You open your email on a Monday morning. Your dean forwarded a message from the provost's office. The subject line reads: All faculty web resources must comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA by April 24, 2026.
You teach chemistry. Or history. Or nursing. You built your course website from scratch because you believe students shouldn't have to pay $200 for a textbook publisher's platform when you can give them the same materials for free. You have been running this site for years and your students love it.
Now someone is telling you it needs to comply with something called WCAG 2.1 Level AA, and you have about 60 days to figure it out. You have no IT support for this. Your college paid for accessibility tools inside Canvas or Blackboard, but your website lives outside the LMS. Nobody gave you a budget, a tool, or a person to call.
Sound familiar? You are not alone. This guide is for you: the faculty member who just got the mandate, has no idea where to start, and cannot afford the $3,000-to-$10,000 enterprise tools that every other article on this topic assumes you'll buy.
The Abandoned Middle: Your College Has Tools — Just Not for You
Here is the uncomfortable truth about higher education accessibility: your institution almost certainly invested in accessibility tools, but only for the learning management system.
If you teach through Canvas, you might have access to the Canvas Accessibility Checker. If your school uses Blackboard, they may have licensed Blackboard Ally. These tools scan content inside the LMS and flag issues. They are reasonably good at what they do.
But if you maintain a personal course website, a department site, a research portal, or anything that lives outside the LMS, you got nothing. No tools. No budget. No support ticket queue. Just a mandate email and a deadline.
This is the abandoned middle of higher education accessibility. Institutions spend tens of thousands of dollars on enterprise tools for the LMS while leaving individual faculty to fend for themselves on external sites.
Why This Happens:
• IT departments focus on systems they control (LMS, main university site)
• Enterprise accessibility tools cost $3,000 to $10,000 per year, per site
• Faculty personal sites are considered "your problem"
• 40% of institutions have just 1-2 accessibility staff campus-wide (EDUCAUSE)
• Universities have "literally thousands of websites" across departments (Boundless Learning)
The result: the faculty members most committed to open education, the ones who build free resources so students don't have to buy expensive textbooks, are the ones left without support.
What About the W3C HTML Checker?
If you searched for a free option, you probably found the W3C Nu HTML Validator. It checks whether your HTML code is syntactically correct. It does not check for WCAG accessibility issues. A page can pass W3C validation with flying colors and still be completely inaccessible to someone using a screen reader. One faculty member who tried it put it plainly: the W3C checker "did not pick up on many of the ADA issues" that actually matter for compliance.
What WCAG 2.1 AA Actually Means (In Plain English)
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Version 2.1, Level AA is the standard your college is referencing. It was written by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and adopted by the Department of Justice as the benchmark for ADA compliance.
The guidelines are built on four principles. Your website needs to be:
Perceivable — Can everyone see or hear your content?
• Every image needs descriptive alt text (so screen readers can describe it)
• Videos need captions
• Text must have enough contrast against the background (4.5:1 ratio minimum)
• Content should not rely on color alone to convey meaning
Operable — Can everyone navigate your site without a mouse?
• All functionality must work with keyboard alone
• Interactive elements need visible focus indicators
• Touch targets must be at least 24x24 pixels
• No content that flashes more than three times per second
Understandable — Can everyone follow what your site is saying?
• Links should describe where they go (not just "click here")
• Form fields need visible labels
• Error messages should explain what went wrong and how to fix it
• Navigation should be consistent across pages
Robust — Does your site work with assistive technology?
• HTML should be properly structured (headings in order: H1, H2, H3)
• Pages need a language attribute
• Custom widgets need proper ARIA labels
What Matters Most for Faculty Sites:
You do not need to memorize all 50+ success criteria. For a typical faculty course website, the issues that trigger the most violations are:
• Images without alt text (especially diagrams, charts, molecular structures)
• Poor color contrast (light gray text on white backgrounds)
• Heading structure out of order (jumping from H1 to H4)
• Links that say "click here" or "read more" without context
• PDFs that are scanned images instead of tagged documents
• Form fields without labels
Fix these six things and you will address the majority of accessibility issues on a typical course website.
The Homepage Trap: Why Your Site Score Is Lying to You
This is the section that matters most. Read it carefully.
A community college chemistry professor in Oregon received the same mandate email you did. His college required WCAG 2.1 AA compliance by April 24, 2026. The college paid for accessibility tools for Blackboard and Canvas users, but he builds all course materials from scratch on his own website so students don't have to pay for textbook publisher platforms. His philosophy: education for all.
He needed a tool. He couldn't afford the enterprise options. He tried the W3C Nu HTML Checker first, but it "did not pick up on many of the ADA issues." Then he found ADA QuickScan and ran 76 scans across 6 days.
Here is what he discovered:
• His homepage scored 96-100. Near perfect.
• A homework subpage scored 66. Failing.
• That is a 34-point gap between the page he probably would have submitted as proof of compliance and a page his students use every week.
This is the homepage trap. When people check their website for accessibility, 74.7% of them only scan the homepage. The homepage is almost always the cleanest, most recently updated page on the site. It gives you false confidence.
The real problems hide in the pages you built two years ago and haven't touched since: old homework assignments, archived syllabi, lab procedure pages with untagged images, PDF links to scanned documents. These are the pages that fail, and these are the pages that trigger complaints.
Why This Happens on Faculty Sites:
• Course websites accumulate content over semesters and years
• Old pages were built before you knew about accessibility
• Homework and lab pages often have complex formatting (tables, images, equations)
• PDF handouts are frequently scanned from printed originals
• The homepage gets redesigned periodically; inner pages stay frozen in time
The professor's reaction after discovering the gap: "I tried a few different sites, but this is by far the best." What made the difference was not just scanning one page, but scanning across his entire site and finding problems he never knew existed.
A Free Tool That Actually Works (We Tested the Alternatives)
If you are a faculty member looking for a free accessibility checker, here is what you will find and what each tool actually does:
W3C Nu HTML Validator
• What it checks: HTML syntax correctness
• What it misses: Almost all WCAG accessibility issues
• Verdict: Useful for code quality, not for accessibility compliance
• One professor's experience: "Did not pick up on many of the ADA issues"
WAVE (WebAIM)
• What it checks: Many WCAG issues with visual overlay
• Limitation: One page at a time, manual process
• Verdict: Good for individual page deep-dives, tedious for full sites
Google Lighthouse
• What it checks: Accessibility as part of a broader web audit
• Limitation: Developer-focused interface, requires Chrome DevTools
• Verdict: Powerful but intimidating for non-technical users
ADA QuickScan
• What it checks: WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility issues
• How it works: Enter your URL, get results in 30 seconds
• No login required, no software to install, completely free
• Shows which specific element failed and which WCAG criterion it violates
• Site-wide scanning discovers subpage problems automatically
• The Oregon chemistry professor ran 76 scans in 6 days and found the 34-point gap between his homepage and subpages
The key difference is not just what each tool catches but how easily you can scan your entire site. A faculty website might have 20, 50, or 100 pages of course content. Checking them one at a time in WAVE would take hours. The site-wide scanning feature finds your worst subpages automatically, which is exactly how that 34-point homepage-to-subpage gap was discovered.
What "Free" Really Means:
ADA QuickScan is free to use with no limits on individual page scans. No login. No credit card. No trial period. If you need documentation for your compliance records, a Good Faith Compliance Certificate is available, but the scanning tool itself costs nothing.
Your 60-Day Sprint: What to Fix First
You have roughly 60 days until the April 24, 2026 deadline. You cannot fix everything, and you do not need to. Courts and the Office for Civil Rights look for good faith effort, meaning documented evidence that you identified problems and worked to fix them. Here is your week-by-week plan:
Week 1: Discover Your Real Score
• Scan your homepage and record the score
• Scan 5 of your most-used subpages (homework, syllabus, lab pages)
• Compare scores and identify the gap
• Save all scan results with dates (this is your compliance documentation)
Weeks 2-3: Fix Image Alt Text (Biggest Impact)
• Add descriptive alt text to every image on your site
• For chemistry diagrams: describe the structure, not just "molecule diagram"
• For charts and graphs: summarize the data in the alt text
• For decorative images: add empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them
• This single fix addresses the most common WCAG violation on faculty sites
Weeks 3-4: Fix Heading Structure and Color Contrast
• Ensure headings follow a logical order (H1, then H2, then H3 — no skipping)
• Check text color against background (minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio)
• Replace light gray text with darker alternatives
• Make sure links are visually distinct from surrounding text
Weeks 5-6: Fix Links, Touch Targets, and Form Labels
• Replace every "click here" link with descriptive text ("download the lab safety guide")
• Make buttons and links at least 24x24 pixels
• Add labels to any form fields (search boxes, contact forms, quiz inputs)
• Ensure all interactive elements work with keyboard navigation (Tab key)
Weeks 7-8: Re-scan, Document, and Certify
• Re-scan your homepage and the same 5 subpages
• Compare before and after scores to show improvement
• Save all results as your compliance record
• Consider getting a Good Faith Compliance Certificate to formalize your documentation
The Good Faith Standard:
You do not need a perfect score. The legal standard is not perfection; it is documented good faith effort. A faculty website that went from a 66 to an 82 with documented evidence of systematic fixes is in a much stronger position than one that scores 90 but has no record of any compliance activity. For more on how documentation protects you, see the Good Faith Documentation Guide.
What Happens If You Don't Comply
Let's be honest about the risks without overstating them. You are a faculty member, not a corporation. The legal landscape looks different for you than it does for Amazon.
The Institutional Risk:
• 68% of higher education IT respondents have already faced legal or government challenges related to accessibility (EDUCAUSE)
• 48% of U.S. colleges are classified as "high risk" for litigation (AAAtraq)
• 142 municipalities and institutions have been sued since 2011 for accessibility non-compliance
• Private lawsuits do not require a federal complaint — anyone can file
Who Gets Sued?
The lawsuit or OCR complaint targets your institution, not you personally. ADA Title II liability flows to the public entity, meaning the college or university. However:
• Your department or program may be specifically named in the complaint
• Your annual review or tenure process may include compliance responsibilities
• The remediation burden will land on you if it is your website
• If a student with a disability cannot access your course materials, that is an accommodation failure
The Real Risk: OCR Complaints, Not Ambulance Chasers
For higher education, the more likely enforcement path is not a serial plaintiff filing ADA lawsuits. It is a student or advocacy group filing a complaint with the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the Department of Education. OCR complaints are free to file, do not require an attorney, and trigger mandatory investigations.
The Michigan model proved this. When the Michigan Alliance for Special Education filed 2,400 OCR complaints against school districts, it cost districts an estimated $120 million in remediation. Similar coordinated campaigns are now expanding to Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois.
The Political Uncertainty Factor:
You may have heard that the current administration has pulled back on some ADA enforcement. Here is what that actually means:
• The DOJ withdrew 11 guidance documents and paused 54 regulatory actions
• The DOJ announced a re-examination of all ADA Title II/III regulations
• However, the April 2026 Title II web accessibility rule has NOT been rescinded
• Private litigation continues regardless of federal enforcement priorities
• The uncertainty actually increases the case for self-compliance — you cannot count on the government telling you what to do, so document your own good faith effort
For the complete deadline analysis, see 2026 ADA Deadline: Everything You Need to Know.
Scan Your Faculty Website Free
Find out your real accessibility score in 30 seconds. No login, no software, no credit card. The site-wide scan automatically checks your subpages to find hidden problems your homepage score doesn't reveal. That is exactly how one professor discovered a 34-point gap between his homepage and a homework page. Run your scan, save the results, and start your 60-day compliance sprint today.
Scan My Website NowFrequently Asked Questions
Does ADA apply to my personal faculty website?
If your website is used to deliver course materials, assignments, or information related to your role at a public college or university, it falls under ADA Title II. The rule covers all web content that is part of the services, programs, or activities of a public entity. If students need your site to participate in your class, it is covered.
What is WCAG 2.1 Level AA?
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is a set of technical guidelines published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) for making websites accessible to people with disabilities. Level AA is the middle tier (A is minimum, AA is standard, AAA is highest). The DOJ adopted Level AA as the standard for ADA Title II compliance. It includes roughly 50 testable success criteria covering things like image alt text, color contrast, keyboard navigation, and heading structure.
Is my personal faculty website covered by Title II?
Yes, if it is used as part of your teaching at a public institution. The DOJ's Title II rule covers web content and mobile apps used by state and local government entities, which includes public colleges and universities. If your external website hosts syllabi, assignments, or course materials that students are directed to use, it is within scope regardless of where it is hosted.
Can I use an overlay widget for accessibility?
Accessibility overlay widgets (like AccessiBe, UserWay, or AudioEye) claim to make sites compliant with one line of code. Courts have rejected overlay-only approaches, the FTC has fined overlay providers for deceptive claims, and many organizations using overlays have still been sued. Overlays can help with some issues but do not fix underlying code problems. They are not a substitute for actual remediation.
What's the cheapest way to make my website ADA compliant?
Use a free scanner like ADA QuickScan to identify your specific issues, then fix them yourself. The most common faculty site issues (alt text, heading structure, color contrast, link text) can be fixed with basic HTML edits. You do not need to hire an agency or buy enterprise software. Budget $0 for scanning, a few hours per week for fixes, and if you want formal documentation, $27 for a Good Faith Compliance Certificate.
Will the April 2026 deadline be delayed?
As of February 2026, the April 24, 2026 deadline for entities serving 50,000 or more has NOT been rescinded or delayed. The DOJ announced a re-examination of ADA regulations but did not withdraw the Title II web accessibility rule. Even if enforcement priorities shift, private lawsuits and OCR complaints continue independently of federal enforcement. Plan for the deadline as written.
Does my college have to pay for my website's compliance?
This depends on your institution's policies and your employment agreement. Some colleges provide accessibility support for faculty websites; most do not. Since ADA liability falls on the institution, not the individual faculty member, there is a reasonable argument that your college should provide tools and support. Raise this with your department chair, disability services office, or IT department. In the meantime, free tools like ADA QuickScan let you start without waiting for institutional support.
What if I use WordPress, Google Sites, or GitHub Pages?
The platform does not change the requirement. WordPress sites need accessible themes and properly formatted content. Google Sites has limited accessibility features and may not fully support WCAG 2.1 AA. GitHub Pages requires manual attention to HTML structure and alt text. Regardless of platform, scan your actual published pages to find issues. The compliance obligation applies to the final output, not the tool used to create it.
How long does it take to make a website accessible?
For a typical faculty website with 20-50 pages, expect 2-4 weeks of part-time work (a few hours per week) to address the major issues. The biggest time investment is adding alt text to images and fixing heading structure. Complex sites with hundreds of pages, embedded forms, or large PDF libraries will take longer. Start with the highest-traffic pages and work outward.
What's the difference between Section 508 and ADA Title II?
Section 508 applies to federal agencies and organizations receiving federal funding. ADA Title II applies to state and local government entities, including public colleges and universities. Both now reference WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard. If your institution receives federal funding (most do), both laws may apply. The practical result is the same: your web content needs to meet WCAG 2.1 AA.
You did not sign up to be a web accessibility expert. You signed up to teach. But here you are, staring at a mandate email with a deadline 60 days away and no tools in your hands.
The good news: for most faculty websites, reaching an acceptable accessibility level is not as hard as the enterprise vendors want you to believe. The issues that matter most — image alt text, heading structure, color contrast, descriptive links — are things you can fix yourself with basic HTML knowledge and a few hours per week.
Start with a scan. Not just your homepage. Scan the pages your students actually use: the homework page, the syllabus, the lab procedures. That is where the real problems hide, and that is where a 34-point gap can lurk between your perceived compliance and your actual compliance.
Fix the big issues first. Document your progress. Save your scan results with dates. That good faith effort matters more than a perfect score. Courts and OCR look for evidence that you tried, not evidence that you are flawless.
The professor in Oregon who ran 76 scans did not start with any accessibility expertise. He started with the same frustration you feel right now. He could not afford enterprise tools. His college did not help. But he found a free scanner, discovered problems he did not know existed, and started fixing them. That is all anyone is asking you to do.
Run your first scan now — it takes 30 seconds and costs nothing. Then come back to this guide and start your 60-day sprint. April 24 is coming whether you are ready or not.
**Disclaimer:** This article provides general information about ADA compliance for educational purposes. It is not legal advice. Every institution and situation is different. Consult with your institution's legal counsel or a qualified ADA attorney for guidance specific to your circumstances.