Digital Accessibility Standards

Standards Overview

Utah State University is committed to advancing learning, discovery, and engagement, in ways that allow everyone to fully participate and benefit from the university’s programs, services, and activities. As a student-centered land-grant university, digital accessibility reflects USU’s core values. By intentionally designing and maintaining accessible digital environments, USU promotes academic success, civic engagement, innovation, and compliance with applicable laws.

To support this commitment, USU provides centralized guidance, tools, training, and expertise to help units implement digital accessibility consistently and effectively. Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) and the Disability Resource Center (DRC), in collaboration with campus partners, works with faculty, staff, and units to build accessibility into everyday digital practices and decision‑making.

These Digital Accessibility Standards serve as a shared foundation for this work.

Purpose and Scope of the Standards

All university digital content must adhere to the following standards and guidance based on content type:

The standards apply to all university faculty, staff, student employees, volunteers, vendors, and contractors who create, manage, maintain, distribute, or procure Digital Technology on behalf of Utah State University. Accessibility must be considered throughout the full lifecycle of Digital Technology—from planning and creation to procurement, maintenance, and retirement.

The purpose of these standards is to:

Policy Authority and Alignment

These standards are issued under the authority of the USU Digital Accessibility Policy and are maintained and enforced by Digital Accessibility Services under the direction of the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee.

The standards are designed to align with:

The standards may be updated periodically to reflect changes in legal requirements, technical standards, institutional systems, or campus needs, as well as feedback from the university community.

In the event of a conflict between these standards and unit‑level guidance or local procedures, these standards take precedence.

How to Use These Standards

These standards are intended to guide and support implementation across diverse roles and contexts at Utah State University. Each section provides content‑specific requirements and expectations, along with references to tools, training, and support resources.

Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) is available to answer questions, provide guidance, and consult with departments and individuals on implementing and meeting these standards.

Accessibility Requirements

The standard for digital accessibility at Utah State University is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA. For digital technology not explicitly addressed by WCAG, accessibility requirements are guided by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) and are widely recognized as the standard for creating accessible digital experiences and meeting applicable legal requirements.

Application of the Requirements:

Accessibility requirements are applied based on content type. Content owners and curators should follow the applicable institutional guidance for the Digital Technology they manage or are responsible for. The following standards and guidance pages provide instructions for each content type:

Enforcement

Regular reviews will be conducted across Digital Technology, following the timeframes and review processes outlined in the Digital Accessibility Standards. Responsible parties will be notified of areas of non-compliance and given time to remediate accessibility issues. Failure to address identified digital accessibility issues may result in required remediation plans, removal of inaccessible content, or other corrective action.

Required Training

All employees who create, publish, or manage Digital Technology on behalf of the University should complete digital accessibility training to understand and apply general accessibility principles.

Units are responsible for ensuring that individuals in the following roles receive appropriate specialized training:

Digital Accessibility Services provides training materials, documentation, and resources to support these efforts.

Accommodation Process

These standards do not replace the university’s obligation to provide individual accommodations. When a student, employee, or visitor identifies an accessibility barrier:

Complaint and Grievance Process

The university encourages anyone to report an accessibility concern or request assistance through the USU Accessibility Concern or Request Form. The university will make a good-faith effort to respond promptly and work collaboratively to resolve the issue.

If a concern is not resolved to the individual’s satisfaction, a formal complaint may be filed through the same website.

Formal complaints will be assigned to an investigator, who will conduct a prompt and equitable review. Following the investigation, the individual who filed the complaint will receive a written response summarizing the findings and, where applicable, proposed steps for resolution.

The individual filing the formal complaint has the right to appeal the findings of the initial review to the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee for further consideration.

References

Definitions