Fwd: Important Update: Federal Digital Accessibility Rule Changes

[Delmar Larsen]

Dear Colleagues,

As many of you have likely heard, the U.S. Department of Justice has postponed implementation of the accessibility rules that were scheduled to take effect in the coming days. However, not all campuses will be able to take advantage of this extended timeline. My campus has just notified us of additional requirements issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (see the forwarded message below from our Provost) putting our deadline to next month.

I am unsure how many institutions are subject to this secondary deadline, but I wanted to raise awareness in case it applies to your campus. It would be prudent to consult with the appropriate offices at your institution for clarification.

Regards,
Delmar

-------- Forwarded Message --------

Subject:	Important Update: Federal Digital Accessibility Rule Changes
Date:	Tue, 21 Apr 2026 18:46:08 -0700
From:	Provost Mary Croughan and Chief Information and Digital Strategy Executive Aisha Jackson <pro...@ucdavis.edu>
Reply-To:	pro...@ucdavis.edu
To:	Faculty and Staff <pro...@ucdavis.edu>

We write to share a timely update on federal digital accessibility requirements and what it means for you as faculty and staff.

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Federal Digital Accessibility Rule Changes Dear Colleagues, We write to share an important update on federal digital accessibility requirements and what it means for you as faculty and staff. As you know, we have been working toward meeting new digital accessibility requirements under federal Title II ADA for web and mobile applications, with a deadline of April 24, 2026. On Monday, April 20, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice published an interim final rule extending the Title II ADA compliance deadline for web and mobile application accessibility. For public entities with a total population of 50,000 or more, a category that includes the University of California, the Title II ADA deadline is now April 26, 2027. While this would appear to apply to UC Davis, the Title II ADA extension does not move our deadline to April 26, 2027. UC receives funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which includes UC Davis Health. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services requires all of UC to comply with digital accessibility requirements by May 11, 2026. In addition, UC's IT Accessibility Policy also requires that we meet the Title II ADA web and mobile application accessibility standards by April 24, 2026. We are working with UC Legal to receive guidance, and we will share further information as it becomes available. In the meantime, our work toward achieving accessible digital content should continue with the April 24, 2026, UC policy deadline in mind. As you continue working to meet this deadline, please take advantage of the following tools, training, and resources: UC Davis digital accessibility webpage On-demand training sessions Frequently asked questions Weekly Q&A sessions hosted on Microsoft Teams at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesdays UCOP electronic accessibility webpage Please reach out to Brad Starkey-Owens, Digital Accessibility Program Manager, at bstark...@ucdavis.edu if you have questions about how to make your web content accessible.   Again, we will reach out with any relevant updates as soon as information is available. Thank you for your shared commitment to creating an accessible and inclusive UC Davis. All the best, Mary Croughan Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Aisha Jackson Chief Information and Digital Strategy Executive This email is published by the UC Davis Offices of the Chancellor and Provost. University of California, Davis • One Shields Avenue • Davis, CA 95616

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