could reasonably be identified.
This audit process resulted in a prioritized remediation plan focused on improving accessibility across critical user journeys.
Remediation and Technical Improvements
Remediation efforts focused on marshalling the resources needed to bring all three areas into compliance. Web page progress was initially assessed through expert opinion surveys, and later refined using stratified statistical sampling using the WAVE accessibility tool as the college’s unified reporting platform.
Webforms were evaluated by sampling Google Forms and PDF files, while third-party software compliance was assessed through website research and direct vendor outreach when accessibility documentation was not publicly available.
The College implemented a range of remediation efforts to address identified accessibility issues, including:
- Updating web content, documents, and media assets to meet accessibility standards
- Improving navigation structures and overall user experience
- Enhancing visual design elements, including contrast and readability
- Implementing technical fixes to improve compatibility with assistive technologies
Remediation efforts prioritized high-impact areas such as admissions, enrollment, and financial aid to ensure accessibility across essential services.
Web content owners and administrators submitted regular compliance remediation reports, provided status updates and worked with accessibility experts and brought forward challenges and issues to the working group in order to bring web content into compliance.
Testing, Validation, and Quality Assurance
Accessibility compliance was validated through a combination of:
- Automated testing tools
- Manual accessibility reviews
- Testing with assistive technologies, including screen readers and keyboard navigation
The College adopted an iterative approach to testing and remediation, ensuring that accessibility improvements are continuously evaluated and maintained.
Policy, Standards, and Process Integration
To support long-term compliance, the College developed and refined accessibility-related policies and operational processes, including:
- Establishing digital accessibility standards and content guidelines
- Integrating accessibility into content publishing and approval workflows
- Incorporating accessibility requirements into procurement and vendor review processes
- Adopting a college-wide accessibility reporting and remediation platform
These changes ensure that accessibility considerations are embedded in day-to-day operations.
Training and Institutional Capacity Building
The College implemented training initiatives to build institutional capacity for accessibility, including:
- Training for content editors and contributors on accessible content practices
- Guidance for designers and developers on accessibility standards and implementation
- Ongoing education to reinforce shared responsibility for accessibility
These efforts support a distributed model in which accessibility is integrated across roles and functions.
Current Compliance Status – April 2026
As a result of this initiative, Austin Community College District has achieved substantial conformance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA across core public-facing web properties.
Websites are approaching the target score of 9.0 according to the WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool, with a current statistical sample score of 8.5. Third-party software stands at 80% compliance, with a small number of vendors yet to respond. The college remains on track to meet the April 24, 2026 deadline as we interpret the Justice Department Rule.
Webforms are likely in compliance, though identifying and evaluating all forms has been proven challenging due to the number of platforms that host web based forms.
Third-Party Accessibility Exception – Google Forms
Certain forms embedded or linked through Google Forms may include ARIA attributes that do not fully conform to WCAG 2.1 success criteria, specifically related to the use of aria-disabled=”true” on required form fields. This implementation is part of Google Forms’ proprietary interface and cannot be modified by the college.
Based on testing, this issue does not prevent users from completing form fields or submitting the form. Required fields remain operable via keyboard navigation, and screen readers continue to announce field labels and required status appropriately.
The college will continue to monitor vendor accessibility updates and evaluate alternative solutions where feasible to ensure the highest level of accessibility and usability for all users.
Continuous Improvement and Sustainability
Austin Community College District is committed to maintaining and advancing accessibility through:
- Ongoing monitoring and periodic accessibility audits
- Continued remediation of identified issues
- Integration of accessibility into all future digital initiatives
The College will continue to evaluate emerging standards, including WCAG 2.2, and expand accessibility practices across systems and platforms.
Accessibility remains a long-term operational priority and a key component of the College’s commitment to equitable access and inclusive digital experiences.
For digital accessibility related questions and comments please contact the Office of College Relations & Marketing (OCRM) here.
