Campus Accessibility Plan FY2026-2027

Introduction

The University of Colorado Anschutz is committed to ensuring digital and physical accessibility for everyone, including people with disabilities. In alignment with Colorado House Bill 21-1110, our commitment extends to the university's services, digital content, and information and communication technologies (ICT). 

The CU Anschutz Campus Standards for Digital Accessibility were developed in 2024 and are reviewed annually. 

Our ongoing technology accessibility efforts rely on these campus standards and the technical standards provided by: 

• State Technology Accessibility Rules (8 CCR 1501-11)
• World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA or higher
• Section 508 of the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Chapter 4

Why we are at this stage 

Building on the efforts of the Digital Accessibility Committee in 2024, the Digital Accessibility Program Manager began work in 2025 and defined our organizational strategy: 

• Guiding Principles: People-First Approach, Continuous Improvement, Collaboration, Compliance
• Areas of Focus: Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration, Training & Resources, Barrier Support, Software Procurement & Management, Monitoring & Reporting, Governance 

In addition to this strategy, which defines and organizes our accessibility efforts, a roadmap including relevant timelines is in place.

We’ve made great progress during FY2025-2026, while facing ongoing challenges. Progress includes: 

• Organizational Policy: Created FAQ to support compliance with HB21-1110.
• Organizational Monitoring: Tracked key metrics to evaluate campus progress and increased engagement with critical areas to support continuous improvement efforts.
• Engagement, Training & Resources:
  • Increased visits to resource library website by 233% and completed 150+ consultations.
  • Provided a live campuswide training on key areas of digital accessibility, created a new Digital Accessibility Essentials asynchronous course, and offered targeted training upon request.
  • Created a planning and prioritization template and a Digital Accessibility Essentials checklist (DOCX).
• ICT Assessment:
  • Added accessibility provisions to procurement contract language.
  • Refined processes and increased collaboration with technology risk assessments.
  • Conducted accessibility reviews for priority technology projects and worked with vendors to remediate issues.
• Public Websites:
  • Actively utilized an automated accessibility checker to crawl public websites for accessibility issues.
  • Performed regular code releases to resolve identified accessibility issues.
  • Conducted proactive outreach to address potential web accessibility concerns.
  • Conducted pre-launch and ongoing accessibility reviews for new and existing websites.
  • Improved accessibility of website navigation.
• Digital Assets:
  • Ensured accessibility of new university branding and digital assets, including presentation templates that provide accessibility guidance.
  • Several departments launched document remediation projects, which are ongoing.
• Faculty Resources:
  • Provided ongoing training support for faculty on productivity skills, PDF remediation, and interactive accessibility trainings.
  • Increased collaboration with instructional designers and faculty support roles.
  • The Office of Digital Learning partnered with faculty on an accessibility pilot, supporting the remediation of course materials and advancing accessibility efforts.
• Partnerships: Strengthened partnerships across the university and CU campuses to advance digital accessibility efforts, foster collaboration, and drive shared progress.

Challenges include: a decentralized campus, limited resources, high volume of course materials, and individual expertise on accessibility best practices.

Organizational Measures 

• Policy: The CU Anschutz digital accessibility policy (PDF) was revised in August 2024 to align with system-wide policy and HB21-1110 requirements. Policy is reviewed annually.
• Standards: The CU Anschutz Campus Standards for Digital Accessibility were developed in 2024 and are reviewed annually.
• Engagement, Training, & Resources:
  • The CU Anschutz Digital Accessibility Standards and Resources webpage serves as a digital accessibility resource library for the campus, which is continually updated and exapnded.
  • The Digital Accessibility Essentials asynchronous course launched in July 2026. Throughout the next year, the course will be promoted to campus, while planning for the development of additional role-based training opportunities.
  • Regular communications and targeted presentations increase engagement with digital accessibility efforts and resources.
  • A community of practice fosters engagement and collaboration.
• Barrier Support: The accessibility barrier reporting process has been centralized and streamlined, ensuring a response time of two business days and offering multiple reporting methods (via form, email, or phone). Reasonable accommodations for students and employees can be requested from the same centralized webpage.
• Monitoring: Key metrics measuring campus accessibility progress are reviewed quarterly to identify and prioritize improvement efforts.
• Digital Accessibility Program:
  • Serves as the central resource for accessibility questions and guidance. Contact: [email protected].
  • Dedicated FTE Digital Accessibility Program Manager focuses on:
    • Updating and sharing digital accessibility standards and resources
    • Managing a plan to remove accessibility barriers in technology
    • Providing accessibility advice and requirements for all technology
    • Offering training and resources to faculty and staff
    • Tracking and resolving reported digital accessibility issues
    • Monitoring regulatory changes and coordinating with agencies
    • Reviewing and reporting on the program's effectiveness to campus leaders
    • Collaborating across CU campuses to advance digital accessibility efforts

Website Development & Support 

Digital Communications

• Guidelines are provided for digitally accessible communications assets.
• Best practices to support eComm accessibility compliance are available.
• Digital assets are kept up to date for accessibility, including the main university website, communications website, newsroom templates, university newsletter, email templates, presentation templates, and other digital templates.
• Digital communications are actively monitored to identify accessibility issues.
• Training, consultation, and guidance are offered to communication professionals.

Digital Signage

• Accessibility standards for digital signage and accessible templates are provided.
• Digital signage is reviewed for accessibility during the intake process.
• Vendor confirms compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A & AA.

High Use Technology

• An inventory documenting Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A & AA compliance of enterprise and high-use software is continually updated.
• An inventory documenting WCAG 2.1 A & AA compliance of medium to low-use software is updated as needs arise.
• Both new and renewed software purchases undergo a technology risk assessment, which gathers VPAT/VACR documentation from vendors (see IT Procurement below).
• Our software remediation strategy prioritizes accessibility reviews of enterprise and high-use software to document accessibility issues and work with vendors to implement resolutions and workarounds.

ICT Procurement

Vendors are required to provide a VPAT/ACR for technology purchased by the campus to assess compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 A & AA. It is the responsibility of the department that is acquiring or purchasing technology to ensure that the technology and all content are compliant with HB21-1110. Accessibility has been integrated into our technology procurement processes via the following: 

• A guide for procuring accessible ICT (requires SSO authentication) for purchasers to review best practices and responsibilities. 
• Accessibility is incorporated into the technology risk assessment review service. This is reflected in the following:
  • Technology Risk Assessment Process guide (requires SSO authentication) for sharing information with requestors.
  • Vendor Requirements for Technology Assessments guide for sharing information with vendors.
  • Accessibility provisions are included in procurement contract language.

Throughout this year, we plan to promote awareness of the technology risk assessment process to support accessibility compliance.