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On April 24, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice published a new rule on digital accessibility under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This rule requires all digital content to be accessible to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards by April 24, 2026. Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC) has updated Administrative Policy Manual 11.60 Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility to reflect these updates.

By April 24, 2026, all institutional digital content and online course materials must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards. These requirements are enforceable and may carry legal implications if not met. 

What is digital content?

The April 2026 standard applies to most digital materials used for communication, public information and instruction, including but not limited to:

  • PDFs, Word documents, PowerPoint presentations and Excel 
  • Website content on www.ggc.edu, my.ggc.edu, and other sites and services
  • Newsletters (e.g., Inside GGC) and flyers
  • Images, charts and infographics
  • Videos and audio files
  • MyCourses courses, course materials and syllabuses

Meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards includes:

  • Using a clear heading structure and readable formatting
  • Adding alternative text to images
  • Providing captions or transcripts for multimedia
  • Ensuring sufficient color contrast
  • Using descriptive link text
  • Creating accessible PDFs and documents

What is the recommended approach to improving accessibility?

As we prepare for the April 2026 deadline, the primary focus should be on remediating digital content that is actively used or referenced in the normal course of instruction, programs, services or college business. This includes materials that students, employees or the public are expected to engage with such as current course content, syllabuses, active webpages and documents that continue to support ongoing work. Older, legacy or archival materials that are no longer in active use are not the priority for remediation. Information Technology (IT) and Communications can help decide which content to prioritize.

From this point forward, design digital content with accessibility in mind. Any new content created and shared must be accessible. 

What are the immediate next steps for staff and faculty?

To prepare for April 2026, IT recommends that you take the following actions:

  • Locate digital content shared via websites, including www.ggc.edu, my.ggc.edu and other platforms.
  • Submit digital content to Panorama’s DocHub for evaluation and remediation recommendations.
  • Fix issues identified by Panorama, which offers a good start to remediating documents but further refinements may be necessary.
  • Ensure videos include captions.
  • Plan to attend accessibility-focused workshops.
  • Engage with vendors to ensure the digital content provided through their platforms is accessible.
  • Make accessibility-informed decisions when selecting how to share information —choose formats and file types wisely.
  • Design new digital content to meet standards.

What workshops, resources and support options are available?

The college offers a variety of workshops and resources geared to improving accessibility of digital content. Review the event calendar for specifics. Many workshops are recorded.

Additional accessibility resources on topics such as making Microsoft Word documents and PowerPoint presentations accessible and crafting alternate text descriptions for images are also available. LinkedIn Learning is available for all faculty and staff to learn more about creating digitally accessible content.

IT offers 1-1 consultations that can be used to develop remediation plans.

What do employees need to know?

Remediating digital content will require time and effort. Engage with available resources. Ask questions. Make remediation plans that allow for progress to be made. Focus on making improvements while remembering that April 2026 is not the end of the digital content accessibility discussion; the conversation around accessibility will continue to evolve and grow well beyond April. Accessibility is not just a compliance requirement — it reflects who we are and how we show up for students, each other and our community. 

If you have any questions, contact the Help Desk at: