NE North Dakota News

President Andrew Armacost of the University of North Dakota (UND) recently discussed a new initiative aimed at enhancing digital accessibility across the campus. This effort aligns with upcoming updates to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, which are set to take effect in April 2026. These regulations will require universities and government institutions nationwide to ensure their digitally hosted materials meet specific accessibility standards.

Armacost has charged a University Committee for Title II Digital Accessibility to spearhead these efforts. Beth Valentine, UND's equity compliance and education manager and deputy ADA coordinator, emphasized that this change will encourage UND to proactively create digital environments accessible to all students and employees.

Brian Urlacher, a professor of Political Science & Public Administration at UND, highlighted the challenges involved in meeting these new standards but stressed the importance of supporting students' success by making content accessible across various devices.

President Armacost noted that these efforts would foster a stronger sense of community and belonging on campus. Addressing concerns about document formats, Valentine clarified that PDFs are not banned but should be made accessible moving forward. She mentioned that other document types might be easier to format accessibly but assured that PDFs remain acceptable.

To support this transition, the Teaching Transformation & Development Academy offers live and on-demand training on digital accessibility. Additionally, UND is collaborating with Deque University to provide a self-paced training platform for all employees.

Valentine also highlighted resources from the Division of Marketing & Communications, which offers templates for PowerPoint and Word documents. More information can be found on the Equal Opportunity & Title IX office’s digital accessibility landing page.