Laws, Policies, and Standards

Laws, Policies, and Standards

According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least one in four people has a disability. Accessibility is more than a legal requirement; it’s a human right. Texas State University is committed to removing barriers to information encountered by students, faculty, and staff. University policies, state and federal laws, and international standards protect these rights and govern accessibility requirements for websites and other electronic information sources. The university offers a wide range of resources and support to help ensure websites and content are equally accessible to individuals of all abilities.

University Policies

Find information pertaining to all web polices and the specific provision for ADA on Texas State’s Web Accessibility Policy page. Texas State actively monitors all procurement and websites to fulfill these policy requirements. 

• UPPS 4.01.06 encompasses the full guidelines for policies and procedures for web content including accessibility. 
• Accessible Procurement 

State Law 

Title I Texas Administrative Code Chapters 206 and 213 refer to sets of Rules pertaining to accessibility for Texas State agencies and institutions of higher education.  

• Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 206 
• Texas Administrative Code (TAC) 213

Federal Law 

The American's with Disabilities Act

Title I and II of the American's With Disabilities Act protects individuals from discrimination on the basis of disability. Title I protects individuals against employment discrimination on the basis of disability, and Title II conforms State and Local agencies to the Federal statute ensuring accessible communications.

• Title I
• Title II

Title II Web Updates

Title II was updated to include the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the official accessibility standard for web and mobile apps used by Title II entities. The Department of Justice chose to use the WCAG 2.1 AA standard as their technical benchmark for measuring accessibility to ensure mobile applications were explicitly covered by the ADA.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973

In 1998, Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities. The law (29 U.S.C § 794 (d)) applies to all federal agencies that develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must afford disabled employees and members of the public access to information comparable to the access available to others. 

• Section 504 
• Section 508 
• Section 255 Guidelines

Web Accessibility Standards 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are developed through the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) process with the goal of creating a single shared standard for web content accessibility.  

WCAG is founded on four basic web design and content principles sometimes referred to as POUR. The acronym serves as a reminder to make all websites: 

• Perceivable   
  • Users easily see and hear content.   
  • Text alternatives are included for non-text content. 
  • Captions and other alternatives are offered for multimedia. 
• Operable 
  • All functionality is available using a keyboard. 
  • Users have adequate time to engage with content. 
  • Avoid using content causing seizures or physical responses. 
  • Users can easily navigate and find content. 
  • Allow inputs by methods other than keyboard. 
• Understandable  
  • Text is readable and understandable. 
  • Content appears and operates in predictable ways. 
  • Users can avoid and correct mistakes. 
• Robust  
  • Optimize compatibility with evolving user tools. 

Quick Reference – How to Meet WCAG  

International Organization for Standardization (ISO/IEC 40500:2012)  

• ISO is an independent, international organization comprised of 167 national standards bodies experts who develop consensus-based Standards to meet digital challenges on a global scale. 

Consequences of Inaccessibility 

• IT Accessibility Risk Statements and Evidence 
• IT Accessibility Risk Statement Web Version 
• Higher Ed Accessibility Lawsuits, Complaints, and Settlements 
• 2023 Website Accessibility Lawsuit Recap (PDF)

Compliance Check-ups 

Website managers receive weekly website reports from Siteimprove. These reports can be used to identify accessibility gaps and direct effective remediation. Reports are monitored by the Electronic Information Resources Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC).

For help getting started, contact our Electronic Information Resources Accessibility Coordinator (EIRAC). 

Canvas Course Compliance 

For Canvas course websites only, the UDOIT (Universal Design Online Content Inspection Tool) is an external Canvas used to identify content accessibility issues. When you add UDOIT to your course, the tool can scan content, generate a report, and provide resources to address common accessibility issues.  

UDOIT identifies errors and provides suggestions in the following areas of your course:  

• Announcements 
• Assignments, Discussions 
• Files (i.e., .html files) 
• Pages 
• Syllabus 
• Module URLs 

UDOIT checks for the appropriate use of the following:  

• Heading structure 
• Alternative text for images 
• Table headers 
• Color contrast 
• Descriptive link text 
• Video captions. 

Items UDOIT cannot examine include external documents and some videos or audio files for captioning and transcripts.