To meet new federal requirements, all SCU digital platforms must conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines WCAG 2.1 AA standards by May 2026. This includes websites, emails, software applications, videos, audio content, and electronic documents. Websites with unresolved flagged accessibility issues will be disabled in May 2026.
While this aligns us with the recent Section 504 ruling from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS), it is also an opportunity to reaffirm our values.
Recent Communications
Accessibility Tools
Compliance Assistant tool
Use this tool to relocate all HTML emails in T4 to a new email-only section that improves how we store and archive past messages, to clean up your sections by archiving outdated pages, and to check for accessibility. Please note we are rolling out the tool to primary T4 site owners (admin access only) of parent branches first.
CommonLook PDF remediation tool
We recommend first making the original source accessible in Word or Google Docs, then exporting it to PDF. If that is not possible, the CommonLook tool can be used to identify and remediate accessibility issues in PDFs.
Grackle Google Docs remediation tool
Automatically scan Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides for accessibility issues with this comprehensive Google Workspace add-on.
T4 Accessibility checker built into T4 preview (Sa11y)
Use this tool when viewing a T4 preview page to flag and fix common issues, with the exception of HTML email pages.
WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
Paste any page URL into the WAVE website or install the browser extension to review accessibility issues on published pages.
Need Support?
If you have questions or need help, you can attend a WCAG 2.1 Accessibility Compliance Open Lab (see dates and times below), register for one-on-one support, or submit a Zendesk web support request for each accessibility issue.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, the mandate applies to all digital content coming from SCU, regardless of platform. That includes emails (T4 or not) and social media. Archived content can be exempt under specific criteria (e.g., historical and unmodified). Platforms like Instagram and Facebook now offer built-in accessibility features. Teams are encouraged to use them.
Yes. All PDFs posted publicly must meet accessibility standards.
The best first step is to ensure original source (i.e. Word or Google Docs) is accessible using Word accessibility tool or Grackle Docs if possible. Check out documentation on Accessible Word Documents and Accessible Google Docs for more details. After resolving all flagged accessibility issues in the original source, export the new accessible PDF. This will reduce the need to remediate existing PDF.
The plan is to also work with a vendor for PDF remediation, with student staff assisting via CommonLook.
Yes, some have been identified. Our team is actively working on fixes and monitoring third-party systems to ensure compliance when they're embedded in T4. Updates will be pushed directly to site branches as we fix issues.
We will roll out a coordinated plan so every T4 site has a path to compliance. We will provide more information soon along with a tool to make the process more manageable.
Most of the digital content you create and manage will need to meet WCAG 2.1 AA by May 2026. If you manage one of the following, this applies to you.
- Websites and emails: All public-facing and internal T4 pages, including HTML emails created in T4 or other platforms.
- Software and web applications: Both SCU-built tools and vendor products integrated into our website.
- Video and audio content (e.g., captions, transcripts, audio descriptions where appropriate)
- Electronic documents: PDFs, Word, PowerPoint, and Google Drive files shared broadly with the campus community or public.
Some narrow exceptions exist in the federal rule, such as certain archived or highly individualized content, but, as a general rule, if it’s active content that people are expected to use, assume it needs to be accessible.
We have licensed a PDF remediation tool. However, we recommend converting single page PDF to web pages whenever possible.
PDFs are better suited for content intended to be printed or preserved with fixed formatting, while standard HTML web pages offer accessibility, searchability, and responsiveness for digital consumption. Web pages are easier to update, are better for search engine optimization (SEO), and adapt to different screen sizes. This is ideal for most online content, whereas PDFs often create poor user experiences with difficult navigation and slow loading.
Please do evaluate all of your PDFs or Word docs and consider creating a T4 page equivalent. Start with any PDF that is a page or two. You could still keep the ones you've created as an alternative downloadable/printable format but for students searching the web and navigating on mobile devices, a web page will be more usable.
Canva has a built in accessibility tool, Design Accessibility that will analyze the design and give suggestions on how to fix accessibility issues. Here are the steps:
- Open the design that you'd like to check the Accessibility.
- From the Editor, select File from the menu, then select Accessibility.
- Select Check Design Accessibility to open the Design Accessibility window on your editor.
Want a summary of accessibility issues to look out for when designing? Check out the Use Design Accessibility documentation.