NE North Dakota News

The University of North Dakota (UND) is intensifying its efforts to meet new digital accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Following the recent “Strive for 85” campaign kickoff, Provost Eric Link spoke about the university’s commitment to ensuring all students have equal access to digital resources.

“As a teacher, whenever I’ve been in the classroom, I’ve tried to make sure that every student in each of my classes had an opportunity to be successful. That said, what I know now and what I knew as a 28-year-old assistant professor in my first academic job out of graduate school are quite different, and my understanding and appreciation for what it means to truly make class materials accessible to everyone has grown over that time,” Link said.

He noted that while he did not always consider factors such as contrast ratios or alternative text options earlier in his career, his awareness of their importance has increased. “Accessibility is important because it’s about ensuring that every member of our community can fully participate in the life of the University. Removing barriers, whether physical, digital or procedural, opens the door for students to engage in the course material and have the opportunity to learn and grow.”

Link emphasized UND’s commitment: “At UND, we are all committed to embodying some core values in our classes. Some of these values are expressed in our UND LEADS strategic plan. To realize UND’s mission and strategic priorities, we must make sure every student has the opportunity to succeed. Meeting digital accessibility requirements reflects our university’s commitment to educational excellence and access for every individual.”

When asked if accessibility is a priority at UND and how it fits into broader goals, Link responded: “Yes! And, as I just mentioned, I see digital accessibility in strong alignment with the core values of the institution. Learning, Equity, Affinity, Discovery, Service — each of these cornerstones of the UND strategic plan, in their own way, point us to a future where educational excellence and opportunity are reflected in all dimensions of our work. Embracing accessibility as part of that vision is essential.”

UND established a Digital Accessibility Steering Committee and a Digital Accessibility Working Group earlier this year to guide compliance with Title II ADA regulations across campus. The “Strive for 85” campaign aims for faculty members’ spring 2026 course content on Blackboard Ally—a tool used for measuring content accessibility—to reach at least an 85% score by April 2026.

“The federal guidelines apply to all public entities, including state universities, public K-12 schools and all state and local governments. More specifically, we are working toward compliance with WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines. WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines,” Link explained.

To prepare for compliance deadlines and improve online content quality campuswide, UND has reviewed websites and documents using automated tools and manual checks over the past year. This process includes updating public-facing materials by adding features like alternative text for images and captions for videos.

“This is no small task. We have thousands upon thousands of documents on our UND website, and thousands more — perhaps even tens of thousands more — that are used by faculty in their Blackboard class sites, and beyond,” Link said.

He acknowledged that similar efforts are underway nationwide due to expanded use of online courses and hybrid instruction models: “All universities across the country are working, in one way or another, toward accessibility goals... The relative degree to which campuses across the country have achieved compliance with these federal regulations varies widely.”

On implementation at UND specifically within Academic Affairs units: “It all starts with each faculty member at UND joining in the effort... If we all join together to make a difference then we will not just meet our ‘Strive for 85’ campaign goals — we’ll surpass them.” He encouraged small but consistent steps from faculty members—such as replacing image-based PDFs with accessible links—to collectively improve overall content accessibility.

Faculty support resources include self-paced training modules like the “10-Step Accessibility Challenge,” quick guides on document improvement strategies available through campus webpages dedicated to accessible content creation guidance across various formats—including websites and PDFs—and access to Deque University’s online materials.

“Faculty can also reach out for hands-on help. Each UND college has a designated instructional designer who can provide support... For one-on-one help TTaDA [Teaching Transformation & Development Academy] has an accessibility lab that’s open for reservations,” Link said.

While instructional designers offer assistance through training sessions or mentoring opportunities within TTaDA facilities or via direct ticket requests from faculty seeking document help; ultimate responsibility remains with instructors themselves: “The instructional designers in TTaDA cannot actually do the work for the faculty... But the support team... will do everything in their ability to help all UND faculty meet our goals.”

Looking ahead at how these efforts contribute long-term benefits: “First accessibility is a quality standard that isn’t going away... Higher education is moving toward a future where accessibility is a baseline expectation that’s part of designing delivering and sharing information in ways that include everyone... Academic excellence is for everyone.”

Link referenced broader societal impacts through concepts like “the curb-cut effect”—originally designed infrastructure improvements intended only for wheelchair users later benefited many others—as an analogy supporting inclusive practices: “The point is there is value to this work... It speaks to our values it demonstrates our commitment... it enhances access and opportunity.”

He concluded by expressing confidence that ongoing collaborative efforts would bring lasting improvements: “The work we’ll do together as we ‘Strive for 85’ will have long-term benefits to the entire UND community.”