The recent Federal Government announcement that Title II Accessibility compliance was being delayed for a year was quite a surprise. I know so many of you had been working so hard this past year to ensure you would be ready by the original deadline – I actually heard more frustration than relief.
Why? For those who work directly in the world of accessibility compliance, it has often been hard to get others on campus to buy into what is needed to comply. The Federal deadline had finally gotten everyone on the same page – and the unexpected delay, may now be counter-productive to the progress made. There can be no expectation that the new deadline for next year will be extended, so it remains “all hands on deck” in identifying deficiencies and framing a set of solutions most appropriate for your institution.
So why an unexpected deadline extension? Good question. Some have suggested that many institutions were realizing just how out-of-compliance they were. The estimated cost for compliance led to sticker shock for budget officers and leadership. The money will need to be found BUT there was an immediate need for more time to do. That message was effectively communicated to Washington DC regulators. Others have suggested that the current administration is generally less supportive of accessibility requirements. At the very least, they are fine with the delay.
Next Steps - my strong recommendation is to stay the course – you have already made real progress and by now should have a plan for implementation and compliance. Actually, the delay has provided one big benefit. In my many conversations with colleagues at the ITC conference in March, it became quite apparent that many campuses were at best identifying accessibility deficiencies. But the Federal Government expectation was that campuses would be addressing those deficiencies. The extra year provides an opportunity to identify solutions and implement in advance of the 2027 deadline.
As for the ITC, now that we are past the original deadline, we can reach out to campuses to ask that they share their plans/strategies for compliance. We will then share with you - our members - as a way to have comparisons to what you have developed. It can be very useful. We had hoped to do so sooner, but most campuses were struggling to meet the original deadline. Coincidentally, the ITC included a few questions about accessibility on its recent survey – results are posted on the ITC website:
2026 ITC National Survey Infographic
Recommended Reading
What higher ed gets wrong about online ed, Inside Higher Ed
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Higher education’s AI denial is not academic integrity – it is institutional negligence (opinion), eCampus News
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A clear majority of the 4,000 students surveyed say they use tools like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini every day or week on their assignments. Almost as many say their school discourages or prohibits AI, according to the latest Lumina Foundation-Gallup State of Higher Education study.
Integrating AI across the institution, CCDaily
As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) spreads throughout society, community colleges are moving from a classroom-by-classroom and office-by-office approach to integrating AI college-wide. This requires training staff, faculty and students on how to use it and setting policies to ensure successful, ethical use of the technology while overcoming challenges that it poses.
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