About ADA Title II and IMT-1300
FAQ
Please check our FAQ for helpful information and nuanced insights.
WCAG 2.1 AA is the digital accessibility standard which must be met in order to be considered compliant. Level A is essentials only. Level AA is essentials plus standard elements. Level AAA is the highest level and is optional. WCAG (wih-cagg) is an acroynm for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C and is periodically updated to reflect the evolution of technology. WCAG 2.0 AA was the standard for many years. WCAG 2.1 AA is an updated version which was selected as the standard for UC policy IMT-1300.
Acronym for IT Accessibility Policy Program (ITAPP) described in UC policy IMT-1300 and is the entity which coordinates accessibility education and compliance at each UC location. At UCI, the IT Accessibility Workgroup (ITAW) currently serves in a similar role, but no decisions have yet been made as to whether ITAPP will replace, absorb, or evolve ITAW.
Although the goal is to reach 100% compliance by April 2026, if you cannot meet the deadline, contact the ADA Coordinator to help you assess your risk of non-compliance. Important content and systems related to classes, trainings, safety, or anything required for a student or worker must meet WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards or is probably a high liability risk to the campus unless it qualifies for an exception. In drastic circumstances, non-compliant content and systems may need to be taken offline.
No. Neither the DOJ rule for ADA Title II nor IMT-1300 allow for extensions or postponements. See FAQ 'What if we cannot reach compliance by the deadline?'.
ADA Title II first took effect in 1992 and has been revised several times since, most recently in 2017. UC policy IMT-1300 was issued in 2013 and was updated in 2017 and 2025. However, voluntary compliance has been inconsistent, so both the DOJ new rule in 2024 and the recent revision of IMT-1300 in 2025 state explicit deadlines and standards to force institutions to meet compliance requirements.
Information and service providers are expected to allocate a reaonable amount of resources to reach accessibility compliance. A typical department should train staff now so everything produced, procured, or published from this point forward can be accessible. For existing content and services, priority should be given to anything 'important', e.g. anything which is required, related to safety, or accessed often. Consider discontinuing outdated or unnecssary content to reduce the scope of work. Check to see what may qualify for an exception.
Providing a link to accessibility.uci.edu or a custom accessibility page where someone can report issues or ask for help shows a good faith attitude to support people who have a right to information and services but who may be blocked or hindered by inaccessible materials or controls. Be prepared to respond promptly to issues with a documented plan of action before any requests are made, especially for known issues which have not yet been remediated.
However, if you manage 'priority' information or services that cannot be compliant by the deadline, see FAQ 'What if we cannot reach compliance by the deadline?'.
Providing a link to accessibility.uci.edu or a custom accessibility page where someone can report issues or ask for help shows a good faith attitude to support people who have a right to information and services but who may be blocked or hindered by inaccessible materials or controls. Be prepared to respond promptly to issues with a documented plan of action before any requests are made, especially for known issues which have not yet been remediated.
However, if you manage 'priority' information or services that cannot be compliant by the deadline, see FAQ 'What if we cannot reach compliance by the deadline?'.
A draft has been submitted for review and final updates and changes are being incorporated. No release date has been announced, but we expect an announcement very soon.