GAAD 2025 Q&A: From Compliance to Inclusion

1. Q. Do you have more examples for alternate versions that do and do not qualify for exceptions to the Title II regulations?

   A. Here are some examples of technical or legal limitations where conforming alternate versions are allowed. Technical limitation — technology is not yet capable of being made accessible. Legal limitation — web content cannot be changed due to legal reasons. One example of where alternate conforming versions are allowed is where an entity provides alternate versions of web pages to possibly provide individuals who use assistive technology with a better experience. All of these examples are taken directly from the Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Final Rule pdf

   The ADA Fact Sheet on Title II also provides examples on exceptions.

2. Q. What is ARIA?

   A. ARIA stands for Accessible Rich Internet Applications. It is a set of attributes that can be added to HTML elements to make content more accessible; however, it's generally recommended that you try to achieve accessible web design through native HTML before resorting to use of ARIA.

3. Q. How do you design for users with anxiety? Can you provide an example? I did not know anxiety disorders are considered a disability now. Thank you!

   A. Examples of designing for users who have anxiety include:

   • Avoid time limits so users don't feel rushed
   • Provide clear instructions so users know what to do and what to expect
   • Use layout techniques to make important information clear and to avoid dense presentations of text that may intimidate or overwhelm users: e.g., employ ample spacing, organize text into heading-defined sections, use lists where appropriate, etc.
   • Let users know, as early as possible (e.g., at the top of a page instead of the bottom), how they can receive support

   Explore the UK Home Office Designing for Accessibility poster series (pdf) for even more recommendations for designing to different disabilities. Many of these recommendations relate directly to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) criteria.

4. Q. Are there local subject matter experts at each campus that can assist with the review of materials?

   A. Contact your location's Electronic Accessibility Committee (EAC) representatives to learn more about the personnel and other resources that may be available at your location.

5. Q. Can you post a link to the accessible Drupal Webform module?

   A. Drupal Webform module

6. Q. Any tips for interactive graphs that allow users to select datasets, areas, and customize their experience?

   A. The 2023 UC GAAD webinar, Your Path to Accessibility , includes a presentation on Tableau accessibility.

   The Electronic Accessibility Committee also hosts a Tableau Accessibility Tip Sheet (pdf).

   You may also be able to achieve accessible, interactive data visualizations through Apache ECharts and Power BI.

7. Q. Are there guidelines for alt text compliance?

   A. WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content is the Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) success criterion that most directly speaks to alternative text (a.k.a., "alt text").

   Other great alt text resources include:

   • Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Images Tutorial: demonstrates appropriate alt text for various types of images, depending on their purposes
   • WAI Alt Text Decision Tree: answer a series of simple yes or no questions to learn what alt text might be most appropriate for a specific image, depending on its purpose
   • Alternative Text article on WebAIM.com: learn more about alternative text, including why context and purpose are so important to determining what alt text is appropriate for an image

8. Q. What’s the best way to create alt text for “dense” images used in health science lectures? Ex.: https://ucsf.box.com/s/71rcojg83emdn28ujljwdoo72nuojhq7  (Many may be annotated in video formats.)

   A. Diagrams, graphs and other "dense" images that combine text and graphical elements to convey larger amounts of information are referred to as "complex images." Since complex images typically convey more information than would be appropriate to include in alt text, their information is often instead conveyed through adjacent body text or a separate component known as a "long description." Explore the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) Complex Images page to learn more.

   If you're presenting a complex image during a lecture or webinar, you should verbally describe the information you intend for your audience to takeaway from image, so that all audience members, including those with vision disabilities, can access it.

9. Q. Are we (the UCs) advising folks to follow ISO 14289-2 for PDF accessibility?

   A. The Title II rulemaking discusses ISO 14298-1 and ISO 14298-2. Search for "14289" in the Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability Final Rule pdf.

   The Department of Justice notes in its rulemaking that PDFs should conform to WCAG 2.1 AA criteria "to the extent those criteria can be applied." The DOJ further recommends consulting W3C's guidance on non-web information and communications technologies, which explains how the WCAG success criteria can be applied to conventional electronic documents.

10. Q. Is there guidance on what makes a PDF compliant/noncompliant with accessibility requirements? It sounds like the earlier presenter encouraged not-using a PDF or hiring someone to remediate it, but these are not always options.

    A. PDF accessibility is a common accessibility topic, so you can find guidance and resources across the web, including the Create Accessible PDFs page on the Electronic Accessibility Committee website.

    If you have access to LinkedIn Learning, the Creating Accessible PDFs course is also a great resource for learning more about PDF accessibility, including how to prepare Word, PowerPoint and Excel files to export to maximally accessible PDFs and how to check for, implement and improve PDF accessibility through Adobe Acrobat.

    Do not use PDFs if you do not have the knowledge and/or means to make them accessible: when you encounter encouragement not to use PDFs, this is what that encouragement is really saying. You can learn how to make PDFs accessible through the resources linked above or through other resources that may be available at your location (check with your EAC reps to learn more). HTML is often recommended as a format that can be used instead of PDF and may be easier to produce accessibly.

    Other PDF accessibility tools you can explore include Yuja Panorama, Anthology Ally, and Brickfield Enterprise Toolkit; check out the April 2025 EDUCAUSE Demo Day | Accessibility Services and Solutions for demonstrations of these tools and others.

11. Q. Do we know if Qualtrics has accessibility features for users, as well as those who complete polls/surveys? Or is there another recommended tool?

    A. Contact your location's Electronic Accessibility Committee (EAC) representatives to discuss different survey tools and their accessibility. "

    For more information on survey accessibility, you can also this website's Guidelines for accessible surveys and forms page.

12. Q. Can a non-UC person join the UC slack? As a staff member in the CSU system, I'd love to hear what our counterparts are doing.

    A. Unfortunately not. The UCTech Slack channel can only be joined through certain UC-affiliated email domains.

    However, the A11y Slack channel (web-a11y.slack.com) may be a great alternative. It brings together accessibility-minded professionals from across the public and private sectors, and is a great way to learn how other individuals and organizations are tackling accessibility challenges. To join, you must be invited by a current member. Check with your organization's dedicated accessibility staff to learn if they're members and can extend an invite. You may also be able to find members willing to extend an invite through professional networks like LinkedIn.

13. Q. What are some recent accessibility tools to improve accessibility?

    A. Since 2015, Be My Eyes has sought to connect blind users with live support specialists who could see through the user's smartphone camera and help them through certain situations, like when their computer crashes or they receive an error message that isn't accessible. In conjunction with LinkedIn, they're now beta testing an AI-powered version called Be My AI

14. Q. Have there been any UC-wide notices/communications regarding the upcoming April 2026 deadline that can be referenced when reaching out to clients?

    A. Yes, you can reference the New regulations for the Americans with Disabilities Act that will impact UC article on UCnet which summarizes the new regulations and offers resources and recommendations for how we can prepare for them.