For Education

LMS & course content

Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle. Syllabi, lectures, readings, assignments uploaded by faculty. Often no vetting.

PDF remediation mountain

Research publications, course readers, textbook excerpts, financial aid forms — thousands of PDFs, most untagged.

Budget & staffing constraints

Universities and K-12 districts have limited IT budgets. Accessibility can’t require expensive third-party vendors.

Faculty awareness & capacity

Many faculty don’t know how to make accessible PDFs or PowerPoints. No time to learn. Need turn-key solutions.

Public institutions

ADA Title II

All public universities, K-12 schools, and school districts. DOJ 2024 final rule mandates WCAG 2.1 AA (effective Nov 2025 for web, later for PDFs). Private right of action means students, parents, staff can sue.

Federally-funded

Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act

Any public or private institution receiving federal funding (grants, loans, meal programs, Title IV aid). Covers "programs and services." Coordinates with ADA Title II for public schools.

Technology procurements

Section 508 (federal institutions)

If your university or district receives federal research funding and purchases federal ICT, Section 508 applies. Less common in K-12 but relevant for large research universities.

K-12 students

IDEA & Section 504 Plans

K-12 schools must provide accessible materials and accommodations for students with IEPs or 504 Plans. Not a separate compliance regime, but tied to ADA Title II obligations.

The practical consequence: a university that publishes inaccessible course PDFs violates both ADA Title II and Section 504. A K-12 district that fails to make digital materials accessible to a student with an IEP breaches both IDEA and ADA Title II. OCR (the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights) receives thousands of education-sector accessibility complaints annually and has the authority to investigate and mandate remediation.

Web Checker

Campus portals, student info systems, LMS (Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle, Desire2Learn). 77 WCAG 2.2 detections.

PDF Checker

Course readers, syllabi, lecture notes, research articles, financial aid forms. 161 checks including UA compliance.

Document Checker

Faculty Word and PowerPoint files. Easy-to-use dashboard so non-technical staff can audit batches.

Batch scanning & automation

Scan entire course repositories, semester PDFs, faculty uploads in one run. Prioritize by severity.

LMS-specific guidance

Canvas, Blackboard, Moodle. Our reports include vendor-specific remediation steps and escalation paths.

Audit-ready evidence

Reports map findings to ADA Title II, Section 504, and state law. Ready for OCR, disability services, accreditation.

1

Audit your digital assets

Scan LMS, portals, course PDFs, faculty uploads. Get prioritized list. No disruption to classes.

2

Train faculty & staff

Use our remediation guides. Show faculty how to fix their PDFs and Word files. Most fixes are simple.

3

Remediate systematically

High-impact content first (required reading, main course portal). Then batch remediate older materials.

4

Monitor going forward

Annual scans. Set up accessibility guidelines for faculty. Make it part of course design review.

Does ADA Title II apply to private universities?

ADA Title II itself applies only to public entities and government agencies. However, private universities that receive federal funding (most do, via research grants, Title IV student aid, or meal programs) must comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The accessibility requirements are the same, even if the legal authority is different.

Additionally, many private universities are subject to state accessibility laws and institutional accreditation standards that mandate accessibility.

How do we handle faculty-uploaded PDFs we can’t control?

You cannot escape institutional responsibility by saying faculty uploaded it. ADA Title II and Section 504 bind the institution, not the individual faculty member. Practical approach:

Option 1: Train faculty on PDF accessibility. Our Document Checker makes it easy to spot and fix common errors (missing alt text, untagged headings).

Option 2: Implement a course upload workflow that flags inaccessible PDFs before they go live. Your LMS can do this.

Option 3: For older, legacy course materials, create text alternatives or provide accessible summaries alongside the PDF.

If a student with a disability complains, OCR will investigate whether your institution had a process to identify and remediate inaccessible content.

What about third-party LMS vendor accessibility?

Canvas, Blackboard, and Moodle have their own accessibility roadmaps, but they are not fully accessible out of the box. Your institution is responsible for:

1. Course design accessibility making sure faculty use accessible templates, fonts, colors, and heading structures.

2. Content accessibility ensuring course materials (PDFs, videos, documents) are accessible.

3. Platform configuration using LMS accessibility features correctly (captions for video, alt text for images, etc.).

The vendor is responsible for the platform itself (button sizes, keyboard navigation, screen-reader support). When you test with our Web Checker, we report both platform issues and content issues so you know who needs to fix what.

Are Section 504 Plans the same as institutional accessibility?

No. Section 504 Plans are individualized documents for specific students with disabilities. They outline accommodations (extended time, note-takers, technology, etc.).

Institutional accessibility (ADA Title II and Section 504 compliance) means the campus, courses, and systems are designed and maintained so everyone can access them. A student shouldn’t need a 504 Plan accommodation to read a course syllabus it should be accessible to everyone.

Both matter. Institutional accessibility reduces the need for individual accommodations and ensures equity.

Can students or parents file OCR complaints about our website?

Yes. OCR (the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights) investigates accessibility complaints from students, parents, employees, and advocates. Complaints can be about any part of the institution’s programs or services, including:

Digital accessibility (website, LMS, online courses), physical accessibility, academic accommodation processes, and student support services.

OCR investigations are free, confidential, and can result in a compliance agreement requiring remediation. OCR also has authority to withhold federal funding if the institution refuses to remediate.

How do we measure progress and stay accountable?

Best practice:

Set a baseline. Scan your LMS, website, and a sample of course PDFs now. Document the baseline accessibility level.

Create a roadmap. Identify high-impact assets to remediate first (enrollment portal, main website, required courses).

Track metrics. Re-scan quarterly. Report to leadership on % of assets compliant, critical issues remaining, and remediation in progress.

Build into policy. Include accessibility requirements in your CMS/LMS procurement, faculty onboarding, and course design rubrics.

Document your efforts. If OCR investigates, your remediation timeline and good-faith efforts matter.

Make learning accessible

Start your accessibility audit today

One scan tells you which ADA Title II and Section 504 gaps exist. Get actionable evidence and a remediation roadmap in hours.

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Accessibility is equity. Fix it systematically.