Digital accessibility ensures that all students, faculty, staff, and community members can access and engage with Germanna’s digital resources. As of April 2026, the federal ADA Title II rule will require all public institutions to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards for websites, documents, multimedia, and digital communication.
This page provides practical guidance on common accessibility barriers, how to remediate them, and where to find support and training at Germanna.
Federal Requirements
Title II of the ADA requires state and local government entities, including colleges, to provide equal access.
WCAG 2.1 AA defines measurable accessibility standards for digital content. Compliance covers:
- Websites
- Documents and course materials
- Video and audio content
- Social media
What this means for Germanna: By April 24, 2026, all faculty, staff, and content creators must ensure digital materials are accessible before publication or distribution.
Training & Support
Faculty and Staff Training: Accessibility workshops, hands-on remediation sessions, and resource guides are available through the VCCS as well as Germanna's Access Committee.
Individual Support: Staff and faculty can request one-on-one consultations for document, media, and web accessibility.
Student Support: Accessibility Services assists students with accommodation and access needs.
Common Accessibility Issues
In Documents
- Missing alt text for images
- No proper heading structure
- Low color contrast
- Tables without headers
- PDFs created from scans without tags
On Websites
- Links labeled “click here” instead of descriptive text
- No captions or transcripts for media
- Improper heading nesting (skipped levels)
- Insufficient color contrast
- Non-keyboard accessible menus
In Video/Audio
- Missing captions or subtitles
- No transcript provided
- Autogenerated captions with errors
- Videos without audio descriptions
- Poor audio quality or background noise
On Social Media
- No alt text for images
- Posting text only within images (without description)
- Videos without captions
- Hashtags without capitalization (#ThisIsAccessible vs. #thisisaccessible)
- Using emojis in place of words
Resources
VCCS Faculty & Staff Training
- Working with Videos (for Faculty) · September 30 · 12 p.m.
- Working with Video (for Staff) · October 9 · 11 a.m.
- On-Page Content (for Staff) · October 22 · 11 a.m.
- On-Page Content (for Faculty) · October 23 · 12 p.m.
- Creating Accessible PDFs (for Faculty) · November 4 · 11 a.m.
- Creating Accessible PDF’s (for Staff) · November 12 · 10 a.m.
- Accessibility in Canvas with UDOIT Advantage (multiple dates)
Course Modules
Policies
- Germanna Community College Digital Accessibility Policy — coming soon