Digital Accessibility Guide for Directors & Administrators

Goal: Understand where accessibility risk exists (not to audit everything yet).

Deliverable: A short list of roles and/or functions (not an exhaustive inventory).

Action: Identify the people on your team who:

• Create or update websites, PDFs, forms or online documents
• Send mass emails or newsletters
• Maintain SharePoint sites, Teams pages or public‑facing folders
• Post content for students or the public 
• Manage social media sites and web platform or portal content
• Publish video, photo or audio content

Note: Even content hosted by a third party or shared with the campus community using a third-party platform must be accessible. This includes EAB, Slate, MyInvolvement, Pathify, CampusESP, Tablaeu, Jotform, etc.

Goal: Ensure everyone who creates digital content completes training.

Deliverable: Confirmation of training completion.

Actions:

• Bookmark UAlbany’s Digital Accessibility website
• Request access to Deque University resources
• Complete accessibility training appropriate for roles and responsibilities
• Share training takeaways during unit meetings

Goal: Focus first on what people use most.

Deliverable: A prioritized list of content areas to address first.

Action: Work with supervisors to flag:

• Student‑facing or public‑facing content
• Core operational documents (forms, guidance, handbooks)
• Content that is updated frequently 
• Information required for access to services and programming
• The least accessible content 

Goal: Incorporate accessibility moving forward, not retroactively all at once.

Deliverable: New content created with basic accessibility practices applied.

Actions:  

• Start using accessibility features for new documents, such as Microsoft and Adobe Acrobat Pro’s built‑in accessibility checkers
• Ensure content includes key accessibility features, such as proper heading structure, alt text for images, captions and transcripts, etc.
• Flag new content that may need later remediation rather than delaying work
• Identify any limitations of user authoring tools, flag for future work with vendors 

Goal: Designate a temporary unit accessibility liaison.  

Deliverable: One unit contact for accessibility coordination and communication.  

Action: Name an individual who will serve as the connection point for:  

• Sharing Electronic & Information Technology Accessibility (EITA) guidance with the unit
• Providing campus resources, including new tools, trainings and more, with the unit
• Being the first point of contact for other members of the unit who have accessibility questions or issues, and contacting the EITA committee when needed 

Goal: Avoid creating unit‑specific rules — instead, follow institutional guidance

Deliverable: Shared links and/or resources circulated within the unit.

Action: Review guidance from:

• UAlbany’s Digital Accessibility website
• University units, such as:  
  • Center for the Advancement of Teaching, Learning, and Online Education (CATLOE)
  • University Libraries
  • Office of Communications & Marketing
• Deque University

• Communicate clearly that digital accessibility is a departmental and institutional priority
• Identify a unit accessibility point of contact (temporary is fine)
• Share University accessibility resources with staff 

• Identify staff who create or maintain digital or electronic content (documents, forms, websites, videos, social media, email communications, content in Brightspace, SharePoint sites and/or files, etc.)
• Ask supervisors and staff to complete appropriate accessibility training
• Encourage trained staff to share key takeaways with the unit

• Identify high‑impact content, such as:
  • Student‑facing or public‑facing materials
  • High‑use forms, guides or procedures
  • Core operational or instructional resources
• Focus initial efforts on new and revised content, rather than remediating everything retroactively 

• Begin using built‑in accessibility tools in Word, PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat and other platforms
• Apply basic accessibility practices, including:
  • Headings and structure
  • Alt text for images
  • Clear formatting and readable text
  • Sufficient color contrast
  • Captions, transcripts and audio descriptions
  • No flashing content that starts on its own
  • #CamelCase hashtags on social media
• Flag content that may require future remediation rather than delaying work 

Success right now means awareness, engagement and steady progress.

• Reinforce that compliance is a phased process, not an immediate overhaul
• Encourage questions and learning without fear or blame
• Document initial actions and progress for future planning 

Accessibility compliance is a University priority, and I want to emphasize that this is also a priority for our department. This work is not just about meeting a legal requirement — it’s about inclusion and ensuring that everyone can fully access our programs, services and information.

We are not expected to fix everything at once. This is a phased, campus‑wide effort. Right now, the expectation is that we learn the standards, use available tools and begin building accessibility into our work going forward.

Our initial focus will be on:

• Student-facing and public‑facing content
• Frequently used materials
• New content we create

This allows us to make meaningful progress without overwhelming the unit. 

The University has resources to support us, including:

• Accessibility guidance from UAlbany’s Electronic & Information Technology Accessibility (EITA) Committee
• Free training opportunities, with more options coming soon
• Additional academic support through CATLOE where applicable

I encourage you to take advantage of these resources, which are designed to be practical and supportive. 

I fully support the time and attention required for this work. Please raise questions, flag challenges and engage with the resources available. Accessibility is a shared responsibility, and we’ll move forward together.

• Course materials and learning environments
• Brightspace content (syllabi, readings, videos and assessments)
• Student‑facing academic communications 

• Use CATLOE guidance when creating or revising course materials
• Focus on new or updated course content, not retroactive remediation of all courses
• Attend or schedule accessibility training appropriate to instructional roles
• Coordinate with departmental or college‑level academic leadership for consistency 

• Accessibility enhances learning for all students
• Support is available; faculty are not expected to be technical experts
• Improvement over time, not perfection