Digital accessibility ensures that everyone with disabilities can access the information, services, and learning materials that we create and distribute. At Cumberland, accessibility is not about only complying with the law and meeting a requirement. It's about creating an environment for all to learn so that we can complete our institutional vision of changing lives through the power of education. When digital content is designed with accessibility in mind, we reduce barriers for everyone who consumes our content.
Legal and Policy Requirements
The U.S. Department of Justice issued a rule under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requiring public entities to ensure their websites, mobile applications, and digital services are accessible. While we as a private institution are not held to the same requirements under Title II that are applied to public institutions, we are still governed by the ADA Title III and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA is routinely used as the legal benchmark for measuring compliance when evaluating digital services. This includes websites, instructional content within our Learning Management System (LMS), digital documents, multimedia, and software applications. Our deadline to be fully compliant with this is April 26, 2027.
Cumberland University has also established our own internal policy regarding these requirements, found in the policy manual.
What Are the WCAG 2.1 AA Standards?
The WCAG 2.1 standards are internationally recognized standards for making web content more accessible. They are structured around the four principles, with the acronym POUR:
Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presented in ways that can be perceived by all users.
Operable: The interface must be functional for all users, meaning it can be navigated using a keyboard, mouse, or other assistive technology.
Understandable: The content must be clear and easy to comprehend, meaning using clear language and ensuring web pages behave in predictable ways.
Robust: Content must be compatible with a range of assistive technologies, including current and future technologies.
Where to Start
Title your Documents : Choose a meaningful title that identifies the document or its contents
Describe your images : Add that alternative text by answering the question "What is important in this image? What does someone need to know?"
Use Headings : Headings are anchors or outline levels for content that people use to navigate by and make the document more readable for everyone.
Avoid acronyms and symbol use without context : explore the section below that introduces this topic
Use descriptive links : Use meaningful link text instead of "click here" or long URLs
Avoid images of text : If it's important enough to include ensure it's fully included by having it as text
Keep tables simple : Use header rows or columns and be considerate of table layout
Avoid faded color schemes : Avoiding pastels or faded colors ensures everyone can see the content
Avoid red and green indicators : Many people see colors differently and relying on color for information isn't an effective solution
Use simple language : Improving the reading rate for everyone where possible ensures your message is read
Go through the rest of the digital accessibility knowledge base. There are checklists, instructions, and more resources for you to utilize when looking at making your digital content (including course materials) accessible.