Campus Accessibility Plan

Last updated: August 28, 2025

Introduction

The University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus 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). 

As a campus community, we are collectively responsible for: 

  • Investing in accessible technologies
  • Adopting recognized accessibility standards, guidelines, and design practices
  • Building accessibility awareness and skills through continuous learning

We are committed to removing accessibility barriers and ensuring full participation for all members of our campus community. 

CU Anschutz follows a multifaceted approach to HB21-1110 compliance:

  1. Have a published technology accessibility statement; and
  2. Meet a combination of the compliance requirements for making technology accessible:
    1. Proactively provide accessible digital content and information and communication technology (ICT) that meets established technical standards
    2. Provide reasonable accommodations or modifications upon request
    3. Demonstrate ongoing progress in accessibility efforts (via this accessibility plan)

Accessibility Standards

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: 

Accessibility Maturity

 

Date 

Check One 

Stage 

Criteria 

 

 

Inactive 

No awareness and recognition of need. At this stage, organizations are inventorying their technology, have begun to make investments, etc.

 

 

Launch 

Recognized need organization-wide. Planning initiated but activities not well organized.

8/28/25 

 X 

Integrate 

Roadmap including timeline is in place; overall organizational approach defined and well organized.

 

 

Optimize 

Incorporated into the whole organization, consistently evaluated and actions taken on assessment outcomes.

 

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.

Progress Since Our Last Update

We’ve made great progress since 2024, while facing ongoing challenges. Progress includes: 

  • Organizational Strategy: Defined organizational digital accessibility strategy
  • Organizational Monitoring: Defined key metrics to monitor campus progress
  • Engagement, Training & Resources: Expanded resource library, launched Digital Accessibility Community, launched regular communications sharing tips and resources, provided accessibility training for event planning
  • ICT Assessment: Developed a strategy for assessing enterprise and high use software, began in-depth assessments of prioritized software to document accessibility and work with vendors to remediate issues
  • Public Websites: Conducted pre-launch and ongoing accessibility reviews for new and existing websites, increased engagement with automated accessibility checker to resolve flagged accessibility issues
  • Digital Assets: Updated main university website, communications website, newsroom templates, university newsletter, email templates, presentation templates, and other digital templates for accessibility
  • Faculty Resources: Developed new resources for faculty on productivity skills, PDF remediation, and interactive accessibility trainings 

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

How We Are Implementing Accessibility

The following is our roadmap for implementing accessibility at CU Anschutz. This includes completed, ongoing, and planned accessibility efforts.

Organizational Measures 

  • The CU Anschutz Medical Campus digital accessibility policy (PDF) was revised in August 2024 to align with system-wide policy and HB21-1110 requirements. Policy is reviewed annually.
  • The CU Anschutz Campus Standards for Digital Accessibility were developed in 2024 and are reviewed annually.
  • The CU Anschutz Digital Accessibility Standards and Resources webpage offers resources and training, with new resources and targeted training continually added. Regular communications and a community of practice foster engagement with digital accessibility efforts and resources. A campus-wide online training for digital accessibility literacy is planned within the next year.
  • The accessibility barrier reporting process has been centralized and streamlined, ensuring a response time of two business days and offering multiple reporting methods. Reasonable accommodations for students and employees can be requested from the same centralized webpage.
  • Key metrics measuring campus accessibility progress are reviewed quarterly to identify and prioritize improvement efforts.
  • The 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, with regular updates on progress
    • Providing accessibility advice and requirements for all technology
    • Offering training and resources to faculty and staff, including a dedicated website
    • Tracking and resolving reported accessibility issues
    • Monitoring regulatory changes and coordinating with agencies
    • Reviewing and reporting on the program's effectiveness to campus leaders

Website Development & Support 

  • Digital accessibility requirements are incorporated into the design, development, user experience, and quality assurance stages of Content Management System (CMS) development.
  • Consultations and weekly open labs are offered to provide accessibility training and support.
  • Pre-launch and ongoing accessibility reviews are conducted for new and existing websites.
  • An automated accessibility checker is utilized for ongoing review and remediation of website accessibility issues.
  • Dedicated FTE focuses on web accessibility and development, providing resources, training, and support for 400+ website content owners.

Learning Management System & Digital Course Materials

  • An automated accessibility checker is utilized for ongoing review and remediation of course material accessibility within the Learning Management System (LMS).
  • Training and resources are provided to faculty. The Office of Digital Learning launched live and on-demand training in July 2025, with resources for digital accessibility and online teaching continuing to be built out.
  • Reasonable accommodations or modifications are provided upon request.

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 an accessibility review, which gathers VPAT/VACR documentation from vendors (see IT Procurement below).
  • The software remediation strategy prioritizes in-depth assessments of enterprise and high-use software to document accessibility issues and work with vendors to implement resolutions and workarounds.

IT Procurement

Effective July 2024, technology purchased by the campus is reviewed for 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. The following activities have been completed to integrate accessibility checks into our technology procurement processes. 

  • Created a guide for procuring accessible IT for purchasers to review best practices. 
  • Incorporated accessibility reviews into the technology risk assessment review service. Supporting efforts included:
    • Identified supplemental informational resources that promote and support digital accessibility. 
    • Developed a website (requires SSO authentication) for sharing information and resources with requestors and vendors. 

Formal Approval

Christopher Smith, CIO and Vice Chancellor of Information Strategy and Services

Date of approval: 9/3/2025

Contact

For any questions or inquiries regarding this accessibility plan, please reach out to [email protected].

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